REGIONAL TRAINING OF

TEACHERS
ON CRITICAL CONTENT
May 16-25, 2018
Otel Pampanga, Maimpis City of San Fernano

3/23/20 1
Objectives:
1. Define “context clues” and recognize how it is used
in inferring the meaning of a word or phrase in a
text;
2. Identify the common types of context clues and
understand how each type helps in getting the
meaning of an unfamiliar word; and
3. Make inferences by analyzing textual details.
3/23/20 4
CONFIDENCE CHECK
CAN YOU DEFINE THESE WORDS?

continuously putrid

animosity perplexed

frugivorous resolute

inclined feral
nuisance sweltering
The Jamaican fruit bat is a
frugivorous
mammal.

 The raffl esia is also known as a

carrion, or a putrid, flower.

 The pack of feral dogs living in the

woods that were able to reach the
town proved to be a big nuisance.

 Rica looked perplexed as the
foreign guest talked to her in
French.

 The sweltering summer

temperature in Manila drove the
Montenegros back to Baguio.
 HOW DID YOU GUESS THE
MEANING OF THESE WORDS?
“Vocabulary is acrucial
part of instruction in
content areas.”
– Graves and Slater, 1996
Vocabulary skills and strategies
relevant to Content Area Reading

• Sight words
• Contextual Analysis
• Structural Analysis
• Phonic Analysis
• Use of the Dictionary
 Words can be
defined
and
.
 scaly, legless,
sometimes
venomous reptiles

Denotation
an animal with a long,
tapering, cylindrical
body and found in most
tropical and temperate
regions

Snak
e
evi
l
Connotation

treachery
 When reading, we oftentimes encounter
words that are really new to us, or are
used in diff erent context, that we
usually struggle in comprehending not
just the words, but the sentence where
they are used.

 Either we look them up in the

dictionary or we rely on the structure
of the sentence to infer these words’
meanings.

 It is distracting, and sometimes,

Context Clues…
 are hints that the author gives
to help define a difficult or
unusual word.
 The clue may appear within
the same sentence as the
word to which it refers, or
it may be in a preceding or
subsequent sentence.
 There are at least four kinds of context
clues
that are quite common:
1. Synonym/Restatement: A synonym, or
word with the same meaning, is used in
the sentence.
e.g. My opponent's argument is fallacious,
misleading – plain wrong.

This situation is a conundrum – a puzzle.

2. Antonym: A word or group of words that
has the opposite meaning reveals the
meaning of an unknown term.

e.g: If you don't conquer your fears, they will

beat you.
 3. Explanation/Definition: The unknown word
is
explained within the sentence or
in a
e.g. The patient is so somnolent that she requires
sentence immediately preceding.
medication to help her stay awake for more
than a
short time.
After the heavy rains, the stream became murky;
in fact, the water was so cloudy you couldn't see
the bottom.
Explanation Clue
The w ri t er pro vi des an e xpl an at i on of t h e u nf am i l i ar w or d t hr ough t he u se of :

comm as, d ashe s, or pare nthes es

a phr ase th at e xpl ai ns th e wo rd’ s meani ng
a di r ect ex pl an ati on of t he m eani n g of a wo rd

Can appear before the unfamiliar word

Can appear as one or more separate sentences after or nearby the unfamiliar word
Similar to a definition clue; however, longer than a definition

e.g. Martha imperceptibly mixed vegetables into the brownies;

that is, it could not be tasted, seen or smelled.

ww.ldsd.org/cms/lib/PA09000083/Centricity/Domain/18/5contextclues.pdf
 Punctuation
Readers can also use clues of punctuation and type style to infer
meaning, such as:
quotation marks (showing the word has a special meaning),
dashes , parentheses or brackets (enclosing a definition),
and italics (showing the word will be defined).

e.g. Tom's father was a “haberdasher”. He had a clothing

store for men.
In the story, Tom's father was a haberdasher-or men’s
shop keeper.
Tom's father was a haberdasher (men’s shop keeper) in
the story.
Cause and Effect
The author explains the reason for or the result of the word.
Words like “because,” “since,” “therefore,” “thus,” “so,”
etc. may signal context clues.

e.g. She wanted to impress all her dinner guests with

the
food she served, so she carefully studied the
necessary
culinary arts.
 4. Example: Specific examples are used
to define the term.

