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Looking for the BEST activities for context clues?
I have a list of context clue ideas that I think you and your students are going to LOVE!
Context clues are a crucial skill for students to learn to help with reading comprehension.
Why?
Because when reading, there is a 100% chance that students will come across new vocabulary that they have never before seen or heard!
We don’t want students to freeze or become stuck when reading because they do not know a certain word – we want them to use context clues to figure out what the word means!
Students need to have the skills in their mental toolbox to unlock what these unknown words mean in order for the text to make sense.
Keep reading to learn about new context clue lesson ideas!
And don’t forget to grab your FREE reading comprehension color-by-number below!
Picture books are one of my favorite ways to show a reading strategy.
What better way to show how a reading strategy works than actually reading a book?!
Model thinking out loud to your students.
Demonstrate how when you come across an unfamiliar word, you use context clues to decipher what it means.
Use a picture book to show the process of stopping and figuring out what a certain word means and how you figured it out.
Here are some picture books that work great to show context clues (Amazon Affiliate links to follow):
Need a concrete way to practice context clues?
Say hello to context clues color-by-number worksheets!
This set of reading passages and comprehension questions focuses purely on context clues, so you can genuinely target this skill with your students.
First, students will read the reading passage.
Next, they answer four comprehension questions about the passage.
Then, they use their answer choices to color their pictures.
How stinking fun is that?!
Why are these context clues color-by-number worksheets so awesome?
Your students will LOVE these context clues color-by-number worksheets.
Click HERE to check these out!
Have students use their independent reading books (or a reading passage for science/social studies from ReadWorks or that you have on hand) to find unfamiliar words.
Have students use Post-it notes to label the unknown words.
Now, it’s detective time!
Ask them to use context clues to decipher what the words could mean.
Afterward, students can use a dictionary to see if they were correct or incorrect!
Or, you can come back as a group and discuss some of the words that students found.
Talk about WHY they thought a word meant something, and how they used context clues to figure it out.
Are you ready to take your context clues instruction to the next level of excitement and engagement?
Look no further than digital context clues pixel art !
Context Clues Digital Pixel Art incorporates gamification elements that transform the learning experience into an exciting adventure.
Plus, no more waiting for grading papers or delayed feedback!
Digital Pixel art is:
Context Clues Digital Pixel Art can be easily accessed via digital platforms like Google Classroom, making it a seamless addition to your tech-friendly classroom.
How does it work?
As students (correctly) answer questions on context clues, a mystery picture appears on their screen!
Answer incorrectly? The picture does not show up correctly.
Get ready to pixelate your classroom and witness the magical combination of learning and fun!
This digital context clues pixel art will be a HUGE hit in your classroom!
Click HERE to check these out!
Use nonsense words to show how we can figure out unknown words using context clues!
What do I mean by nonsense words?
For example:
The firefighter jumped into the “yooka” and sped toward the direction of the house fire.
“Yooka” is not a word – it is a nonsense word that I made up.
Show students how you can use context clues to figure out what a “yooka” is.
We know there’s a firefighter.
We know there’s a housefire.
We know that the firefighter is quickly going in the direction of a fire.
What could a “yooka” be? (A fire engine!)
Do a couple more of these as a group, then have students create their own.
After about 15 minutes, have students switch with partners to figure out what their nonsense words mean using context clues.
Your students will seriously LOVE this activity and it will also make them laugh up a storm hearing all the silly, made–up words 🙂
I have other blog posts that I think you’ll love when teaching reading.
Click on the links below to check them out:
Are you new to color-by-numbers?
Make sure to download my Reading Passage & Question Color-By-Number FREEBIE!
It’s super fun for students (and doesn’t take an entire class period to complete, like some reading comprehension passages!)
It’s no-prep, fun, and super easy to grade (just peek at the picture!)
Sign up below to get this color-by-number freebie sent directly to your inbox!
Hey there, I’m Kelly! I I love helping teachers save time with technology and resources so they have more hours in the day to spend with family and friends. Take a look around to find new ideas that you can implement in your classroom today!
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