Context clues
From FreeReading
| Activity Type: Introduce/Revisit |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: 3-12 |
| Group Size: Whole Group/Small Group |
| Length: 15 minutes |
| Materials: Grade-Level Appropriate Prose or Poetry |
| Goal: students will use context to confirm or correct word recognition and understanding. |
| Items: Grade-Level Appropriate Prose or Poetry |
What to do
- Write the following sentence on the board: We were so famished, after not eating all day, that we ate an entire pizza and cookies. Underline the word famished.
- Read the sentence on the board and point out the underlined word famished.
- Explain that there are words in the sentences that give us a hint to what the underlined word means. We call these words that are hints, context clues.
- Why were they famished? (They did not eat all day.) I am going to circle “after not eating all day” because it gives me a clue about “famished.” What did they do because they were famished? (They ate an entire pizza and cookies.) I am going to circle “we ate an entire pizza and cookies” because it gives me another clue about “famished.” We know that you become famished because you don’t eat. Also, because you are famished, you eat a lot. What do you think “famished” means? (Very hungry)
- Let’s read the sentence, replacing “famished” with “very hungry,” and see if it makes sense in context. We were very hungry, after not eating all day, that we ate an entire pizza and cookies. Does that make sense? (Yes.) Let’s reread the original sentence.
- In a piece of text that you are reading with your class, pull out a sentence or two that contains words that they will not know. Walk the class through the same process from above.