Design for LearningInstructor: Tabitha Whitacre Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 5th Grade - Mrs. FieldsLesson Title: Context Clues Date: April 10, 2014Curriculum Area: Language Arts Estimated Time: 45 minutes

Standards Connection: 5th Grade Language Arts (41) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

a. Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Learning Objective(s): When given a story with unfamiliar words, students will use context clues to define words with at least 8/11 correct.

Learning Objective(s) stated in “kid-friendly” language: Today class, we are going to learn how to use clues and context around a word to find its meaning and definition.

Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): The students will be given a story entitled “New School.” There will be 11 words underlined in which they might not know the meaning of. They will be given a graphic organizer (see attached) where they will have to right the word, what they think it means, and what they used to help them decide that. In order to be proficient, students must get at least 8 out of 11 correct.

Engagement: The teacher will start by asking the students if they like to text? She will then hand out the ConTEXT Clues Worksheet and have them work with their table groups to try to fill in the missing the words. She will talk about how they knew what word was missing, and it will begin to introduce Context Clues. Good morning, class! Alright, I want a show of hands, who in here texts? Texts a friend, a mom, dad, or teacher ;)? Ok, a lot of you! So I am going to give you this little sheet with four text messages on it. However, there is one word missing from each text. Your job is to find out the word that is missing. You can work with a partner or table group. The teacher will pass out the worksheet and walk around while the students are filling in the texts. Then she will go over all four to see if everybody got the same thing. Is everyone finished? Ok, what did everyone get? Oh! How did you know that? What in that text let you know that that was the missing word? Would you have known if it had not said that? No, probably not. Alright, great job everybody! Does anyone know what those are called that we used to figure out the missing word? Yes! Context Clues. That is what we are going to be talking about today. So before we begin, I am going to play a poem for you. I want you to listen very closely and carefully to the poem and try to envision the scene in your head. Listen carefully to each word, so that you can understand what is going on. The teacher will have the students listen to “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. When it is over, they will discuss that there were a lot of words that they did not know. Did everybody follow along? Who knew every single word in the poem? Who was confused by quite a few of the

words? Yes, there were several words that didn’t really make sense weren’t there? Well, that is what we are going to be talking about today. We are going to find out how to use Context Clues just like we did with our text messages!

Learning Design:

I. Teaching: The teacher will transition into filling out a Foldable to help them organize thoughts about Context Clues. She will first instruct them on how to make the foldable. She will show her example that she made as well as model it with them as they are making it. Then she will have them write C L U E on the front four tabs. Alright class, now that we know there will always be words that we do not know or that we have never heard of before, I am going to give you all a few tips and tricks in order to find the meaning of the words! We are going to make a graphic organizer to help us learn these little tips! I am going to give everyone a piece of construction paper. And you can take our your scissors. Once everyone has their construction paper, you are going to fold the front two pieces like this to make a shutter. The edges are going to meet in the middle. The teacher will demonstrate as the students do it as well. Yes! That’s perfect. Now, you are going to fold it in half just like this. Perfect. Unfold the half, and use your scissors to cut the JUST the front two tabs right along the folded lines. When you are finished, it should look like this. The teacher will show her completed foldable. Ok great job! Now you can open up each window and you have all that space to write. We are going to be writing the word CLUE on the front of our foldable. Can anyone tell me why we might be writing Clue? Yes! For Context Clues! Way to go. Ok, so in the first space you can write C, then L, then U, and then E. It should look just like mine. You can even decorate it later if we have time! Alright under each tab, you can take notes on what we talk about! We can first brainstorm some ways you all think would help find the meaning of a word we do not know. The teacher will write their ideas on the chart paper. Yes, those are great ideas! So I’m going to share with you some of my ideas and maybe they will overlap!

