Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Listening, Speaking and Word Power

Figuring Out New Words: Context Clues and Word Parts Together

B2.2 A3About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can use five kinds of context clues to figure out a new word.
  • I can use word parts and context together.
  • I can choose the right meaning of a word that has more than one meaning.
  • I can learn and use new words from math, science and social studies.
  • I can check a meaning with a glossary or dictionary.

Words to know

context
The words and sentences around a word. They give clues about its meaning.
context clue
A hint in the text that helps you figure out what a word means.
definition clue
When the text tells you what the word means.
synonym
A word that means the same or almost the same.
antonym
A word that means the opposite.
glossary
A small dictionary at the back of a book for the special words in that book.

Remember from Grade 3

In Grade 3 you used context (the words around a new word), word parts and pictures to figure out new words, and you checked with a glossary. In Grade 4 you'll learn five kinds of context clues and use them together with prefixes, suffixes and roots, especially in science and social studies books.

Let's start with a mystery word

Read: The nocturnal owl sleeps all day and hunts at night.

You may not know nocturnal, but the sentence tells you! The owl sleeps all day and hunts at night. So nocturnal means active at night. You just used a context clue.

A barred owl perched on a branch in a forest at dusk.
Owls are nocturnal: they are active at night. The sentence around a new word often gives you a clue to its meaning. AI-generated image
Kind of clueHow it worksExample
DefinitionThe text tells you the meaning, often with is, means or which is.A habitat is the place where a plant or animal lives.
Synonym (restatement)A word nearby means the same, often after or, a comma or dashes.The road was treacherous, or very dangerous, after the ice storm.
Antonym (contrast)A word nearby means the opposite, often after but, however or unlike.Unlike his noisy sister, Theo was reserved.
ExampleExamples show what the word means, often after such as, like or for example.Precipitation, such as rain, snow and hail, fell all week.
General (inference)Use all the details and what you know to make a smart guess.After the long hike, the famished campers ate three bowls of stew each.
Five kinds of context clues
1Definitionis, means,which is2Synonymor, commas,dashes3Antonymbut, unlike,however4Examplesuch as, like,for example5Generaluse all thedetailsLook for the signal words near the new word.
The five kinds of context clues and the signal words that often point to them.
Worked example

Let's use an antonym clue

Read: Unlike his noisy sister, Theo was reserved. What does reserved mean here?

  1. Look for a signal word: Unlike tells us a contrast is coming.
  2. The sister is noisy. Theo is the opposite.
  3. So reserved means quiet, not showing feelings much.
  4. Check: "Unlike his noisy sister, Theo was quiet." ✅

reserved = quiet and shy (the opposite of noisy).

Worked example

Let's use a general clue

Read: After the long hike, the famished campers ate three bowls of stew each. What does famished mean?

  1. There's no definition or synonym, so look at all the details.
  2. They hiked a long way. Then they ate three bowls each.
  3. What do I know? People who eat a lot after hard exercise are very hungry.
  4. So famished means very hungry.

famished = very, very hungry.

Use context and word parts together

The best word detectives use two tools at once:

  1. Word parts: Is there a prefix, suffix or root I know?
  2. Context: What do the sentences around it tell me?
  3. Check: Put your meaning into the sentence. Does it make sense? If you're still not sure, look in the glossary or a dictionary.
Worked example

Let's use two tools at once

Read: The cliff is shrinking because of erosion. Each year, wind and waves wear away a little more rock.

  1. Word parts: erode + -ion (the act or process of), with a spelling change (the d becomes s). So erosion is the process of eroding.
  2. Context: the next sentence says wind and waves wear away rock.
  3. Put it together: erosion is the process of land or rock being slowly worn away by wind, water or ice.
  4. Check: the cliff shrinks because it's being worn away. ✅

erosion = the slow wearing away of rock or soil.

wind and wavesWord partserode + ionthe process of erodingContext"wind and waves wearaway a little more rock"erosion =the slow wearing awayof rock or soil
Two tools at once: word parts plus context lead to the meaning of erosion.

Words with more than one meaning

Some words have several meanings. Context tells you which one fits.

