Dead End in Norvelt Week 1

Chapter 1 – 11/15

Context Clue Foldable Cut out each magnifying glass and glue it onto page 15 of your ISN’s. Take notes during the Context Clue mini-lesson. Definition Name of Clue

Hunting For Context Clues You Be the Detective!!

What are Context Clues? Bits of information from the text that, when combined with prior knowledge, allow you to decide the meaning of unknown words in the story or article you are reading. You must act like a detective and put together clues from sentences surrounding an unknown word in order to make an intelligent “guess” as to what the definition of a word is.

How do Context Clues help? Textbook writers and authors often include words or phrases to help readers understand the meaning of a new or difficult words. These words or phrases (Context Clues) are built into the sentences around the new or difficult word. By becoming more aware of the words around a difficult word, readers can make logical guesses about the meanings of many words.

Get Your detective tools ready!

Definition/ Explanation The word is defined directly and clearly in the sentence in which it appears. Example: “ The arbitrator, the neutral person chosen to settle the dispute, arrived at her decision.” Example from DEN: “the truck driver said the last thing he saw was the man gyrating wildly with his arms and legs pumping up and down as if he was on the dance floor” (126).

Synonym (or restatement) Other words are used in the sentence with similar meanings. Example: The slender woman was so thin her clothes were too big on her. Example from DEN: “When he returned home from West Virginia she ambushed him in the kitchen, and after she gave him a tongue lashing a second time around I knew he’d be seeing me next” (74).

Often signaled by the words whereas, unlike, or as opposed to. Antonym (or contrast) Often signaled by the words whereas, unlike, or as opposed to. Examples: “Unlike Jamaal’s room, which was immaculate, Jeffrey’s room was very messy.” “Whereas Melissa is quite lithe, her sister is clumsy and awkward.” Example from DEN: “There was no scope on the rifle, so I had to use regular sight” (10).

Inference Clue Word meanings are not directly described, but need to be inferred from the context. Example: “Walt’s pugnacious behavior made his opponent back down.” “ The man gigged the large fish, but he needed his friend to enlarge the hole to drag it out of the frigid water.” Example from DEN: “It seemed to me that he had willingly retreated to my room after the scolding Mom gave him about the corn and the airplane” (74).

Punctuation Clue Specific punctuation marks like quotes, commas, dashes, and even italics that enclose the meaning. Example: Example: The vitriol in his voice -- all the anger and hate -- made the character much scarier in the movie than in the book.  Example from DEN:

Specific examples are used to define the difficult word. Example Clue Specific examples are used to define the difficult word. Example: Toads, frogs, and some birds are predators that hunt and eat spiders. Example from DEN: “I sat in silence and stared at the taxidermed school of fish the doctor had mounted all around the walls. I counted thirty-five of them, and suddenly wondered if Mr. Huffer could figure out a way to mount a school of old dead people on the wall…” (92).

Now it is your turn to be a detective and follow the clues! Use what you have learned about context clues to complete the “Context Clues” Activity for DEN.