Context Clues in Content-Area Text
Derive word meaning from surrounding sentences, using textbook-style contexts.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Make the student point to the clue. The answer is much less useful than the words that gave it away — no matter who argued is what makes adamant mean unyielding, and identifying that phrase is the transferable skill. Cover the answer options if there are any and ask for a definition in the student's own words first, since choosing from a list can be done by elimination without any reading at all. Fifteen minutes covers eight items done properly.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- HintReread the key sentence, or point back to the clue in the text or picture.Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two answers, the right one not always second.Log as cued
- ModelThink aloud: say how you worked it out, then the student says the answer and why.Log as cued
Adjust it
Read it aloud to the student and offer two choices from the start.
Ask the student to say which words gave them the clue, not just the answer.
Matching IEP goal
Given short texts or spoken prompts, Student will answer comprehension questions correctly in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Eight sentences that carry their own definition if you read them carefully: The coach was adamant — he refused to change the lineup no matter who argued. Rainfall was scarce that summer, so the reservoir dropped twenty feet. His alibi was corroborated by two coworkers who saw him at the store. Each one is written the way a textbook writes, which is the point — this is the skill that lets a student read above their vocabulary.
What to listen for
Watch which clue types the student can use. A restatement after a dash, as in adamant, is the easiest; a consequence, as in scarce, requires an inference; and a contrast clue is hardest of all. Notice whether the student reads past the target word — many stop at the unfamiliar word, and the clue is almost always after it.
Carrying it home
Any book above the student's level supplies this practice. When they hit a word they do not know, ask them to keep reading to the end of the sentence and then guess, rather than looking it up immediately.
What's in this activity
- The coach was adamant -- he refused to change the lineup no matter who argued. Adamant means?
- Rainfall was scarce that summer, so the reservoir dropped twenty feet. Scarce means?
- She was reluctant to drive at night, even though she had her license. Reluctant means?
- The lab results were inconclusive; no one could say which sample was contaminated. Inconclusive means?
- His alibi was corroborated by two coworkers who saw him at the store. Corroborated means?
- The new rule was arbitrary -- nobody could explain a reason for it. Arbitrary means?
- Traffic was diverted around the crash and sent down side streets. Diverted means?
- The agreement was tenuous and fell apart within a year. Tenuous means?
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Sixth through ninth, using textbook-style sentences rather than narrative ones.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all eight items play with no account.
- Should students always guess from context rather than look words up?
- For reading fluency, guessing and continuing is usually right — stopping at every word destroys comprehension. Looking up is for words that turn out to matter, which is a decision the student can only make after reading on.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.