Context Clues

There has been a heinous crime committed in the city of English A: there are paragraphs without context clues!!! Context clues are important in building vocabulary and comprehension skills and many people are lost because they do not know the meaning of unfamiliar words. You are apart of a special unit called “English Grammar Police” and you are tasked to do some detective work in helping the citizens of English A to understand the meaning of new or unfamiliar words.

By the end of this WebQuest, students will be able to:

       1. define context clues

       2. identify types of context clues in written work

       3. locate and use context clues to aid comprehension and vocabulary development

STEP 1:

Click on the YouTube video to view information based on context clues. After watching the video, list the different types of context clues.

STEP 2:

Click here to visit a PowerPoint that will explain each context clue in depth and make note of the sample sentences.

STEP 3:

In groups of four, Read the following sentences and complete the following table. Then identify which of the four types of clues is used. The first one is done for you:

1. The girl who used to be very vociferous doesn't talk much anymore.

2. Pedagogical institutions, including high schools, kindergartens, and colleges, require community support to function efficiently.

3. His pertinacity, or stubbornness, is the cause of most of his trouble.

4. Rather than be involved in clandestine meetings, they did everything quite openly.

5. Ecclesiastics, such as priests, ministers, and pastors, should set models of behavior for their congregants.

6. The girl was churlish – rude, sullen and absolutely ill-mannered..

STEP 4:

Having learnt about the different types of context clues, you will do complete a worksheet in which you will read the sentences below and using the type of clue suggested, find the word that means the same as the one in bold in each sentence:



1. Projectiles include those items that are shot forward such as a cannon shell, bullet, or rocket.



Using the example clue, the word projectiles in this sentence means

a. things put down

b. things shot forward

c. things hurt

d. things broken  



2. The professor was a favourite among the students at the college. His sagacity was helpful to them as they pursued their degrees. The professor was known to use his experience, insight, and common sense to help students pursue their education.



Using the example clue, the word sagacity in this sentence means

a. silliness

b. thoughtlessness

c. wisdom

d. negligence



3. Katie appeared infallible in math class because she had never gotten a problem wrong.



Using the explanation clue, the word infallible in this sentence means

a. never wrong

b. mistaken

c. wrong

d. incorrect



4. The tornado annihilated the whole town to the point that nothing was left standing.



Using the explanation clue, the word annihilated in this sentence means

a. destroyed

b. saved

c. created

d. constructed



5. His rancor, or hatred, of his brother has caused him to live his life as a lonely person.



Using the synonym clue, the word rancor in this sentence means

a. love

b. generous

c. tolerance

d. hatred



6. The events for the conference were listed in chronological order. They began with the first event of the day and ended with the closing ceremonies in the evening.



Using the synonym clue, the word chronological in this sentence means

a. out of order

b. broken

c. messed up

d. in order



7. While Lily was careful not to be seen as she peeked out the window, Phil was not as cautious and was seen!



Using the antonym clue, the word cautious in this sentence means

a. careful

b. not careful

c. risky

d. trouble



8. Although the princess is familiar to those in London, she is unknown to the rest of the world.



Using the antonym clue, the word familiar in this sentence means

a. pretty

b. smart 

c. well-known

d. old



9. Some people feel perplexed by brain teasers, while others figure them out quickly.



Using the comparison clue, the word perplexed in this sentence means

a. troubled or confused

b. at ease

c. calm

d. relaxed



10. After being unable to get a good night's sleep for many days, Allyson became lethargic. She didn't have the energy to get out of bed.



Using the comparison clue, the word lethargic in this sentence means

a. active

b. bubbly

c. exhausted

d. lively

Thank you for completing this WebQuest

This WebQuest is designed to facilitate ninth grade students and contains information about context clues. This WebQuest can be completed in 35 minutes a classroom where there is good internet connection, provided that adequate time is given to students to complete the different activities. This WebQuest is not only limited to the classroom, but it can be given to students as an assignment to help them better understand the topic.

Standards

The creation of this WebQuest is guided by the National Standards (NSC) for English, specifically for 9th grade. This WebQuest is designed for 9th grade students.

Credits

I would like to thank my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Mitchell, and my assessor, Mrs. Smith Davis, who helped in the creation of this WebQuest. I would also like to thank my family and friends and my students for their continuous support and encouragement that helped me in creating this WebQuest. Most of all, I would like to thank God for giving me the knowledge, strength and wisdom that enabled me to understand, thus completing my WebQuest.

Other

In this digital age, we need to continue to integrate innovative and interactive ICT tools and technologies within our classrooms. This will encourage student engagement and student participation and also to cater to the needs of the 21st century learner in every subject area, inclusive of the English Language.