Increasing Comprehension When Reading

 Words written around an unknown word that helps the reader figure out what the unknown word means.

 Synonyms  Antonyms  General Context  Examples Using context clues is a wise, or sage reading strategy.

 Synonyms are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Synonym Signal Words:  or  that is

 Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning of another word. Antonym Signal Words:  but  however  in contrast  instead  not  on the other hand

 When synonyms or antonyms are not provided you will have to rely on the words around the unknown word to figure out its meaning. Jamie speculated about how much weight he wanted to gain during the three-month bodybuilding program he was beginning.

 In many cases, the author may demonstrate the meaning of a difficult word by providing an example. Example Signal Words:  for instance  for example  such as  including

Knowing the meaning of parts of words help you understand difficult words when you see them in context.  Root- the basic or main part of a word.  Prefix- a small word part added to the beginning of a word (root) to make a new word.  Suffix- a small word part added to the end of a word (root) to make a new word. construction

Sal is taking a history and a biology class in college. He is having difficulty comprehending the reading material because his textbooks contain many unfamiliar words. He feels that college is difficult enough without all of those new unfamiliar words.  What tips can you give to Sal to increase comprehension of unfamiliar words in his college textbooks?

This week you will choose a sentence based on the first letter of your last name. Then answer the questions that follow the sentences. 1. What does the italicized (underlined) term mean? 2. What method did you use to find the meaning of the word, for example, did you use context clues, synonyms, antonyms, or word parts? 3. Use the word in a sentence of your own. Your sentence can be creative and humorous, as long as it is appropriate for our classroom Discussion Board.  (Optional) Just for fun… Many sites such as the NY Times have “Word of the Day” activities. Click on the following link: Write a sentence using your new word. Include this sentence in your discussion so that we may try to guess what its meaning is.

Read: Chapter 2, pp in the text, The Effective Reader MRL Vocabulary Practice Test: Graded MRL Vocabulary Practice Exercises: Not Graded Seminar: Option 1 or Option 2 Discussion: Identify an unknown word; discuss the method you used to find its meaning.