Reading Strategies
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WELCOME TO MY CLASS!
This lesson is
about
“de-coding”
word
meanings
and
meanings
of
reading passages.
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CONTEXT CLUES
&
WORD MEANINGS
• Identifying context clues in reading is
made easier by looking for
• the key context clue categories
• within the context
• of an effective step-by-step strategy.
• So here’s the strategy:
FP’S BAG
• When you come to an unknown word,
apply the steps of the
• “FP’S BAG” strategy
• in the following order
• until you get a good clue
• about the meaning of an unknown word.
“FP’S BAG”
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Finish the sentence.
See how the word fits into the whole sentence.
Pronounce the word, out loud, if possible, and if not, inwardly ponder the
sound of the word by using both phonics (“Sound it out”) and experience
(Try to remember [a] time[s] you’ve heard and/or read the word..
Sometimes hearing the word will give you a clue to meaning.
Syllables–Examine each word part.
Word parts can be helpful clues to meaning.
Before–Read the sentence before the unknown word: YOUR CONTEXT CLUES!
The sentence before can hint at what the word means.
After–Read the sentence after the unknown word.
The sentence after can define, explain, or provide an example of the word.
Grammar–Determine the part of speech.
Pay attention to where the word is placed in the sentence, the ending of the
word, and its grammatical relationship to other known words for clues to
meaning.
Parts of Speech
• Please review the PARTS OF SPEECH
(with exercises):
•
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/definitions.htm
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http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/POS/pos.htm
• If it’s more convenient,
• make yourself a note
• to return
• to this task later!
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/vocabulary.htm
PLEASE GO TO THE LINK ABOVE TO STUDY WHAT IS LISTED BELOW!
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Vocabulary Analysis:
Some common Greek and Latin roots
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Prefixes & Suffixes in de-coding words
AND
At the bottom of the web page, please do QUIZZES 1 & 2 of:
If it’s more convenient,
make yourself a note
to return
to this task later!
Vocabulary in Context
• CONTEXT refers to the words surrounding an unfamiliar word.
These surrounding words provide clues to the meaning of an
unfamiliar word.
• Using context clues to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words
helps the reader in the following ways:
•
1. Saves time since the reader doesn't have to look the word up in
the dictionary.
2.
Gives the reader a good sense of how a word is actually used.
There are four common types of context clues:
• 1.
2.
3.
4.
Examples
Synonyms
Antonyms
General Sense of the Sentence or Passage
The context clue categories:
• Synonym–Sometimes an unknown word is defined by
the use of a synonym, a word with the SAME meaning.
• Synonyms appear in apposition (appositives are re-namers), in
which case commas, dashes, or parentheses are used.
• Example:
• The wardrobe, or closet, opened the door to a brand new world.
• Antonym–Sometimes an unknown word is defined by the
use of an antonym (a word with an OPPOSITE meaning).
• Antonym clues will often use Signal Words, for example:
however, not, but, in contrast
• Example:
• He signaled a left, not a right, turn.
Logic clues
• Logic–Your own knowledge about the content
and text structure may provide clues to meaning.
• Logic clues can lead to a logical guess as to the
meaning of an unknown word.
• Example:
• He petted the canine, and then made her sit up and beg for a bone.
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If the reader did not know the word “canine,” a guess could be made
to its meaning by the text “made her sit up and beg for a bone.”
Example clues
• Example clues will often use transition
words e.g., such as, for example, like
• Example:
• Adventurous, rowdy, and crazy pioneers all found their way out
West. The pioneers of the “Old West” were like the crazy people
in stories by Louis L'Amore and Zane Grey: They all sat up late
around the camp fire by night and rode in the hot sun by day.
The word “ZANEY” became associated with Zane Grey and his
rowdy, crazy pioneers.
PRACTICE
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http://www.epcc.edu/Student/Tutorial/Writingcenter/Handouts/studyskillsreadingother/reading/Quizzes/vocabquiz.htm
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http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/570/pulp/hemp4.htm
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http://www.daltonstate.edu/faculty/mnielsen/vocabulary_in_context1.htm
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http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/quizview.php?title=Vocabulary-in-Context-1
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http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/vocab/contextcluesc.htm
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On the page at the following link, write your answers on paper then scroll down to check your answers:
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http://www.cerritos.edu/reading/vocab.html
MORE PRACTICE
• At the following links, some practice items
might seem too easy, and that’s because it
is geared towards ESL students, but as
you’ll see the exercises are useful:
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http://www.english-zone.com/vocab/vic01.html
http://www.english-zone.com/vocab/vic02.html
Thanks for your scholarship!
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http://www.literacymatters.org/content/readandwrite/vocab.htm
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http://penningtonpublishing.com/blog/reading/how-to-use-context-clues-to-improve-reading-comprehension-and-vocabulary/
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http://members.cox.net/berniehpoetry/poems/authors.html
http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/LL/eng090.html
http://www.cerritos.edu/reading/vocab.html
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•
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http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Index.htm
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/reading%20strategies%20index.htm
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Tools/Index.htm
•
http://artie.com/gif-anim.htm
KEEP
READING
and
STUDYING!