Bell Ringer
• Grab a Context Clues Worksheet
from the front table, by the door.
Answer all questions on both sides.
• This is the transition to sharpen
pencils and get situated and ready to
learn.
What are Context Clues?
Look at this cartoon.
What happened before
this scene? What is going
to happen next? How do
you know?
What are Context Clues?
What has already happened?
What will happen next?
What clues did you use?
What are Context Clues?
What has already happened?
What will happen next?
What clues did you use?
Housekeeping
• Make-up Monday starts next week.
• Open House is Tuesday, Sept. 9 @ 6
P.M.
• Home Learning: Types Context Clues
Worksheet due 9/8 (A) & 9/9 (B.)
• Recommended: acquire a copy of A
Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine
L’Engle.
Anticipation Box
• Discuss essential question.
• Anticipation Box reveal.
• Using the objects from the
anticipation box, predict what will
happen in A Wrinkle in Time. Then,
make an inference about the
novel’s central message.
Learning Objectives
Today you will
• define context clues
• learn how to recognize context clues in
text
Context Clues
How to determine a word’s meaning
when there is no dictionary in sight
Definition
Types of Context Clues
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Definition / Restatement
Synonym
Antonym
Compare
Contrast
Example
Cause and Effect
Inference/ Implied Meaning
Definition/Restatement
• Definition / Restatement: dictionary
definition provided directly in the
text.
• Signals: Definition and restatement
are often signaled by punctuation
such as a comma, dash, and by
certain key words and phrases
Synonyms
• Synonym: Author reveals meaning of
word by using another word with a
similar meaning nearby in the text.
• Signals: A definition or synonym
follows a comma, a dash, or signal
words.
Antonyms
• Antonym: author reveals meaning of
word by using another word with an
opposite meaning nearby in the text.
• Signals: words like: but, however,
although, not, despite, some…but
others, on the other hand, unlike,
whereas, yet
Comparison
• Compare: words are revealed
through comparisons with other,
familiar words or ideas in the
sentence.
• Signals: commas, and words like:
especially, like, likewise, also, and, as
well as, in that, resembling,
identical, similar to, as, and in the
same way.
Contrast
• Contrast: When two words are in
contrast they have opposite
meanings. By noting the similarities
and differences between the things
described, you can get an idea of the
meaning of the unfamiliar word.
• Signals: unlike, on the other hand, in
contrast to, but, instead of, on the
contrary, although, however.
Example Context Clue
• Example: The context in which the
word appears may contain one or
more examples that give clues to the
word’s meaning. Read the examples
and note what they have in
common.
• Signals: other, including, for
instance, this, these, such as,
especially, these include
Cause and Effect
• Cause and Effect: The cause of an
action or event may be stated using
an unfamiliar word. If the effect is
stated in familiar terms, though, it
can help you understand the
unfamiliar word.
• Signals: because, consequently,
therefore, so, since, as a result,
if…then, due to
Inference & Implied Meaning
• Sometimes readers must use
reasoning, text clues, and prior
knowledge to determine meaning.
Readers must infer, or make a logical
guess about, the word’s meaning.
Clues may be in nearby sentences,
several sentences away, or even
several paragraphs away. In this
case, you will need to keep reading
until you find the clue or clues.
What are Context Clues?
borborygmus
Who can tell me what this word means?
If you don’t already know, you’re going to
struggle with this word. There aren’t any
words around it to hint at its meaning.
What are Context Clues?
borborygmus
I was so nervous about the big test that I
hadn’t eaten all day. There I was, in a
perfectly silent room, with about 50 other
kids, and suddenly my stomach embarrassed
me. Everyone could hear my borborygmus as
clearly as if a train had rumbled by, and it
wouldn’t stop. I coughed to cover the sound,
but the kid next to me told me to be quiet. I
was so embarrassed.
What are Context Clues?
borborygmus
“the rumbling, gurgling noise of gas
moving through the intestines”
What are Context Clues?
horripilation
She’d never experienced horripilation
before, but when the monster hid in
her closet and started making scary
sounds in the middle of the night, her
hair just stood up on the back of her
neck.
What are Context Clues?
horripilation
“The bristling or standing on end of a
person’s hair when he or she is frightened”
What are Context Clues?
Jarraracussa
While he was sight-seeing in the jungles
of Brazil, my cousin almost died when a
Jarraracussu slithered out from under a
rock without warning and bit him on the
leg. That could have ruined his vacation.
Luckily, they got him to a hospital in time,
and the doctors got the poison out.
What are Context Clues?
Jarraracussa
“a poisonous Brazillian snake”
Group Practice
• Work with your group to identify the
context clues in these passages.
• Guess the meaning of the target word.
I get bored reading that author’s
work because he picks topics
that are trite and boring.
Group Practice
We wanted to protest when they
raised the price of soft drinks, but
we were too shy to tell them we
didn’t agree with their decision.
Group Practice
The waves were relentless; they
pounded the struggling swimmer
again and again.
Group Practice
Madison was zealous about
chasing her dream to become a
dancer. Phyllis, on the other
hand, could not have cared less.
Group Practice
When George held the door open
for Harley, she smiled to let him
know she appreciated it.
Closing
Number five lines on a separate piece
of paper. Be sure to skip several
lines, so you have space to write.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1
Closing
Caroline made a “yuck” face when
the pill dissolved before she could
wash it down. It left an acrid taste
in her mouth.
2
Closing
When Marina first realized she left
her books at home, she freaked
out. Then, she remembered how
good she was at making the best
of a bad situation, and she knew
she could cope.
3
Closing
After they lost their apartment,
Jerry’s family lived like vagrants,
moving from place to place with
no place to call home.
4
Closing
The audience wasn’t paying
attention until Cierra took the
stage. They were captivated
by her exciting performance.
5
Closing
“Don’t use the same sentence
structure all the time,” Ms. Barker
said. “Vary the word order from
time to time.”