Using Context Clues To Understand Unknown Words

Using Context Clues Task Cards and Worksheets

To be good readers, students need to know how to determine the meaning of unknown words by using context clues. This resource teaches them to look at the surrounding text when they encounter unfamiliar vocabulary to figure out what it means.

What’s included:

24 context clues task cards
12 synonym cards
Recording sheets
Worksheets / assessments
Answer key

TASK CARDS ACTIVITY

This is a sorting activity in which students read paragraphs that contain an unknown word. They use context clues to determine what the word means and then match it up with a synonym card.

For example, one paragraph is about a girl singing in front of an audience. The unfamiliar word in the paragraph is petrified. Students use context clues such as the girl’s shaking hands and the large crowd to figure out that petrified means scared. There is another paragraph containing the word startled. Students would also match this one up with the word scared because they have a similar meaning.

Another way to use the cards is in your small reading groups. Students can read each paragraph together and work to figure out what the underlined word could mean. This is a good way to generate discussion about using context and other reading strategies to understand new vocabulary.

WORKSHEETS

Includes two worksheets. Each page has six short paragraphs with an unknown word in each. Students use context clues to understand the word and then choose the best meaning from four different choices.

Answer keys are included.