Celestial bodies, such as the

e.g:
sun, moon, and stars, are
governed
by predictable laws.
 Other Types of Context Clues
Comparison are words and phrases that have the
same or similar meaning as an unfamiliar word.
Words and phrases such as like, as, and in the
same way often signal comparisons.

e.g. Don’s efforts on the soccer field were valiant

in the same way a soldier shows courage in
battle.
  C on trast : are words and phrase that mean
the opposite of an unfamiliar word. Words
and phrases such as although, but, yet,
however, except and on the other hand
signal contrasts.

e.g. Sid thought the music would end

gradually, but it stopped abruptly instead.
Other Types of Context Clues
Cause and Effect: The author explains the reason
for
or the result of the word.
Words like “because,” “since,” “therefore,” “thus,”
“so,” etc. may signal context clues.
e.g. She wanted to impress all her dinner guests
with
the food she served, so she carefully studied
the
necessary culinary arts.
 How do we use
context clues
for getting the meaning of
a word?
Strategy For Teachers
Model it…
“As Tom stepped out of the tent, the
moist grass soaked his shoes and he
wondered if it had rained.”
Say aloud…
“The grass is moist. It soaks Tom‟s shoes.
Tom thinks it rained. Rain makes things
wet. Moist must mean…..”

“Now try „wet‟ in place of

moist to see if it makes sense.”
Context Clue Steps
For Students
1. Identify the unknown word.
2. Look for the words that give hints about its
meaning in the sentence.
3. If you need more cues, read the sentences
before and after the one with the word in it.
4. Infer the word’s meaning based on what
you found.

Adapted from Vocabulary Instruction Module developed for Reading Excellence Act. Graves
(2002)
The SLAP Strategy
✔Say the word.
✔Look for clues.
✔Ask yourself what the word might
mean; think of a word that expresses

that meaning.
✔Put the word in the passage in place of
the unfamiliar word. Does it make
sense?
Trying out the SLAP strategy
He tried to open the box with no luck. He
couldn’t find the key, so he decided to use a
smidgen.

✔ Say the word.

✔ Look for clues.
✔ Ask yourself what the meaning might be.
✔ Put word in the passage; does it make
sense?
APPRECIATION CHECK!
1.The girl who used to be very vociferous doesn't talk
much
anymore.

2.Pedagogical institutions, including high schools,

kindergartens, and colleges, require community
support to function effi ciently.
3.He was so parsimonious that he refused to give his
own sons the few pennies they needed to buy pencils
for school. It truly hurt him to part with his money.

4.His pertinacity, or stubbornness, is the cause of most

of his trouble.

5.Rather than be involved in clandestine meetings,

they did everything quite openly.
6.Ecclesiastics, such as priests, ministers, and
pastors,
should set models of behavior for their congregants.

7. The girl was churlish – rude, sullen and absolutely

ill-
mannered.

8.Because the conflagration was aided by wind, it

was so destructive that every building in the area
was completely burned to the ground.

9.Ted seemed absolutely honest, but something told

me he was prevaricating anyway.

10.Hank said the ocean was very tranquil; I also

thought
the ocean was peaceful.
Game Based Learning

Use Nonsense Words

kahoot.com
3/23/20 35
 COMPREHENSIO
N Literal

Inferential

Application

st s… W
ug ge ha
It s td
oe
s…
?
Inference in reading
comprehension
 is the ability to understand the meaning of the
passage or text without all the information being
spelled out.

What does it mean to infer in reading?

To imply is to hint at something, but

To infer is to make an educated guess.
Can you guess what
the paragraph is
about?
 A newspaper is better than a magazine
and on a seashore is better than on a street.
At first, it is better to run than walk. Also you
may have to try several times. It takes some
skill but it is easy to learn. Even young
children can enjoy it.
Once successful, complications are minimal.
Birds seldom get too close. One needs lots of
room. Rain soaks in very fast. Too many
people doing the same thing can also cause
problems. If there are no complications, it
can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an
anchor. If things break loose from it, however,
you will not get a second chance.
(Brandford & Johnson, in Aulls, 1982)
K I T E!
 L e t ’s t r y t h i s o n e !

3/23/20 42
• Its physical make up is very similar to the make
up of an orange.

Sometimes an orange has one seed in its

center.

• This also has a single central giant seed about

760 miles in radius.

• This inner core serves to give it life, just like

the orange seed gives it life.
• Its interior is as liquid as the interior of an
orange.

• However, the liquid of an orange is what we

call orange juice.

• The liquid in this sphere is known as the outer

liquid core.

• This liquid core is about 1400 miles in depth.

• The liquid iron is confined by what is called a rocky
mantle; the juice of the orange is confined by a white
spongy cellulose material.

• The difference is that the white cellulose is only a fraction

of the orange’s radius, while the rocky mantle accounts
for about a third of its radius, about 1300 miles

• As you may have guessed by now, both the orange

and this sphere have a crust or skin, which serves to
protect the interior.
 Can you guess
what the sphere
is?
The Usual Suspects

The A planet!
sun!
 What helped?
Knowledge
About science M otivatio
n

Words I’ve
digested

Experience
with oranges
 When we look at what is involved in
literacy and comprehending what you
read, there can be three types of literacy.

1. There is basic literacy that is

just reading the words on the
page.
Critical literacy which requires reading between
the lines. You have to analyze and internalize and
interpret, synthesize, explain. For that you have
to be able to make inferences.

 Dynamic literacy involves making inferences

across multiple different texts that you're reading -
seeing the relationships among those texts.

