Explicitly teaching context clues is one of the most beneficial lessons you can provide to your 4th & 5th grade students. Teaching them how to figure out the meaning of unknown words directly impacts their reading comprehension.
So, how can we equip our students with this powerful skill?
1. Teach the 5 Types of Context Clues
First, students need to know what the 5 Types of Context Clues are and how they are used.
You can start off by teaching them a simple acronym. Acronyms can help improve memorability.
You can tell the students, “If you have no IDEA what a word means, use the acronym I.D.E.A.S. to figure it out.” (See what we did there?)
I created the anchor chart above to help my students remember the types of context clues.
- Inference: an educated guess
- Definition: gives the meaning of the word
- Example: provides an example or examples that relate to the word
- Antonym: the opposite meaning of a word
- Synonym: a word that has the same meaning
Once you have taught these to your students, make sure to let them know that these context clues can also come in a sentence before or after the unknown word.
2. Break it Down
Once you’ve given students an overview, breaking it down to one context clue mini lesson a day can be beneficial.
For example, you can discuss and provide examples for “definition” on Monday. Then, move on to “example” on Tuesday.
This will allow you to explicitly teach each context clue with fidelity. It will also help students better understand and master the different types of context clues.
- Display the definition.
- Give an example.
- Provide an opportunity to practice the specific clue you are teaching at that moment.
3. Provide Students with Activities to Practice Independently
Providing students with context clues activities that they can work on independently is important. This will help solidify their learning.
You can provide opportunities through:
Once students have mastered defining and identifying the types of context clues, encourage them to incorporate during their own independent reading and writing practice.
Having students incorporate it in writing helps them master the use of context clues which helps them identify them easier during reading.
A weekly activity that I like to incorporate into my classroom to help students with vocabulary is Word of the Week. This exercise not only introduces them to a new word, but it gives them continuous exposure to synonyms and antonyms.
I also like to challenge students to use the new word in a sentence and to provide a context clue in it. Sometimes I will specify the context clue I want them to use. Other times, I allow them to choose.
The beauty of teaching context clues is that there are a variety of activities you can use with your students. Hopefully, you now have a variety of ideas on some effective and engaging ways of teaching context clues to your upper elementary students.
