Name: Lori Montgomery
Period: 1
Date: 3/21/13
Unfamiliar Word
(type the word AND the sentence it’s in or copy and paste it)
Strategies Used
(Use 3 for each word)
Today we learned strategies to figure out
unfamiliar words that we see when reading.
1. Researchers believe the study has value beyond the iconic giant of the north woods, because the ailments killing moose could shed light on health threats to other species, including humans.
2. Researchers believe the study has value beyond the iconic giant of the north woods, because the ailments killing moose could shed light on health threats to other species, including humans.
3. Cornicelli compared the technology to "life alert" necklaces some senior citizens use to summon emergency responders.
1. Prefix. “un” means not
2. The “familiar” part is like “family”
3. Context clue “figure out” must mean I don’t already know it
4. It is an adjective describing the noun
“words”
1. Sound it out, separate the word
Icon-ic
2. context clues – giant
3. heard it before on TV
1. Sound out
Ail-ments
2. Context Clues
3. Reread
1. Reread
2. Context Clues
3. Sound out
Sum-mon
Your Prediction of the
Meaning
(Based on your strategies, make a
GUESS)
Something you don’t already know, something strange or unknown
Iconic- unique
Ailments- ways
Summon- directs, calls to
Actual Definitions of the
Word of, pertaining to, or characteristic of an icon.
2.
Art. (of statues, portraits, etc.) executed according to a convention or tradition.
Also, i·con·i·cal. a physical disorder or illness, especially of a minor or chronic nature to call upon to do something specified.
2. to call for the presence of, as by command, message, or signal; call.

3. to call or notify to appear at a specified place, especially before a court: to summon a defendant.
4. to authorize or order a gathering of; call together by authority, as for deliberation or action: to summon parliament.
5. to call into action; rouse; call forth (often. followed by up ): to summon all one's courage.
The strategies (from our brainstorm + a few):

Use the context clues in the sentence or surrounding sentences to make a guess at the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

Think of other words that have the same word parts as the unfamiliar word. Like biology, biome, biography and think of what they have in common.

Think of Latin/Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes you have learned in school. Un-, re-, -ology, -ly and how they affect the word.

Use a dictionary if one is available or allowed.

Think of other words you could substitute for the unfamiliar word without changing the meaning of the sentence. Synonyms.....

Try to sound the word out

Look in a thesaurus for synonyms if available or allowed

Do a Google search for the word

Ask someone else what it means (not always appropriate in school, but often employed outside of school)

Think about another time you have seen the word, in another story/article you have read, or on a sign, etc.

Close your eyes and think about what is happening in the story or article and visualize the meaning.

Look at other parts of the passage that are nearby and see if the unfamiliar word is repeated and use those context clues.
 Think of the part of speech of the unfamiliar word. If it’s being used as an adjective, it’s describing a noun, etc.

Reflection Questions:
Type your answers after each question. Use complete sentences.
1) What are some situations (outside of school) when you might encounter unfamiliar words?
2) Describe 2 strategies that you learned about today that you will definitely use when reading in the future.
3) Why did you pick those 2 strategies? Do you think they will be effective strategies when you are in the situations described in question 1? Why or why not?
4) What are some other ways you can learn new words and improve your vocabulary outside of school?
5) Do you think it is important to have a well-developed vocabulary? Why or why not?