Tuesday, March 18, 2014 (homework is due Wednesday, March 19)
Tonight for homework, read this entire blog post. Don’t skip a word (I don’t skip a word when I’m grading your work.). Once you’ve read over the explanations (excerpted from Flocabulary.com), take the Context Clues Quiz. I’ve also posted a link to the Flocabulary.com Context Clues rap. After you watch the rap, take the challenge questions to see how you fare. If you ace the quiz and challenge questions, you’re ready to rock the Context Clues Test on Thursday. If you don’t, practice and review several Wednesday night, too!
Context clues are hints in a sentence or passage that can help you define a word you don’t know. The clue may appear in the same sentence as the word you don’t know or in a nearby sentence. This is a useful strategy because it helps you understand what you are reading, and it allows you to easily learn new vocabulary.
Sometimes you may need to look up the word in a dictionary. But other times, context clues will help you figure out the word on your own! Sometimes a challenging word or phrase is explained in simpler language. Look for a synonym: a word or phrase that has the same meaning as the unknown word.
Example: My pet peeve is people chewing with their mouth open—it’s so annoying!
A “peeve” is something that annoys or bothers someone.
Often, we can figure out the meaning of a word by looking for a word with the opposite meaning nearby. Look for an antonym: a word or phrase that has the opposite meaning as the unknown word.
Example: Though some students are insubordinate, others obey their teachers and follow all the rules.
Now you know that “insubordinate” describes someone who disobeys or doesn’t follow rules.
In some passages, the meaning of a word or phrase is explained immediately following its use. Look for an explanation for the unknown word in the sentence or in sentences nearby.
Example: My friend was so forlorn when her dog died that she cried for a week.
We can assume that “forlorn” means very sad.
Oftentimes, specific examples in the sentence help define the term.
Example: Whales and sharks are my favorite aquatic animals.
So “aquatic” means “in water,” since both whales and sharks live in the sea.
Click on the links below to take the quiz and watch the video.