Mini-Lesson: Context Clues
English 9 WS
Listen as I read aloud from a book I’ve been reading
Listen for any words you don’t quite understand
and write them down in your warm-up book.
Inference
What you already know + text clues = inference
• Sometimes there will be a contrast set up, so you can tell
that the unfamiliar word is the opposite of the word you
already know.
• Sometimes there will be a kind of re-statement or a
synonym next to the unfamiliar word.
Context Clues Riddle Game
1. Read each sentence.
2. Think about what the underlined word means--you don’t
have to write it down.
3. In 30 seconds, we’ll take our best guess.
Riddle 1
Since it was raining outside, I used my
bumbershoot to keep from getting wet.
Riddle 2
Unlike Robert, who is a conformer and a follower,
Tasha is a maverick.
A maverick is someone who chooses to be
independent of the group.
Riddle 3
Julia was so cantankerous that her grumpy
behavior behavior negatively affected everyone.
Riddle 4
Unlike Ben, who was easygoing and sometimes
sloppy, Janie was fastidious.
Fastidious means to be very attentive to detail,
accuracy, and cleanliness.
During SSR, use context clues as you read
Goal: make your annotation about an unfamiliar
word and how you are using context clues to
understand the meaning.
Sources:
Jess LeMere, http://www.slideshare.net/JessLeMere/context-clues-powerpoint
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