Context

Clues Nonfiction
Reading
Let’s think about
Determining
the Meaning Blues Clues! Lesson 17
of Words
 OBJECTIVES

Content Objective: I can identify how readers use context

01 clues to determine the meaning of words and phrases in a
nonfiction text.

Language Objective: I can read for clues to identify

02 unknown word meanings.

I can identify the meaning of a word by reading and

thinking about the word in context.
THIS IS OUR
GOAL!
IN A NUTSHELL!
 What is context?
The setting of a word
Example:
Con- with Text- written
words

Clues within the

written words to help
you understand
unfamiliar words or
phrases.
Why do we use Context Clues?
Good readers use context clues when they can't figure
out the meaning to an unknown word.
 Types of 1. Example: specific examples provide
Context Clues clues to the meaning of the unknown
word.
2. Definition: the word is defined in the
sentence or surrounding sentences.

3. Antonym: A word (or a group of words)

with the opposite meaning is used in
the sentence.
4. Synonym: A word with the same
meaning is used in the sentence.
 Sentences 1. After dinner, Ms. Dennis was so moozled
Context Clues from the day that she fell asleep two hours
before her bedtime.
- What do you think moozled means?
- How did you know what that words means?

2. Mrs. Hernandez woke up feeling so hungry

the next morning she catchooly ate her
breakfast. When she was finished she had a
stomach ache.
- What do you think catchooly means? How
did you know what that words means?
 Let’s Practice
How to Use
Context Clues
Example: “Poison Dart Frogs secrete
a mucus from their skin."

Read the How did you know?

Definition of Use the clues within
sentence and
the unknown the page to help you
identify the understand the
unknown word: word: meaning of the word

● Secrete ● Secrete means to ● Mucus leaving

make mucus. from the frogs
skin.
 Independent Work ● Wither
Read the page
and identify
Directions: the unknown
1. Read the words:
passage.
2. After
reading,
find 2 ● Wither means
unknown
words from Definition of to shrink
the book the unknown
that you
are not sure words:
of.
3. The, use
context
clues to How did you ● Trees lose their
help you know? Use the leaves
figure out clues within the
their ● Flowers shrink
page to help you
definitions
understand the
before they die.
to better
understand meaning of the
the text. word.
4. Complete
the chart.
 1. hemispheres
Independent Work After
reading, 2. basins
identify three
unknown
3. survive
Directions: words:
1. Choose one Nonfiction book
below to read.
1. A hemisphere is One of two
2. After reading, find 3 unknown
halves of the earth
words from the book that you
are not sure of. Definition of
the 2. A basin is a large areas of lowe
3. The, use context clues to help land on the ocean floor.
unknown
you figure out their definitions
words:
to better understand the text. 3. Survive means to stay alive an
to live.

How did you

1. On page 6, there are two
know? Use pictures with the Earth split into
the clues lines, This shows the different
within the hemispheres.
page to help 2. On page 10, it describes what
you on the bottom of the ocean.
understand 3. On page 19, it talks about how
the meaning polar bears need the ice to live
of the word
 1.
Independent Work
After reading,
2.
identify three
Directions: unknown words:
1. Choose one Nonfiction book 3.
below to read.
2. After reading, find 3 unknown
words from the book that you 1.
are not sure of.
3. The, use context clues to help Definition of the 2.
you figure out their definitions unknown words:
to better understand the text.
3.

1.
How did you know?
Use the clues within
the page to help you 2.
understand the
meaning of the word 3.