Context clues are hints found within a text that a reader can use to understand the meaning of new or unfamiliar words. Informational texts, which aim to educate the reader about a specific topic, often contain these clues. Learning to identify and use context clues is a crucial reading comprehension skill, especially for 8th-grade students tackling more complex texts. By analyzing the words and sentences surrounding an unfamiliar word, you can often infer its meaning without needing a dictionary.
Match the following terms with their definitions:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. Infer | A. Information presented as objectively factual |
| 2. Context Clues | B. To deduce or conclude from evidence and reasoning |
| 3. Informational Text | C. Hints within a text that help define unfamiliar words |
| 4. Analyze | D. Expressing something definitely or clearly |
| 5. Explicit | E. To examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of (something, especially information), typically for purposes of explanation and interpretation. |
Answer Key:
1-B, 2-C, 3-A, 4-E, 5-D
Use the following words to complete the paragraph: Meaning, Read, Context, Understand, Words.
To figure out the ________ of a new word, you should carefully ________ the sentence around it. Look for ________ clues. These clues are often other ________ in the sentence that can help you ________ the new word. This is especially helpful when the ________ provides extra information.
Answer Key:
Meaning, read, context, words, understand, context
Describe a time when you were reading something and didn't know the meaning of a word. What did you do to figure out its meaning? How did context clues help you?
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