When we read, we might find words we don’t know. We can ask our teachers, parents, or friends to help us. But good readers also use what they already know and clues from the story to understand new words. This helps us become better readers!
Using what you already know is called prior knowledge. Let’s say you read “homemade cookies.” You know “home” is where you live, and “made” means to create something. So, “homemade” means something made at home, not in a store or bakery. If your grandmother makes cookies at home, you can say, “These cookies are homemade by my grandmother.”
Let’s try another example. What does “bedclothes” mean in this sentence: “After her bath, Cindy put on her bedclothes”? You know “bed” is where you sleep, and “clothes” are what you wear, like pants or shirts. So, “bedclothes” means the clothes you wear to bed, or pajamas. So, Cindy put on her pajamas!
Good readers also look for context clues. These are hints in the story that help us understand new words. They can be in the same sentence or nearby sentences. Some context clues tell us what a word means. For example, “A calf, which is a baby cow, is standing next to its mother,” tells us a calf is a baby cow.
Context clues can also give examples. For instance, “There was a lot of debris, like empty cups, wrappers, napkins, paper, and cans all over the park,” helps us know “debris” means trash.
Sometimes, context clues use words that mean the same thing. For example, “There was an insect crawling up on the wall; my dad caught the bug and put him outside,” shows “bug” is another word for “insect.”
Let’s practice using context clues to understand new words. See if the clue is a definition, a similar word, or an example.
By using what we know and looking for clues, we can understand new words and become super readers!
Word Detective Game: Become a word detective! Choose a book or a story you like. As you read, write down any new or tricky words you find. Try to figure out what they mean using clues from the story or what you already know. Share your findings with a friend or family member and see if they agree with your detective work!
Create a Word Map: Pick a new word you learned today. Draw a big circle on a piece of paper and write the word in the center. Around the circle, draw lines to smaller circles. In these smaller circles, write down clues from the story, similar words, or examples that helped you understand the word. Decorate your word map and share it with your class!
Context Clue Hunt: Go on a context clue hunt around your home or classroom. Find objects or pictures and think of words that describe them. Then, write a sentence using each word, but leave the word out. Ask a friend to use context clues from your sentence to guess the missing word. For example, “I use this to eat soup; it is not a fork or a knife.” (The missing word is “spoon.”)
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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**Vocabulary**
When we read, sometimes we come across a word we may not know the meaning of. We can ask our teachers, parents, or someone else to help us figure it out. However, good readers will use prior knowledge and context clues to help them understand the word on their own. By using context clues and prior knowledge, we can become better readers.
**Prior Knowledge**
Prior knowledge involves using what you already know to help you understand a word. For example, if we see the phrase “homemade cookies,” we can break it down. The word “home” refers to a place where I live, and “made” means to create something. Therefore, “homemade” means something that is made at home, not in a factory, store, bakery, or restaurant. Another way to say “these cookies are homemade by my grandmother” would be “these cookies are made at home by my grandmother.”
**Context Clues**
Let’s try another example. Use your prior knowledge to determine what “bedclothes” means in the sentence: “After her bath, Cindy put on her bedclothes.” The word “bed” refers to a place where I sleep, and “clothes” are items I wear, like pants or shirts. Therefore, “bedclothes” must mean the clothes I wear to bed, or pajamas. So, we can say, “Cindy put on her pajamas.”
Another strategy good readers use is to look for context clues. Context clues are hints found in the surrounding text. They can be in the same sentence or in the sentences before or after. Some context clues provide definitions. For example, in the sentence, “A calf, which is a baby cow, is standing next to its mother,” the sentence defines what a calf is.
Context clues can also provide examples. For instance, in the sentence, “There was a lot of debris, like empty cups, wrappers, napkins, paper, and cans all over the park,” the examples help us understand that “debris” means trash.
Sometimes, context clues use words that are similar to the unknown word. For example, in the sentence, “There was an insect crawling up on the wall; my dad caught the bug and put him outside,” the word “bug” is similar to “insect.”
Now, let’s use context clues to figure out the underlined word in each sentence and identify whether the clue was a definition, a similar word, or an example.
1. “The lock jammed or got stuck, and we could not open the door.”
– I think “jammed” means to get stuck. The context clues provided a definition.
2. “Paul illustrated the pictures in this book; the pictures he drew were very nice.”
– I think “illustrated” means to draw. The context clues provided a similar word.
3. “We love to eat our vegetables, like carrots, tomatoes, peas, and green beans.”
– I think “vegetables” are healthy foods that we eat, as shown by the examples. The context clues provided examples.
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