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How to Teach Your Students to Use Context Clues in Informational Texts

As students read informational texts, they often encounter unknown words. They usually just want to keep on reading without worrying about what those words mean. Here are some tips for getting your students to stop at those new words and use context clues in informational texts.

Learn some ways to teach your students to use context clues in informational texts.

Tips for Teaching Context Clues in Informational Texts

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I only recommend products that I use and love.

The first thing we need to do is to break down the standard at the different grade levels. It is really helpful to know what your students are expected to do in the grade level before yours and the grade level after yours. This allows you to differentiate your lessons and meet the needs of all your students. 

First Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.4 – Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

Important Skills to Teach:

  • How to identify new words in a text
  • What kinds of questions to ask yourself when you come to a word you don’t know in a text
  • How to use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases

I Can Statements:

  • I can stop and ask myself questions to find out the meaning of a new word.
  • I can read on and use my background knowledge to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases.

Download a week of 1st grade lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Second Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

Important Skills to Teach:

  • How to identify new words in a text
  • Strategies for determining the meaning of new words and phrases in a text

I Can Statements:

  • I can use pictures, text features, and definitions to define unknown words. 
  • I can use examples and surrounding sentences to define unknown words.

Download a week of 2nd grade lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Third Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.4 – Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

Important Skills to Teach:

  • How to identify new words in an informational text
  • How to use context clues and other strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases

I Can Statements:

  • I can use pictures, text features, and definitions to define unknown words.
  • I can use synonyms and surrounding sentences to define unknown words. 

Download a week of 3rd grade lesson plans to teach this standard. 

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Fourth Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.4 – Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

Important Skills to Teach:

  • How to identify new words in an informational text
  • How to use different types of context clues to determine the meanings of unknown words

I Can Statements:

  • I can use definitions, synonyms, and surrounding sentences to define unknown words.
  • I can use examples and inferences to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases.

Download a week of 4th grade lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Fifth Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.4 – Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

Important Skills to Teach

  • How to identify new words in an informational text
  • How to use different types of context clues to determine the meanings of unknown words

I Can Statements:

  • I can use synonyms, antonyms, and surrounding sentences to define unknown words.
  • I can use examples and inferences to define unknown words. 

Download a week of lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Suggested Books

Most informational books are going to have new words that your students don’t know. I like to choose books that relate to a unit we’re studying in social studies or science. That way, the students have some background knowledge about the topic. Plus, any new information they learn will help them gain a better understanding of the content area material.

Use the book Fires and Floods to teach your students to determine the meanings of unknown words.

Fires and Floods

Use the book Exploring Earthquakes: Seismologists at Work to teach your students about context clues.

Exploring Earthquakes: Seismologists at Work

Use the book Wild Weather: Hurricanes to teach your students how to determine the meanings of unknown words.

Wild Weather: Hurricanes

Use the book Erupt: 100 Fun Facts About Volcanoes to teach your students how to use context clues.

Erupt! 100 Fun Facts about Volcanoes

Use the book Tsunamis to teach your students about determining the meanings of unknown words.

Tsunamis

Use the book If I Ran for President to teach your students to use context clues in informational texts.

If I Ran for President

Use the book Castle: How It Works to teach your students how to figure out the meanings of unknown words.

Castle: How It Works

Use the book Martin's Big Words to teach your students to use context clues in informational texts.

Martin’s Big Words

Use the book Frog or Toad? How Do You Know? to teach your students to figure out the meanings of unknown words.

Frog or Toad? How Do You Know?

Tips for Teaching Context Clues in Informational Texts

  1. Become word detectives. Tell the students that as they read their informational books, they are going to become word detectives. I like to give my students a word wall sheet that has the letters of the alphabet with lines underneath each one. As they find a new word, they add it to the word wall under the correct letter. During our share time, the students love telling everyone the new words they discovered.
  2. Break down the types of context clues. Authors include many different types of context clues in their books. Introducing the students to each one is a great way to help them see all the different ways to determine the meaning of an unknown word. I like to create an anchor chart of all the different types of context clues, like picture clues, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and examples. That way, the students can refer to it when they come to an unknown word in their informational books.
  3. Create a glossary. After the students have read an informational text and identified unknown words, have them use those words to create a glossary. They should use context clues to determine the meaning of the words. Then, they should write the words in alphabetical order with their definitions to create a glossary.

Other Helpful Resources

If you have students who are struggling with this standard, strategy groups and one-on-one conferences are a great way to differentiate and help all your students master it. These assessments will show you which students have mastered the standards and which students need extra practice.

1st Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

1st Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

2nd Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

2nd Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

3rd Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

3rd Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

4th Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

4th Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

5th Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

5th Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

Get all the lesson plans you need to teach every Common Core Reading Standard for your grade level. 

1st Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

2nd Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

3rd Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

4th Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

5th Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

For more tips on teaching the reading standards, join the Rock the Reading Workshop Facebook Group. 

 

What Do You Think?

What are your best tips for teaching your students about context clues in informational texts?

Let us know in the comments.

Learn some ways to teach your students to use context clues in informational texts.

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About Tara Dusko

Tara is a third grade teacher and mother of 2. She loves teaching but not the stress that comes with it. She loves using preparation, organization, and relaxation to destress and have fun teaching! Connect with Tara on Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!
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