English Language Arts and Reading.2.3.B

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The student is expected to

use context within and beyond a sentence to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words;

vocabulary strand teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--vocabulary. The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively.

Conduct a quick assessment with students such as a series of multiple-choice questions. Have students pick which answer is the definition of the underlined word in a sentence. Students should be able to put the options in context to determine which one makes sense.

Example:

  1. The cruel girl ate all the bears’ porridge without their permission.
    a) small b) tree c) mean d) angry
     
  2. After the toy vanished, Sally looked everywhere for it.
    a) was lost b) was found c) gets dirty d) goes home
     
  3. My grandma puts on her spectacles so she can see us better.
    a) dress b) wig c) boots d) eyeglasses

To make the assessment more rigorous, the teacher could take away the multiple-choice options and just ask students to read a sentence and write what they think the word means using the context of the sentence.

Using context means students use the words, sentences, or paragraphs that precede or follow a specific word or sentence and contribute to the inference of its meaning. Authors often include hints, or clues, to help the reader understand unfamiliar words.