(Morris, P.J. & Tchudi, S. (1996). The new literacy: Moving beyond the 3Rs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass )
8 Comprehension Skills

OLD NEW
Main Idea & Details Summarizing
Summarizing Sequencing
Cause & Effect Inferencing
Sequencing of Events Comparison & Contrast
Predicting Drawing Conclusions
Drawing Conclusion Self Questioning
Inferencing Problem Solving
Comparison & Contrast Relating Background
Knowledge
 Good readers make inferences, or
conclusions, as they read. It’s an
important skill for understanding
text, as authors often imply
themes and ideas, without stating
them outright.
 Inferences are figured out based on an
experience.

 Helping students understand when

information is implied, or not directly stated,
will improve their skill in drawing
conclusions and making inferences.

 Inferential thinking is a complex skill that

will develop over time and with experience.
 Inferenceis a "foundational skill" — a
prerequisite for higher-order thinking and 21st
century skills (Marzano, 2010).

 Inferenceskills are used across the curriculum,

including English language arts, science and social
studies.

 Because inferring requires higher order thinking

skills, it can be difficult for many students.
However, it can be taught through explicit
instruction in inferential strategies.
 Let’s Try
Alice was carrying a large clothes basket from
the bedroom down the stairs to the laundry
room. She struggled under the weight of the
basket. She wished her younger brothers would
help her. Instead, they were playing. She had
heard them throwing a baseball in the house
earlier. She had told them to go outside.They had
gone to the backyard, but they had left the
baseball on the stairs.

Why did she ask them to go outside?

Making inferences from pictures
In order to make the inferences for that critical
and dynamic literacy, students have to build
mental models within their head and they
have to be able to build mental pictures of
that text.
Mental Modeling for Individual
textsKnowledge, Situation/Scenario Mapping
experiences, Model Comprehensive
propositions referential meaning of the
from long-term real or imaginary situation
memory described in the text.

Text Macrostructure Text

organization Gist or
theme

Text Microstructure Words

Sentences Cohesive
structures
Textbase Model
 How to teach inference
One simplified model for teaching inference
includes the following assumptions:

 We need to find clues to get some answers.

 We need to add those clues to what we
already know or have read.
 There can be more than one correct
answer.
 We need to be able to support inferences.
What Good Readers Do when they
Infer
What to do to Develop
Inferring?
 Develop vocabulary

 Teach questioning

 Activate prior knowledge

 Teach summarizing
Reciprocal teaching
Other Strategy: Self
Questioning (Marzano (2010)

 What is my inference?

This question helps students become aware that

they may have just made an inference by filling in
information that was not directly presented.

Other Strategy: Self
Questioning (Marzano (2010)

 What information did I use to make this inference?

It is important for students to understand the various

types of information they use to make inferences. This
may include information presented in the text, or it
may be background knowledge that a student brings
to the learning setting.
 How good was my thinking?

According to Marzano, once students have

identified the premises on which they've
based their inferences, they can engage
in the most powerful part of the process
— examining the validity of their thinking.

 Do I need to change my thinking?

The final step in the process is for students to

consider possible changes in their thinking. The
point here is not to invalidate students' original
inferences, but rather to help them develop the
habit of continually updating their thinking as
they gather new information.
 One model that teachers can use to
teach inference is called "It says, I say,
and so" developed by Kylene Beers
(2003).
CONFIDENCE CHECK!
Ryan was looking forward to sleeping over at his friend Robert's
house.Though they had been classmates for a while, the two had only
recently become good friends. Ryan packed up his sleeping bag, a
pillow, and a few of his favorite toys and games, and then his mom
dropped him off at Robert's. Robert met Ryan on the porch and the two
did their secret handshake and started playing right away. First they
played pirates in Robert's tree fort. Next they played ninjas in the
driveway.Then it started getting dark and they went inside of Robert's
house.As soon as they walked in the house, Ryan's eyes starting getting
red and itchy. He saw a big orange cat sitting on the couch.Then he
started sneezing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Robert. It's been a lot of fun,
but I have to call my mom."

Why do Ryan's eyes get red and itchy when he walks into Robert's house?
The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange
things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be
sufficient, depending on how much there is to do.
If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities,
that is the next step. Otherwise you are pretty well set.
It is important not to overdo things – that is, it is better to
do too few things at once than too many. In the short run,
this might not seem important, but complications can
easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well.
After the procedure is completed, one arranges the
materials into different groups again.Then they can be put
into their appropriate places.
Eventually they’ll be used once more and the whole cycle
will have to be repeated. However, that is a part of life. So
how do you do yours?
3/23/20 70
 http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/inference
 http://www.k12reader.com/worksheet/visual-clues/

https://www.speechpathology.com/articles/oelig-eading-

between-lines-making-1526
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO
MUCH!

HEIDI BARCELO-MACAHILIG, Ph.D.

Philippine Normal University

MELANIE NALDOZA-AQUINO
Science City of Muñoz