2. C lues in S entences I nvestigation Context Clues! Mrs. Hood, Grade 5 New Castle Elementary School

4. Sometimes when we are reading, we don’t know what a word means! What do we do? Just like a detective, we have to use clues! There are words or phrases around unfamiliar words that can help us understand the meaning of a word. These words or phrases are called context clues. Learning how to use these clues can help us understand the meaning of the word, help us to understand the reading, improve our vocabulary and save us from using Google or the dictionary!

5. We make guesses based on the information we know! Let’s Try It…

6. I'll tell you about the career that I chose; it definitely keeps me on my toes. I've been practicing since a very young age. Now I travel around and perform on the stage. I'm graceful and pretty, but I'm also real strong. My body is thin and my legs are quite long. I often wear pink and love satin and lace. Watch me twirl, flit and flutter all over the place.

7. A Ballerina!

8. Hot Shot! Who Am I? A lot of kids think that they want to be me. Danger 's my best friend and my enemy. When I'm summoned to duty I'm often alarmed. Still, I help lots of people stay safe and unharmed. I wear a cool hat and a raincoat and boots. Which I'd much rather wear than some stuffy old suits. My truck makes loud noises when I drive down the street. It's a lot of fun but I still take lots of heat.

10. A Pipe Dream Who Am I ? If it has to do with water, then it has to do with me. I will fix your sink or toilet for a rather hefty fee. I carry a big toolbox and my name is on my chest. (That’s so that I can advertise that my skills are the best!) So if there’s hair stuck in your drain, or your toilet’s overflowing, Or if your pipes are frozen or your basement walls are bowing, I am the one to call and though this sounds a bit insane, I know I’ve done a good job when it all goes down the drain.

12. Getting There Who Am I ? My career is really taking off but there's more to it than that. For I can take you far away in 30 minutes flat. You can sit beside the window and look at the ants below. From here, the earth looks all the same, no matter where you go. My future is up in the air. My hopes remain sky high. Most people are beneath me, cuz I'm quite a lofty guy. Of course, sometimes I have to keep my feet firm on the ground. Like when I'm home, or when somebody's luggage can't be found.

14.  Context Clues are words that say, “ Stop - don’t touch that dictionary! The definition of the word you don’t know is right here in the text!“  Context Clues - Information a reader can get from the reading that helps show what a word or group of words means.  Like in a mystery, you have to use the clues to find the answer!

15. 1. Synonyms 2. Antonyms 3. Definition 4. Example

16. SYNONYM SYNONYM context clues When the author includes a synonym (a word that means the same or about the same) for the unknown word and is used in the same sentence. Example: After seeing the picture of the starving children, we all felt compassion or pity for their suffering. In the example, the author gives you the word “pity,” which is a synonym for “compassion.”

17. ANTONYM CONTEXT CLUES ANTONYM CONTEXT CLUES An antonym context clue is when the author gives an antonym (a word that means the opposite) for the unknown word. Example: Most birds are herbivores, not meat eaters Because the sentence uses an obvious antonym, a good reader will understand that herbivores eat plants instead of meat.

18. Example: The Eskimo was having difficulty climbing up the pingo, or Artic hill. In this example, the author gave the definition of a pingo, which is an Artic hill.

19. EXAMPLE Context Clues EXAMPLE Context Clues The author includes one or more examples to help the reader understand the unknown word Example: The Native American gave the wounded soldier a cardamom potion. The herb’s strong smell was enough to cure the hurt man. You can conclude that from the second sentence that cardamom must be an herb used for medicine.

20. Our Girl Scout troop took an excursion, a short journey, to a museum. What type of context clue is being used? What does “excursion” mean? A. Trip B. Class C. Paintings D. Lunch

21. Our Girl Scout troop took an excursion, a short journey, to a museum. What type of context clue is being used? An example context clue is being used. What does “excursion” mean? A. Trip B. Class C. Paintings D. Lunch

22. Jerry is very clumsy, but his sister Jenny is adroit. What type of context clue is being used? What does “adroit” mean? A. Pretty B. Robot C. Graceful D. Smart

23. Jerry is very clumsy, but his sister Jenny is adroit. What type of context clue is being used? An antonym context clue is being used. What does “adroit” mean? A. Pretty B. Robot C. Graceful D. Smart

24. The harlequin, like the circus clown, is a clown who likes to perform. What type of context clue is being used? What does “harlequin” mean? A. Book B. Clown C. Shadow D. Animal

25. T he harlequin, like the circus clown, is a clown who likes to perform. What type of context clue is being used? A synonym context clue is being used. What does “harlequin” mean? A. Book B. Clown C. Shadow D. Animal

27.  It’s time for you to practice using context clues!  You’ll be given some practice questions to complete.  Work with a partner to see if you can use the clues to solve the case!  Good luck detectives!

28. Read each sentence or paragraph and find the correct answer. tome 1.The archeologist carefully removed the tome from its ancient resting place and read the pages about marriage in What does the word tome probably mean? ancient Greece. What does the word tome probably mean? a. Pen b. weapon c. book d. sausage virtually 2.The Navajo language is an unwritten language of with no alphabet or symbols, and is spoken only on the lands of the Navajo Nation in the American Southwest. During World War II a Navajo code was created for the U.S. Navy. This code was virtually impossible to understand except to Navajo speaking persons. What does the word virtually probably mean? a. pleasant b. almost c. never d. always

29. 3. Lakes occupy less than two percent of the Earth’s surface, yet sustain they help sustain life. For instance, lakes give us fish to eat, irrigate sustain crops, and generate electrical power. What does the word sustain probably mean? a. support b. obstruct c. prolong d. destroy pioneered 4. The ancient Greeks pioneered many of the kinds of writing we consider standard today. They wrote speeches, plays, poems, books about science and learning, long histories of the things What does the word pioneered probably that happened to them. What does the word pioneered probablymean? a. complicated b. developed c. destroyed d. explored

30. prominent prominent 5. Fifty-five mostly prominent, male delegates attended the Philadelphia Convention in 1787. About seventy-five percent of the delegates had served in Congress and others were important people in their home states. These men are often referred to as the Framers of the Constitution. What does the word prominent probably mean? a. unimportant b. unknown c. common d. important 6. Bats that eat fruit and nectar spread seeds and help flowers thriveWhat grow. Without bats many important plants would not thrive. What does the word thrive probably mean? does the word thrive probably mean? a. flourish b. die c. wither d. wilt

31. Assignment: Read, Gumption and use context clues to identify the meaning of unknown words.