Cara Dunn

Unit 5 Lesson Plan

Audience (grade/age level): 7th/8th grade
Subject/Topic: Context Clues
Alignment to PA Standards:
CC.1.3.7.I / CC.1.3.8.I: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing
flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
CC.1.3.7.J / CC.1.3.8.I: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general
academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge
when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression

Short term objectives:

The student will identify missing words from sentences using context clues.
The student will define unknown words using context clues in a passage.
Materials needed:
Procedures (intro, lesson, closing):
Introduction:
Put the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis
on the board and ask students to define it with a partner.
After a few minutes, reveal the word in the context of the sentence.
Because of his closeness to Mount St. Helens, he contracted
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis.
Ask students which parts of the word they were able to break down
and determine the meaning from. Break down the parts on the board
until students come up with the definition.
If necessary, reveal the definitions of the word parts.
Review the steps taken to define the word and lead this into a
discussion on context clues.
Lesson:
Complete guided notes sheet together on context clues and examples.
Students will be applying their notes to sentences and determining
word meanings from there.
Have students do a quick review of the different types of context clues
with a partner.

Activity: Put a nonsense word on the board. Explain that this word
does not have a definition, but we can define it however we want using
context clues. Reveal a sentence using the word and have students
define it.
Give each student a nonsense word. They are to put this word in a
sentence using one of the context clues strategies from earlier.
They will then switch their sentence with someone else and define the
nonsense word they were given based on the context clues of the
sentence.

Closing: Discuss the importance of context clues in determining word

meanings, especially on standardized tests. Give an exit slip to assess
student understanding of context clues.
Evaluation:

The exit slip will be a quick informal assessment of how student apply their
learning to content.
Give students homework worksheet to practice defining words using context
clues and studying which type of clue they used. This will be due the next
time class meets.

Context Clues Strategies

Strategy & Definition
Synonym:

Example
The fox raced swiftly
through the trees and
flew out of sight.

Antonym:

She knew the cup

wasnt fragile when she
felt its sturdy handle
and thick sides.

Example:

He acted like a buffoon

at the party by telling
jokes and laughing too
loudly and too often.

Definition:

The trek, or journey,

became more
challenging as we
approached the top of
the mountain.

Meaning of word

Inference:

Jake left the waitress a

paltry tip. She forgot to
give them glasses of
water, brought out cold
food, and never
checked on them.

Word Parts:

The only part of the city

recognizable to Ian was
the Sears Tower.

Nonsense Words Context Clues

Name: _________________________________________
Word: glat
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: thrant
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: skad
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: blunge
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: floof
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: grustly
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: vlas
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: gleazing
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: swub
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: changly
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: jarbled
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: ziptificous
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________________________
Word: shlangly
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________
What do you think the word means?
_________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What context clue strategy did you use?
_____________________________________

Name: _________________________
Word:

Sentence: __________________________________________________________________

Name: ______________________________________________ Date: _________________________

Score: __________

Exit Slip: Context Clues

1. The home team made sure that the officials were on their side. They won
a close game and the championship with many questionable decisions from
the officials. However, no one from any other town would accept the winners
as legitimate champions.
The word LEGITIMATE as it is used the sentence(s) above means
a. real
b. talented
c. sneaky

d. good looking
2. Some people believe that lawyers are always working to see that justice is
done. On the other hand, some believe that lawyers only want to
manipulate the legal system to get what they want. Could both sides be
right?
The word MANIPULATE as it is used in the sentence(s) above means
a. control in a dishonest way
b. give help
c. teach about or explain
d. disagree with
3. We walked slowly down the trail with great trepidation. No one who had
gone this way had ever been heard from again. Had they simply found a
better place to settle on this dark planet? We doubted that.
The word TREPIDATION as it is used in the sentence(s) above means
a. movement
b. fear
c. concern
d. shock

HOMEWORK