You can write some of these under the C in the first tab. My first tip would be to Consider the word’s function in the sentence. What part of speech is it? Is it a noun, verb, adverb, adjective? You have all the parts of speech back there on the wall, so that would definitely help when you are thinking about the word. Here’s an example for you to write down. The cat ____ from the dog and hid so he would not be pestered. If the missing word was the word you didn’t know, what would you be able to tell about which part of speech it was? Yeah, exactly. You would know it was a verb so it would be showing action. Another one is you can Compare the word to a different word in the sentence. Have you all talked about Synonyms and Antonyms? Yes! This would definitely help when thinking about a word because you could think about whether it was the same or different. An example for Synonym would be The fox raced swiftly through the trees and flew out of sight. An example for Antonym would be She knew the cup wasn’t fragile when she felt its sturdy handle and thick sides. What could you compare those words to in order to help you figure them out? Yeah, raced, flew. Good job. And what about fragile? Yeah, it says the cup was NOT fragile, but sturdy with thick sides. So you would know that it is the opposite. Good thinking. Do you have any questions on those?

Ok let’s go onto L. My first tip is Look right after the word for clues. Sometimes the author will put an example or definition right after the word using a comma. This would

greatly help you in figuring out the meaning and definition! An example would be, A writing utensil, such as a pencil or marker, can be used for this activity. So if utensil was the word you were trying to find the definition for, what would help you discover that? Yes! Such as a pencil or marker. Good job. Another tip would be to Look in the previous or following sentences for clues. Why do you think this may help you? Yes, because a lot of the time the author will leave us context clues right around that word. So if I said, She was out of breath. She _____ for a whole hour during P.E. What could you infer from the sentence before that? Yeah, you could say she ran because she was out of breath. Great job! Do you think those may be helpful when thinking about different words?

Alright, now for U. My tip for U is to Use word parts to give clues - roots, suffixes, prefixes. Who can tell me what a suffix is? Yes, something that comes at the end of a word. An example of a suffix would be “ful” in helpful, meaning full of help. Yeah, how about a prefix? An example would be “re” in rewrite, meaning to do again or to repeat. So an example of how this could help you in figuring out a word is autobiography. If you didn’t know that word is there any word parts that might could help you? What does “auto” mean? Any guesses? Auto actually means Self. That would be the prefix. And what about bio? Bio means life. That would be the root. And graph means to write, which would be the suffix. So if you had those three clues, what would you guess that the word autobiography would mean? Yeah, you, yourself, write about your life. Have you all ever read an autobiography? So this could help you with words that you aren’t sure the definition. Think about the different parts of the word.

And the last tab E. My first tip for E is to Evaluate to see if your definition makes sense. So when you make a guess, or an inference, about the definition of a word, you can replace the real word with your guess and see if it makes sense. This will incorporate all the tips and tricks we’ve gone over so far to help you to decide if your definition could make sense in the context of the sentence. So going back to our first example of The cat ____ from the dog and hid so he would not be pestered. If you put in “smiled,” would that makes sense from the context of the sentence? No. But what if you said, “ran?” Yeah. That would make more sense, the cat ran from the dog and hid so he would not be pestered. You see how that can help you in deciding the meaning of a word too?

Alright great! So let’s review our tips. Under C, what do we have? The students will read and review what they have on their graphic organizer. Great. Yes! Consider and Compare. What about under L? Yes, look all around the word! What about U? Uh huh, to use the word parts to help you! And how about E? Evaluate to see if your definition makes sense. Great job!! Now, remember our poem that we listed to at the beginning of class? There were a lot of words in there that we didn’t know weren’t there? Well, we are going to look at just a few and see if we can use our tips to figure out what the meaning of the words are.

Foldable:C – Consider the word’s function in the sentence.

Ex: The cat ____ from the dog and hid so he would not be pestered. Compare the word to a different word in the sentence.

Ex: The fox raced swiftly through the trees and flew out of sight. and She knew the cup wasn’t fragile when she felt its sturdy handle and thick sides.

L – Look right after the word for clues. Ex: A writing utensil, such as a pencil or marker, can be used for this activity.

Look in the previous or following sentences for clues.Ex: She was out of breath. She _____ for a whole hour during P.E.

U – Use word parts to give clues - roots, suffixes, prefixes.Ex: Autobiography - Auto means Self. Bio means life. And graph means to write.

E – Evaluate to see if your definition makes sense. Ex: The cat “smiled” from the dog and hid so he would not be pestered. (Non-

example) The cat “ran” from the dog and hid so he would not be pestered.

