The Situation:
The Clues:
Direct Instruction in Context Clues
When students ask us the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a text, what is our #1
piece of advice? “Use context clues.” But how helpful is that advice? Discerning the
meaning of unknown words using context clues requires sophisticated
understanding of sentence structure. Direct instruction in how authors use
sentence structure to offer direct clues is necessary in order for students to
independently “use context clues.”
Synonym
A synonym, or word with the same meaning, is used in the sentence.
The food was so bland that everyone called it tasteless.
Antonym
A word or group of words that has the opposite meaning reveals the
meaning of an unknown term.
While Melissa is quite graceful, her sister is clumsy and awkward.
Definition/ The unknown word is explained within the sentence or in a sentence
Explanation immediately preceding.
Cowboys often wore chaps, leather trousers without a seat, over
their pants to protect their legs from thorns.
Example
The Steps:
The
Resources:
Specific examples are used to define the term.
The writer’s article was featured in two different periodicals—
The New York Times and The National Enquirer.
1) I Do: Model identifying the four types of context clues using lower-level,
non-content area sentences. This way, the focus is on the sentence structure
and the type of clue, not in discerning the meaning of a new word.
2) We Do: Working either as a whole class or in small groups, have students
practice identifying and using the four types of context clues. The words
here should be more challenging, but their meaning should be obvious in
the clue. Success in determining meaning in difficult, unknown words will
build confidence (see attached).
You Do: As a pre-reading activity for a content-area text, isolate several
sentences that both contain new vocabulary AND use direct clues to convey
meaning. Have students examine those sentences, define the new
vocabulary word, and explain how they arrived at that definition. This will
not only provide practice in using context clues, but also provide students
with a preview of the text.
Beers, Kyleen. When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth:
Heinemann, 2003.
http://www.csupomona.edu/~crsp/handouts/context_clues.html