Context Clues Lesson Plan: Craft and Structure

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Context Clues, and supports the standard of determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Invite students to open a book in the classroom and find a word they don’t know the meaning of. Ask them to explain what they can do to determine the meaning. 

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read the description on the Context Clues topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
  • Have students read one of the following Related Reading articles: “Arts and Entertainment” or “Quirky Stuff.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the Context Clues Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about context clues while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Produce a tutorial that uses an example from a real text to  answer this question: How can you use context clues to determine the meaning of an unknown word?
  • Make-a-Map: Create a concept map identifying strategies to determine the meaning of an unknown word from a text you’ve read. Confirm its definition using a dictionary or glossary. 

More to Explore 

Meaning of Beep: Use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.

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    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, 9-12, BrainPOP, Context Clues, Lesson Ideas, Lesson Plan