  • The river's current pulled the canoe. → moving water
  • We read about current events. → happening now
  • The pupil raised her hand. → a student
  • The pupil of your eye gets smaller in bright light. → the dark centre of the eye
SubjectWordMeaning
MathperimeterThe distance all the way around a shape
MathdecimalA number that uses a decimal point, like 2.5
SciencehabitatThe place where a plant or animal lives and gets what it needs
ScienceerosionThe slow wearing away of rock or soil by water, wind or ice
Social studiesprovinceOne of Canada's ten provinces, like Ontario (Canada also has three territories)
Social studieslandformA natural shape of the land, like a hill, valley or plain
Some subject-area words you'll meet in Grade 4

Keep a word wall

When you learn a new subject word, write it on a sticky note with a short meaning and a quick drawing. Put it on a wall or the fridge. Use it out loud that week. Words you use become words you own.

Just for fun

Riddle: What word gets shorter when you add two letters to it?

Short! (short + er = shorter)

Hands-on activity

Context-clue detective cards

You need: a chapter book, nonfiction book or kids' magazine, 5 index cards and a pencil.

  1. While reading, stop at 5 words you don't know (or aren't sure of).
  2. On each card write: the word; the sentence it was in; what kind of clue helped (definition, synonym, antonym, example, general) or which word part helped; and your guess at the meaning.
  3. Check each guess in the book's glossary or a dictionary. Put a ✔ if you were right or close.
  4. Read your cards to a grown-up and use each word in a new sentence.

Your turn

1

Read: A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants. What kind of clue is this? What does herbivore mean?

2

Read: The puppy was timid, but the kitten was bold. What does timid mean?

3

Read: We packed provisions, such as bread, cheese, apples and water. What are provisions?

4

Read: The baby was drowsy, so she rubbed her eyes and yawned. What does drowsy mean?

5

What does current mean in Swimmers must be careful of the strong current?

6

Use word parts: what might unpredictable mean? Then use it in a sentence.

7

Where can you check a word's meaning in a nonfiction book?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is a context clue?

2

Which signal word often shows an example clue: such as or but?

3

Which signal word often shows an antonym clue: however or is?

4

What is a perimeter?

5

What is a habitat?

More practice: on your own

1

Read: The scientist used a magnifying glass, a tool that makes things look bigger. What kind of clue? What does magnifying mean?

2

Read: Some animals hibernate. For example, groundhogs sleep deeply all winter in their burrows. What does hibernate mean?

3

Which meaning of plain fits: The prairies have wide, flat plains with few trees? (a) simple, not fancy (b) a large area of flat land

4

Read: The bridge was sturdy, unlike the old one that wobbled. What does sturdy mean? What clue helped?

5

Use parts and context: The ice was transparent; we could see fish swimming beneath it.

Challenge

1

Write your own sentence with a synonym clue for the word enormous.

2

Read: The town's population increased from 2000 to 3500 people, so it built a new school. Use context to explain population and increased.

3

A student reads: The coach told us to conserve our energy for the final period. She guesses conserve means "use up quickly." Is she right? Use context to explain.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A glacier is a huge, slow-moving river of ice. What kind of clue is this?

2.

The room was spotless, unlike my messy room. What does spotless mean?

3.

Wild berries, such as blueberries and raspberries, grow here. Which signal words show an example clue?

4.

Which meaning of current fits We discussed current events in class?

5.

What does unbreakable mean?

6.

After using context clues, what's the best way to check a meaning?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 4 B2.2 asks students to understand a variety of words, acquire and use explicitly taught vocabulary in various contexts, including other subject areas, and use morphological knowledge to analyze and understand new words in context. This lesson combines context clues and word parts, and connects to math, science and social studies (A3).

How to help at home:

  • When your child asks what a word means, try asking first: "What do the sentences around it tell you? Any word parts you know?" Then confirm together.
  • Read nonfiction together and use the glossary.
  • Use "school words" at home: perimeter of the garden, erosion at the beach.

Common difficulties:

  • Guessing from the first letters only. Insist on reading the whole word and checking the sentence.
  • Missing signal words (but, unlike, such as, or). Underline them together.
  • Choosing the wrong meaning of a multiple-meaning word. Ask "Which meaning fits this sentence?"