II. Opportunity for Practice: The students will be given two stanzas of “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. There will be eight underlined words that are “gibberish.” The students will have to use the tips and tricks that they just learned to help them decipher what the words mean. They can work in partners or with their table groups to try to figure it out. Alright, now that we have our Foldables with our tips and tricks for using Context Clues, we are going to go back to our poem that we listened to at the beginning of class. Does anyone remember what the name of it was? Yes! Jabberwocky. So I had you guys envision the scenes in your head, but there were still a lot of words we didn’t know, so sometimes it was hard to envision everything wasn’t it? Well, I picked out two stanzas for you guys to read and there are eight words underlined. You can work with your partners and table groups to try to figure out what the words mean that are underlined. There is a chart where you write the word, what you think it means, and then the clues that you used to find the definition. Make sure you use your Foldable and use all the tips that we learned today. If you have any questions, I will be walking around! When we are finished, I will go over what the author says are the definitions to his words in the poem. Do you have any questions? Great. The teacher will pass out the Jabberwocky stanzas along with the chart for them to fill in. She will walk around to answer any questions and see how the students are doing using context clues. When everyone has finished, she will read the real definitions of the words, so they can have a better understanding of the poem.

III. Assessment: For the Assessment, the students will be given the passage entitled, “New School,” as well as a Graphic Organizer (see attached.) There will be 11 words underlined, and the students must write the word, what they think it means, and what helped them decide the meaning. They must use their tips and tricks from their foldable to apply it to these sentences. Students must get at least 8 out of the 11 correct in order to be considered proficient. Alright class, now that we’ve had fun exploring Jabberwocky, I am going to give you a passage that has some real words in it. Some of the words you may know, some you may have seen before, and others you may have never seen or heard. What you are going to do is, just like you did for Jabberwocky, find the words and fill in the chart with what you think the definition would be. You are going to have to go over the tips and tricks we learned today in order for you to find the right definition. In

the chart, you are going to write the word that is underlined, what you think the word means, and then what helped you decide that/which CLUES did you use? Are there any questions? Ok great. For this one, I want you guys to work on your own and see how many you can figure out using context clues around the word. I have all the real definitions, so when you are finished, bring it to me to look over, and then we will go over the real definitions when everyone is finished. You may begin when you get your story and chart. The teacher will walk around while the students are figuring out the words. She will answer any questions and grade it when they are finished. When everyone has completed the chart, she will go over the words so that everyone will have the correct definitions.

IV. Closure: Wow, great job today class! You see how we started out with simple words missing in texts, then went to words that were made up, and then actually learned some new words that we might not have known before! You can use these tips and tricks with Context Clues every day in real life and in reading! Especially if on a test or in a book when you come to a word you do not know, just flip through your foldable that we made and see if you can find CLUES that will help you decipher what that word means! I have faith that you guys are going to be great detectives next time you read! I’m very proud of you guys. Great job today.

Materials and Resources: ConTEXT Clues Worksheet “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll Internet/Audio to play the poem Construction paper for the foldable Markers, pencils Scissors Example Foldable Chart Paper “Jabberwocky” - two stanzas Graphic Organizer for Practice “New School” story Graphic Organizer for Assessment

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):

H: Students will make up an original story using nonsense words. They must include context clues around the word, so the reader can figure out the meaning of their words.

L: Students will complete Context Clues Mystery Sentences. There are three options given for them to decide the correct meaning instead of them having to write the meaning on their own.

Data Analysis: The students worked on the Jabberwocky poem, and loved figuring out what the words meant. Most of them found a definition that made sense, even if it wasn’t the one the author had written. For the assessment, I changed it so the students had to make up their own story with nonsense words, instead of reading “New School.” The students loved this and really grasped the concept of Context Clues. They each presented their stories to the class, and loved being able to share their creations and have the other

students try to figure out the meaning of each of their nonsense words. All the students kept their graphic organizers and refer back to them when they need to.

