Agenda
 DO NOW-Review SAT Words
 SAT Vocab-Fairy Tale with a Fairy
 Vocab in Context
 Practice Questions Quizbowl
 Independent Practice
 Exit Ticket
Vocabulary in Context
AVID III, Spring 2012
Why?
 The SAT has vocabulary section to test our understanding of
the English language and the ability to break apart words and
develop meaning.
 We know that communication is key in our academics and
even our relationships with others.
 Being a good communicator is essential! (IB!!)
Our Goal
 There are three ways we are going to look at vocabulary
today:
 by using context clues
 parts of words
 common ways to practice vocabulary so we can become
awesome communicators!
Context Clues
 Context clues, or looking at the sentences around the missing
word, can help us determine words we might not
understand.
 Context by definition means the circumstances or facts that
surround a certain event.
What’s my context?
So what….
 Words are the same way!
 We can look at the circumstances or facts that surround the
word and figure out what message the author is trying to get
across.
 With those clues, we can determine the word!
Let’s look at an example of this from
the SAT…
 In many parts of East Africa at that time, wild animals were so ----
that it was almost impossible for a photographer to approach close
enough to film them.
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Rare
Large
Wary
Numerous
Unsightly
What message is the author trying to get across? Let’s look at the
context. Photographers can’t get close enough to film the animals.
Why might that be?
Let’s disaggregate the answer choices..
In many parts of East Africa at that time, wild animals were so ---- that it
was almost impossible for a photographer to approach close
enough to film them.
 Rare- are the animals rare? They might be, but that has nothing to
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do with how CLOSE the photographer has to be.
Large- hmm, maybe. Are large animals hard to approach?
Wary- were the animals scared? That would make it very difficult
to approach the animals.
Numerous- would the number of animals make it hard to get
close enough? No, I don’t think so.
Unsightly- If the photographer couldn’t see them, how could he
even try to film them?
Check!
 What are context clues?
 How can we find them?
 What do they tell us?
Second..
let’s talk about breaking apart words in order to find meaning.
We can look at root words, prefixes, and suffixes to
determine vocabulary we might not quite know.
On the SAT…
 Producing a dance concert is a----- effort, since the choreographer,
dancers, composer, stage manage, stage crew, costume designer, and
many others must all work together to successfully put the show
on stage.
A. Creative
B. Concentrated
C. Homogenous
D. Combative
E. Collaborative
Let’s look at the answer choices..
Producing a dance concert is a----- effort, since the choreographer,
dancers, composer, stage manage, stage crew, costume designer, and many
others must all work together to successfully put the show on stage.
 Creative? No – that has nothing to do with working together.
 Concentrated? Hmm…maybe.
 homogenous?-What does that mean? Wait, I can break it apart because I know homo
means “the same”. Does that fit? Let’s move on and come back.
 Combative?- I’m not quite sure what that means. However, I see the root “combat” so
that must mean conflict of some sort. Conflict isn’t working together, so that doesn’t
work.
 Collaborative? I’ve heard that word before- collaborate. That fits “working together”!
Check!
 It’s E!!
 What’s the second way we can determine
vocabulary?
 What are context clues?
 How can we use them?
Last…
The last thing we want to discuss today are good
practices for learning vocabulary.
Some ways to practice!
Flashcards
Thinking of Examples
Using it in a sentence or story within “context”
Thinking of synonyms
Drawing pictures of the word
Developing a clever way to remember it.
Giving the word a movement.
Finding examples of the word in literature, the internet, etc.
Thinking of the opposite of the word (non-examples).
Finding a “mnemonic” for the word or making a song out of or
about the word.
 Learning roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
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Check!
 What’s the second way we can determine
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vocabulary?
What are context clues?
How can we use them?
What are some ways we can practice vocabulary?
Why is having a strong vocabulary important?
Practice Quizbowl
 Flyswatters 