Context Clues

What are context clues? 3 minutes (independent) Use the BAV method to write down the definition of context clues 2 minutes (collaborate) Round Robin with your team to discuss what context clues are

Context Clues Authors "leak" information on the page and it requires detective work to "solve" word meanings. Context clues are helpful for learning new words and better understanding what they read. There are 4 different types of context clues; (1) Definition, (2) Antonym, (3) Synonym, (4) Inference

"The vixen was not as fortunate.“ Let’s Try! "The vixen was not as fortunate.“ Discuss with shoulder partner, what you think the word vixen mean. Great guesses! However, this does not provide us enough information to make a more accurate guess!

Let’s Try Again! “The vixen was not as fortunate as her mate, and was caught in the steel-jawed trap. Her red pelt would bring a good price.”

Notes On the following slides, you will take notes on the 4 different types of context clues. Definition Antonym (or contrast) Synonyms (or restatement) Inference

Definition The word is defined directly and clearly in the sentence in which it appears “The arbitrator, the neutral person chosen to settle the dispute, arrived at her decision.” What does arbitrator mean?

Antonym (or contrast) Often signaled by the words whereas, unlike, or as opposed to. “Unlike Jamal’s room, which was immaculate, Jeffrey’s room was very messy.” “Whereas Melissa is quite lithe, her sister is clumsy and awkward.” What do the words immaculate and lithe mean?

Synonym (or restatement) Other words are used in the sentence with similar meanings. “The slender woman was so thin her clothes were too big on her. What does the word slender mean?

Inference Word meanings are not directly described, but need to be inferred from the context. “Walt’s pugnacious behavior made his opponent back down.” “ The man gigged the large fish, but he needed his friend to enlarge the hole to drag it out of the frigid water.” What do the words pugnacious and gigged mean?

LPR3 mnemonic device Look- before, at, and after the new word Predict- quickly predict the word’s meaning, remembering that a wrong prediction if often a good start Reason- think more carefully about the word’s meaning, trying to be as precise as the context clues permit Resolve- recognize that you may need to take other steps (look it up, ask someone) Redo- got through the steps again, if necessary

“Billy’s reply was incoherent.” Let’s Try LPR3! “Billy’s reply was incoherent.” I think we need more information! "First, I need to look before, at, and after the unfamiliar word incoherent. Then I need to predict what the word might mean by substituting other words that could make sense in the sentence, like funny, stupid, clever, or wrong. When I try to reason or look more closely at the context, all I know is that incoherent is being used to describe Billy's reply. I think I need more help to resolve the meaning of this word.

Let’s Try Again! "Due to a severe lack of sleep and extreme nervousness, Billy's reply was incoherent." "When I look this time, there are no words after incoherent, but I can figure out a lot from what's before the word. I'm going to predict that it means ‘does not make any sense.' My reason is that it says ‘severe lack of sleep and extreme nervousness.' I think I can resolve the meaning based on this context because I know what it's like when I'm overtired and nervous." Discuss as a class how the context clues in the sentence and the LPR3 mnemonic helped to solve the meaning of the word incoherent.

Your turn! Working with your shoulder partner, I want you to use the LPR3 strategy to find the meanings of words. DO NOT write on the worksheet; use a separate sheet of paper. Write down the meaning of the word you came up with and an explanation as to why you think that is the meaning of the word. EXAMPLE: John was so hungry that he didn’t leave a single particle of the muffin on the plate. Tiny bit; amount “John was so hungry” and “didn’t leave a single….” helped me determine the meaning of the word. If someone is so hungry then they would eat every part of a muffin.