Spring 2020
In this section I will provide activities for you to complete to work on your ability to use context clues to determine the meaning of words. This is for students who are reading fluently (grades 4 and up).
Context clues are words and hints that the writer uses that help us figure out what unfamiliar words may mean. For example, if I read the sentence "The Harlem Globetrotters but on a stupefying show! They always find ways to amaze their audience and they did not disappoint!" I can use the context clues to determine what the word stupefying means. Hmm. Let's see. I know that the Harlem Globetrotters do a lot of tricks while playing basketball. I also know what the word amaze means. If they amazed the people at the show and the audience was not disappointed (so they were pleased), then it's safe to say that stupefying is probably another word for amazing. I like to use current events and interesting topics for students to work on using context clues. If a topic is high interest or relevant to their life at this time, they are more motivated to work on understanding the words they do not know. I will continue to update this page with different news stories and select words throughout the story for students to define.
Kids Report on Covid-19 Read the short article and figure out what each of these words or phrases could mean: 1. "Spiraled into one of the biggest health crises ever" (1st paragraph) 2. "Tracking Covid-19" (1st paragraph) 3. "More quickly surfaced" (2nd paragraph) 4. "Catch some fresh air" (3rd paragraph) 5. "Times of need" (5th paragraph) Think about what these could mean and what surrounding words or ideas helped you figure out the meaning. Did you have to use an external resource to figure out the meaning? That's okay! How do these words/phrases apply to your own life? Create your own sentences using these words and phrases (*hint* you will probably need more than one sentence per phrase - you are setting up your own context clues for a reader!)
A Look at the Economy Read the short article and figure out what these words and phrases mean using context clues and how they relate to the article's main idea. 1. "Cautious" (1st paragraph) 2. "Hit hard" (2nd paragraph) 3. "Flying off the shelves" (3rd paragraph) 4. "Prices are falling" (4th paragraph) 5. "Uncertainty" (5th paragraph) What surrounding words did you use to help you define these words/phrases? Create your own sentences using these words and phrases (hint you will probably need more than one sentence per phrase - you are setting up your own context clues for a reader!) BONUS POINTS!!! What is the significance of the image as it relates to the article?
Schools Respond (to Novel Coronavirus)
Read the short article and figure out what these words and phrases mean using context clues and how they relate to the article's main idea(s).
1. "Hit the hardest" (2nd paragraph)
2. "Likely to follow" (3rd paragraph)
3. "Brief" (4th paragraph)
4. "The last thing we ever want to do" (5th paragraph)
5. "Learning will transition from the classroom to the cloud" (6th paragraph)
What surrounding words did you use to determine the meaning of these words and phrases?
Identify synonyms that could be used in place of these words. Remember, synonyms are words that mean the same thing. For example, a synonym for "pretty" is "beautiful".
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