Reflection: The start of the day was so crazy. Mrs. Fields was gone, so the students had a substitute. It was a hard morning for them, and they were looking forward to “Ms. Whitacre teaching.” I started out not knowing what all they had learned about Context Clues, and Mrs. Fields told me not to worry about that and just to teach what I thought I should teach them with the standard. It turns out they knew a lot about my tips, and some of the ones they didn’t know confused them. I had to rethink about the way I explained some things, and would change how I would teach them if I taught this lesson again. They were a little confused on word parts. Next time, I would choose a different word other than autobiography, so they would know the meanings of the word parts. However, overall, I felt it went very well! The kids loved filling in their foldables and having fun being creative. I changed the assessment because of how the day was going, and the time we had, and I had the students create their own story with nonsense words. They had to create context clues around each word, so the reader could figure out what the word meant. They loved this and had so much fun with it! I had fun teaching this lesson and would definitely teach it again!

Samford UniversityDesign for Learning

Jabberwocky (two stanzas)By Lewis Carroll

He took his vorpal sword in hand:  Long time the manxome foe he sought --So rested he by the Tumtum tree,  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,  And burbled as it came!

Name________________________________ Date__________________________

Word What you think it means

What CLUES helped you

decide

Jabberwocky Definitions:Suggested Definitions for the Unusual Words in Lewis Carroll’s Classic Poem

brillig - noun - that time between twilight and pitch black, when it is just starting to get scary dark

slithy - adjective - slimy and slithering

tove - noun - a short, greasy reptile

gyre - verb - turn around

gimble - verb - move in a quivery yet nimble fashion

wabe - noun - edge of the tree line right where the forest begins

mimsy - adjective - flimsy, yet menacing

borogove - noun - small animal that looks like an armadillo, with a pointy nose and soft skin

mome rath - noun - animal similar to a sloth, which hangs in a tree and is usually completely silent, but when provoked cries out very loudly

outgrabe - verb - past tense of verb outgribe, to call out outrageously loudly

Jabberwock - noun - large animal best understood in the larger context of the poem, whose main features--as far as concern other animals and humans are concerned--are "the jaws that bite" and "the claws that catch"

Jubjub bird - noun - a huge flightless bird that looks identical to Big Bird, but which is much more agressive and dangerous

frumious - adjective - voluminously furry

Bandersnatch - noun - four-legged black and white striped animal that snatches up unsuspecting prey

vorpal - adjective - lithe and sharp

manxome - adjective - skilled at hiding

Tumtum tree - noun (compound) - short, deciduous tree with broad, bright green leaves

uffish - adjective - deep, profound

whiffle - verb - to breathe heavily and loudly

tulgey - adjective - dense and wet, often used to refer to foliage

burble - verb - to make vocalized bubbles with the mouth

snicker-snack - interjection - onomatopoeia used to describe the sound of a sword cutting into something

galumph - verb - to gallop triumphantly

beamish - adjective - beaming

frabjous - adjective - fabulous to the point of causing great happiness

callooh - interjection - expression of happiness

callay - interjection - expression of happiness

chortle - verb - to chuckle happily while making joyous exclamations

New School

Joe walked into his new school. He felt timorous because he had never been there before. What would he say? Would he have

any friends? The hallway seemed brobdingnagian because he was so small. He relished his classroom, though, because everything was neat and very colorful. Joe

liked his teacher. She seemed so convival. He knew this because she smiled all the time.

The first student he engaged was George. George’s crimson hair resembled the color of

the clay in a baseball diamond. George peregrinated from Washington over the

summer, and his family had bought a neoteric house close to Joe’s new house. The two

became palsy-walsy. Everywhere one went the other one was somewhere close.

Joe decided that this neoteric school was a laudable place. He couldn’t wait for the

next day!!!!

tim·or·ousadjective

1. showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence.

Brob·ding·nag·i·anadjective1. gigantic.

rel·ishverb1. enjoy greatly.

con·viv·i·aladjective1. friendly, lively, and enjoyable.

en·gageverbestablish a meaningful contact or connection with.

crim·sonadjective1. of a rich deep red color

per·e·gri·nateverb1. travel or wander around from place to place.

ne·o·ter·icadjective1. recent; new; modern.

pal·sy-wal·syadjective1.very friendly or intimate.

laud·a·bleadjective

1. 1. (of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation.