Distribute copies of the Letter to a Friend. Read the letter aloud to participants. Encourage students to deduce the meaning of the underlined nonsensical words together. How were they able to determine the meaning of unknown words?

Although many of us may not receive letters from friends with nonsensical words, we may receive a handwritten note that we can't decipher. Or in some cases, we may be talking and can't remember a word, so we replace it with "thingamajig," "doodad," "whatchamacallit," or "doohickey" and are somehow understood. How is that possible? Context clues.

Context clues are essential for effective communication. In conversations, people often use language that may not be immediately understood by the listener. However, by paying attention to the context of the conversation and the speaker's tone and body language, we can better understand the intended meaning behind these phrases.

The same is true in reading. There are times when we will not know a word or phrase, but by using context clues we can determine or clarify meaning.

The purpose of this initial activity is to point out the skill sets that the students already have to build confidence in approaching unknown words. Each of these unknown words uses a different context clue strategy.

whatsit = female dog/puppy

• Role in the sentences: noun with feminine pronoun.
• Prior knowledge: shelters for animals, park as space for dogs, those with dogs are often called "owners."
• Likely young given sleepless nights.

fodiddly= mischievous, naughty

• Role: describes the whatsit
• is followed by definition or synonym, “constantly getting into everything”

schmaring = tail

• Role: something one can wag
• Prior knowledge: wag tails
• is followed by definition or synonym, “constantly getting into everything"

yugolotment = enjoyment

• Suffix -ment = state of being
• Role: noun
• Relates to her playful temperament, delight

In this lesson, we will determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases by using context clues, words or phrases in a text that help to provide meaning. It is also possible to break down unknown words into smaller parts to determine meaning. We will look specifically at three prefixes and two root words that occur frequently in the English language.

• Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases by using sentence-level context clues;
• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown words and phrases by analyzing frequently occurring affixes; and
• Identify frequently occurring root words.

Acknowledge how we are all, in some way, word detectives. Perhaps without even knowing it, we infer meaning from unknown words by using the information inside (affixes/root words/verb endings) and outside of the unknown word (synonyms, antonyms, related passages, background knowledge).

Write the definition of context clues on the board for reference: “words or phrases in a text that help the reader understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word.”

Using context clues is a skill that is relevant at all reading stages. For example, let's look at a book for emergent readers. King & Kayla and the Case of The Missing Dog Treats by Dori Hillestad Butler is an early chapter book. Books for emergent readers are designed to reinforce developing literacy skills and challenge readers with new vocabulary.

Turn to page one in the book and point out the word “favorite.” What if as a reader, you did not know this word? Read the sentence containing the word and the sentence preceding it. How might you deduce what “favorite” means?

“I LOVE peanut butter treats. They’re my favorite food!”

1. First, begin with the word itself. Sound out the word. Is it a word that you have heard before?
2. Then look for word parts – suffixes, prefixes, or root words. There don’t appear to be any within "favorite."
3. Determine the unknown word's part of speech or role within the sentence. Notice how the word “favorite” has the word “my” in front of it, indicating possession and favorite describes food.
4. Then look outside the word and sentence for synonyms and antonyms, or definitions. The treats are a favorite food. The speaker loves peanut butter treats, so it is reasonable to deduce that favorite means a strong liking.

After modeling each of the steps, conclude that the word “favorite” means preferred, popular, or well-liked. Option: verify the definition with a dictionary or online resource.

Use King & Kayla to slow down the process and share with participants that the skills/strategies learned with this text are transferable to many different situations.

Some learners may recognize the Latin base of favorite. The English word favorite can be traced to the Latin word favorem meaning “inclination, partiality/bias, goodwill.” It became favorito in Old Italian, and favorit in Old French.

A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word that changes its meaning (e.g., -er/or = a person, painter, or inspector).

Prefixes are added to the beginning of a word to alter meaning (e.g., anti- = against, antisocial). These are added to root words, which hold a distinct meaning, to create new words (e.g., paint + er, inspect + or, social + anti-).

Another example: clomping (p. 17)

1. Write the word "clomping" on the board and sound out the word:

                       C l ɒ m p I ng

2. Then, look for any prefixes or suffixes that could help determine the meaning. "Clomping ends with the - ing suffix, so it may be an action." Clomping is a gerund – derived from a verb, but functions as a noun in the sentence.

A present participle is the –ing form of a verb that is used to continuous or generalized action or can be used as an adjective. e.g., I was waiting for Kayla. I am thinking. That is an interesting dog.

A gerund is a word that is derived from a verb (add -ing to most verbs) but functions as a noun in a sentence. e.g., I like biking. Running is a popular form of exercise.

3. Next model using the surrounding context to gather a meaning. Read the sentence that contains the word aloud "I hear Kayla, Jillian, and Thor clomping up the stairs." Highlight the word "hear" and note that clomping is something that one can hear – a sound, a noun.

4. Discuss how they are "clomping up the steps," implying that clomping must mean a type of movement. "Here I see that the dog’s ear is up so it may have something to do with sound and listening." Last provide the definition of the word: "to walk with a heavy tread."

Whether reading an early chapter book, a form in an office, or an article in a magazine, we often come across unfamiliar words. Of course, one of the best ways to learn the meaning of an unknown word is to refer to a dictionary. However, this is not always possible or convenient.

There is not one way of using context clues that will work every time. Within a sentence, the surrounding information (the context) may offer clues about the meaning of a word. In addition, there are some words that can be broken into prefixes, root words, and suffixes to determine meaning.

Start with the unfamiliar word itself. Sound it out. Does it sound familiar in any way?

Then, examine the parts of the word: root word, prefix, and suffix. Not all words have prefixes or suffixes, but understanding the meanings of common prefixes and suffixes can help to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Many are likely familiar to you already; for example, the prefix "un-" usually means "not" or "opposite," so words like "unhappy" or "unpopular" suggest the opposite of the root word (happy, popular).

Consider words with the prefix "de-:" decompose, defrost, deactivate. In general, the prefix "de-" has a reversing or reducing effect. When something decomposes it separates. It is no longer put together or composed. Defrosting a windshield of a car involves warming the glass to melt (or reverse) the frost. If you deactivate an account, you no longer wish it to be active, reversing its status.

Similarly, the prefix "mal-" indicates something bad or wrong. If something malfunctions, it fails to function correctly. Some may recognize the Latin origin mal meaning "bad or ill."

Many words in the English language have Latin and Greek roots. Pedicure, pedestrian, pedal, pedometer, expedition, and centipede all share the common Latin root "ped." What do all of these words have in common? (ped = foot).

How is the word used in the sentence? Using the words that you know; can you determine if the unknown word is an action (verb)? A person place or thing (noun)? Or a describing word (adjective)?

Write brief definitions on board or large tablet:

• Prefix: word part added to the beginning of a word (pre= before)
• Suffix: word part that are added to the end of a word
• Root word: base word without prefixes or suffixes

Prefix:

un- not or the opposite of unfair, unusual, unhealthy

de- reduce or remove; demolish, defrost, deactivate

mal- bad or wrong; malfunction, malnourished, malformed

It may be beneficial to have images of the sample vocabulary (e.g., pedicure, pedestrian, pedal, pedometer, expedition, and centipede) to support learning.

Root:

ped – Latin foot

graph – Greek to write or to record

1. First, begin with the word itself. Sound out the word. Is it a word that you have heard before?
2. Then look for word parts – suffixes, prefixes, or root words.
3. Determine the unknown word's part of speech or role within the sentence.
4. Then look outside the word and sentence for synonyms, antonyms, or definitions.

It is time to use our word detective skills with a real mystery. Hand out copies of the Missing Artifact handout to participants. Read the paragraphs aloud. Note that words in bold are more challenging.

Review together. In slowing down, let's see how context clues and our knowledge of word parts help us to understand the meaning of these words. How do we know what we know? Even if we can’t provide specific definitions of the words, we can often understand something about it based upon context clues.

Work through the first two paragraphs of the text with the participants, specifically take note of the words: curator, artifact, pedestal, cipher, and cryptography. See Notes to Teacher for assistance with additional vocabulary.

"The word we’re focusing on is curator. Find the word and read the sentences before and after. Ask participants to determine the part of speech. This is a noun because it is referring to a person. We can determine this because the sentence indicates that a curator reported (noun/verb), only a person can make calls. We can conclude that a curator is someone who works at the museum because that is where the call came from."

• Curator - person (someone who reported, from the local museum)
• Artifact –thing (valuable, golden statue = definition within sentence)
• Pedestal – thing (can be empty, know that artifact is missing, may have been on it). Supportive base serves as foot/support.
• Cipher – something used to decode (within sentence)
• Cryptography – crypt (hidden: cryptic), graph (writing: paragraph, telegraph, autograph)
• Analyzed – verb, something one can do to security footage
• Equidistant – equi- (equal, equivalent, equity, equitable), + distant
• Hypothesized – verb, hypo- (under, less than) + thesis (position, something put forth)
• Decoy – thing, something left behind
• Malcontent – someone who was dissatisfied with their current situation, also mal - (bad), content
• Keen – describes observation
• Deductive – describes reasoning (de – off/from, detect, duct/duce – to lead, ducts in home)

After working with the class on the first two paragraphs, invite participants to define the remaining unknown words in pairs or small groups. In the interest of time, individual words may be assigned to each small group or pair and then shared collectively. Monitor the progress of students providing support when needed. Encourage participants to discuss what they think each of the words means.

Bring the class back together and have groups share what each word means and how they used the context clues to determine meaning. Repeat and write correct definitions on the board.

When pairing of grouping participants, some may have greater prior knowledge or familiarity with Latin-based languages.

Not every word will be familiar to you as you read. Context clues both within a word (prefixes, suffixes, and root words) and around an unknown provide some assistance.

In today’s lesson, we looked specifically at the common prefixes un-, de-, and mal-, as well as the root words ped and graph to determine the meaning of unknown words. Many words in the English language have Greek and Latin roots.

• determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in King and Kayla by using sentence-level context clues;
• determine or clarify the meaning of unknown words and phrases in King and Kayla by analyzing frequently occurring affixes; and
• identify frequently occurring root words.

We already use context clues in conversations – paying attention to the context of the conversation and the speaker's tone and body language to understand unknown words or phrases. Your word detective skills are transferable to reading as well.

Distribute the context clues bookmarks. The bookmarks are a reminder of the four steps covered today.

Reflect on the Activity:

• Did you discover any new vocabulary words while using context clues?
• Did you find context clues to be an effective tool for understanding unknown words? Why or why not?
• How do you see yourself using context clues in the future?