Module 1 Enhancing the Self

Lesson 6: Celebrating Self-worth

Lesson:
Context Clues
WORD DOMINOES
The students will work as team. Each team is
given the entire set of dominoes.
Directions:
1. The students read the sentences and use clues to
determine the meaning of the underlined word.
2. The students then must search the remaining
dominoes to find the definition of the word.
3. The students should line up the sentence with
the underlined word next to its definition in the
same way to connect dominoes.
4. When completed, the students should be able to
connect all of the dominoes from start to finish.
Apply the reminder/mnemonic to get the
meaning of the unfamiliar words in the
following sentences.

1. Even when the police officers put the

handcuffs on my mother, she
maintained her dignity, holding her head
up high as she was marched off the
protest site.
2. The rays from the rising sun shined
splendidly through our kitchen window.
3. John was so hungry that he didn‘t leave
a single particle of the muffin on the plate.
4. Cassie took her time when she wrote in
cursive, slowly making each word out of
an elegant series of arcs and loops.
5. Kevin thought that it was a great
injustice that girls could wear earrings in
the school while the boys could not.
DIGGING THE CLUES

Study these four common types of

context clues and think about what
information in the sentence is useful
and what is not. Afterwards, work
with partners and come up with
different examples for all the types of
context clue
Types of Context Clues
1. Definition – 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.
Types of Context Clues
2. 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.
Types of Context Clues

3. Synonym – other words are used in the

sentence with similar meanings.

Example:
The slender woman was so thin her
clothes were too big on her.
Types of Context Clues

4. Inference – word meanings are not

directly described, but need to be inferred
from the context.

Example:
Walt‘s pugnacious behavior made his
opponent back down.
Types of Context Clues
5. Restatement – words are restated using
easier language. Commas, dashes, or
other punctuation can point to a
restatement clue, along with expressions
such as that is, in other words, and or.

Example:
My father is a podiatrist, or foot doctor.
 What’s it mean? Prove it!

Underline helpful
words / phrases from the text that prove
your thinking.

1.With smiles and even some giggles, the

family watched the squirrel try to get the
birdseed out of the birdfeeder. They
thought it was amusing! What does
amusing mean?
2. At the park, the little girl
attempted to pump on the swings.
She tried by kicking her feet and
pulling on the chains with her hands.
What does attempted mean?
3. Joe was disappointed when he
looked out at the gloomy day.
Clouds everywhere. No sunglasses
needed today. Maybe tomorrow he
could play in the sun. what does
gloomy mean?
M1L6TASK11 VOCABULARY WORDS

This time, read silently the poem “If”. In

groups, find out which word in the poem is
clearly described by each of the following
definitions.

1. It means “misfortune” or “bad luck”.

2. In other words, they are your “enemies” or
“opponents”.
3. It means “stack” or “bundle”.
4. They are called “pretenders” or “fakes’.
M1L6TASK11 VOCABULARY WORDS

5. They are also called the “playing cards”.

6. It means “strength.”
7. This means “ to bow” or “to bend.”
8. It is a “ trick” or “setup” or “deception.”
9. This calls for “good quality” or “morally
good.”
10. In other words, these are your
“achievements,” “accomplishments,” or
“successes.”