Interpreting Unfamiliar

Words with Context Clues

Using The BFG by Roald Dahl

Image copyright Quentin Blake

• RF.4.4c—Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition
and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Idaho Core Standards

Image copyright Quentin Blake
The BFG was still holding the awesome
snozzcumber in his right hand, and now he put one
end into his mouth and bit off a huge hunk of it. He
started crunching it up and the noise he made was
like the crunching of lumps of ice. “It’s filthing!” he
spluttered, speaking with his mouth full and spraying
large pieces of snozzcumber like bullets in Sophie’s
direction. Sophie hopped around on the table-top,
ducking out of the way. “It’s disgusterous!” the BFG
gurgled. “It’s sickable! It’s rotsome! It’s maggotwise!
Try it yourself, this foulsome snozzcumber!” “No,
thank you,” Sophie said, backing away. “It’s all
you’re going to be guzzling around here from now
on so you might as well get used to it,” said the BFG.
“Go on, you snipsy little winkle, have a go!” Sophie
took a small nibble. “Uggggggggh!” she spluttered.
“Oh no! Oh gosh! Oh help!” She spat it out quickly.
“It tastes of frogskins!” she gasped. “And rotten
fish!” “Worse than that!” cried the BFG, roaring with
laughter. “To me it is tasting of clockcoaches and
slime-wanglers!” “Do we really have to eat it?”
Sophie said. “You do unless you is wanting to
become so thin you will be disappearing into a thick
ear.”
“Into thin air,” Sophie said. “A thick ear is something
quite different.” Once again that sad winsome look
came into the BFG’s eyes. “Words,” he said, “is oh
such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life. So
you must simply try to be patient and stop
squibbling. As I am telling you before, I know
exactly what words I am wanting to say, but
somehow or other they is always getting squiff-
squiddled around.” “That happens to everyone,”
Sophie said. “Not like it happens to me,” the BFG
said. “I is speaking the most terrible wigglish.” “I
think you speak beautifully,” Sophie said. “You do?”
cried the BFG, suddenly brightening. “You really
do?” “Simply beautifully,” Sophie repeated. “Well,
that is the nicest present anybody is ever giving me
in my whole life!” cried the BFG. “Are you sure you
is not twiddling my leg?” “Of course not,” Sophie
said. “I just love the way you talk.” “How
wondercrump!” cried the BFG, still beaming. “How
whoopsey-splunkers! How absolutely squiffling! I is
all of a stutter.”
 Context Clues
• Examine the word—use word parts to give you clues.
• Disappear=dis (not, or opposite of) + appear
• Think about the feelings around the word.
• Sally smiled. She was optimistic that today would be a good day.
• Look in the sentences before and after for clues.
• Sally smiled. She was optimistic that today would be a good day. She had
been preparing for this for a long time.
• Replace the unknown word with a “guess” synonym and see if it
makes sense.
• She was confident that today would be a good day.
Image copyright Quentin Blake
Wondercrump Wordspotter Worksheet

“It’s filthing!” he spluttered.

Negative
Base Word: FILTH/FILTHY
Or
“It’s !” he spluttered.
Positive?
Does it make sense?

Good readers use clues to find the meaning of

unknown words! Image copyright Quentin Blake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp9xu9qdQqc

Your worksheet will be your exit ticket.

I hope you had a wondercrump time!

Image copyright Quentin Blake

References
• Blake, Q. (2016, September 30). The BFG and Sophie. Retrieved March 05, 2018, from
https://www.quentinblake.com/gallery/bfg-and-sophie
• Blake, Q. (2017, January 13). The BFG mural. Retrieved March 05, 2018, from
https://www.quentinblake.com/gallery/bfg-mural
• Idaho State Department of Education. (2017). Instructional Support Tools. Retrieved Feb. & March, 2018,
from https://www.sde.idaho.gov/academic/shared/ela- literacy/annotated/grades-3-5/English-Language-Arts-
Content-Standards-Grade-4.pdf
• Oxford Education. (2017, August 31). Get Gobblefunking like the BFG with the Oxford Roald Dahl
Dictionary! Retrieved March 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTb1YuQL0wk
• Teaching With a Mountain View. (2012, November 11). Context Clues. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from
http://www.teachingwithamountainview.com/2012/11/context-clues.html
• The BFG lesson plans. (2016). Retrieved February 25, 2018, from http://www.roalddahl.com/create- and-
learn/teach/teach-the-stories/the-bfg-lesson-plans
• The Common Core in Idaho. (2010). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from
https://www.ixl.com/standards/idaho/ela/grade-4
Image Copyright Quentin Blake