PRIMALS 7–10

Pedagogical Retooling in Mathematics, Languages,

and Science for Grades 7–10 Teachers

Session 4
Defining Words Through
Context
and Word Analysis

Learning Action Cell Session Guide

English 7–10

Prepared by:

NERIO BENITO E. ESEO

Public Schools District Supervisor
Schools Division of Iloilo City
Department of Education Region VI
Objectives

At the end of the session, teachers should be able to:

1. identify different types of context clues that surround a given word;

2. distinguish word formation processes and structural analysis for defining
words;
3. deal with technical and specialized vocabulary;
4. write sample tasks for developing vocabulary skills, and
5. use appropriate strategies for defining words through context and word
analysis.

Key Understandings

1. Vocabulary is crucial to reading comprehension and the reading process.

Having a strong vocabulary also contributes to the students’ potential for self-
expression and effective communication and is essential for their academic
studies and future careers. Learning vocabulary, especially the language of
academic discipline, is an integral part of learning academic content.

2. Students develop vocabulary and concepts by experimenting with language,

that is, using testing, manipulating, and taking risks with words in different
contexts and situations. The more experience one has with the word, the
more familiar and meaningful they become

3. Learning vocabulary must therefore, build on what students know about

words by activating their schema or their background knowledge of the text
and making connections among related words.

There are three types of schema which help in vocabulary development:

a) Content schema refers to systems of factual knowledge, values and
cultural conventions;

b) Formal schema, also referred to as textual schema, has to do with

knowledge or rhetorical structures of texts and genres, and;

c) Linguistic schema also known as language schema refers to

knowledge of language structure, vocabulary, grammatical inflections and
cohesive structures.

4. The three types of vocabulary that students need to learn and acquire:
(a) General vocabulary are everyday words with widely acknowledged
meanings in common usage;

(b) Special vocabulary are words from everyday vocabulary that take on

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 specialized meanings in a particular content area; and

(c) Technical vocabulary are words that are used in a particular subject
matter.

4. Direct teaching of vocabulary,

where the meaning of words is
made directly available to
students, appears to improve
knowledge of only the specific
words taught and has little or no
effect in overall comprehension.
Thus, students need to be taught
strategies for independently
inferring word meanings from
context in order to develop more
extensive vocabulary. Cooper
(2000) suggests strategies for
inferring word meanings, which
are appropriate for intermediate
and junior high school students.
Cooper, J. (2000), p.
237
5. The poster shows that students
need not look up the meaning of all words that are unknown to them since
the meaning of these unknown words may be revealed as they continue to
read the text. However, those unknown words which are relevant to
understanding the text may be inferred several ways such as looking at its
structure of base words and affixations; considering the sound of the word;
taking note of the context in which it is used; or looking up the meaning in the
dictionary or asking a resource person as necessary; and finally, reading and
checking the meaning of the word as it is used in the text.

6. It should be emphasized that it is not practical to look up the meaning of

every unknown word in the dictionary. Not only is it cumbersome but also it
only slows down the reader. Instead, considering the surrounding words and
phrases of the word, or its context clues may help determine the meaning of
the unknown word.

The six types of context clues.

a) Definition – is considered the simplest and most obvious way by which

the meaning of a word is revealed. Here, the meaning of the word or
phrase is explained immediately after its use. Definitions are marked with
the present tense of the be-verb.
Example: Marsupials are a group of mammals that are known for carrying
their young in a pouch. Kangaroos, koalas, and opossums are well-
known marsupials.

b) Example – this clue illustrates or helps clarify important concepts or ideas.

Example: The use of non-verbal communication such as a smile, hand

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 movement, or gesture helps to convey the intended message.

c) Restatement or Synonym – uses the unknown word in another form such

as elaboration or pairing closely related words. It is usually introduced by
signal words such as, or, that is, for example, like, in the way that, in other
words, what this means, and others.
Example: Gio’s father is a podiatrist, or a foot doctor.

d) Contrast or Antonym – the opposite meaning of the word provides a clue

to the meaning of the unknown word.
Example: The sweltering heat of summer signaled the start of school
vacation but the teachers wished for the comfort of the cool rainy days in
June.

e) Inference – requires reading between the lines to see connections and

relationships, which are not directly stated. Clues are given within, before,
and after the sentence is which the unknown word is used.
Example: Her hands worked convulsively; there was a sound of tearing
paper, once, twice. She became suddenly aware of what she had done
when she looked at the pieces, wet and brightly stained with uneven
streaks of red. Slowly, painfully, she tried to put the pieces together and
as she did so a sob escaped deep from her breast – a great understanding
had come to her. (from Arturo B. Roto’s Zita;
http://www.sushidog.com/bpss/stories/zita.htm)

f) Punctuation and type style such as quotation marks, dashes,

parentheses or brackets, and italics also give clues to the meaning of the
unknown word.
Examples:
 Mr. Santos is an “optimist.” He believes that all his students will
eventually change their ways in their senior year. (The quotation shows
that the word has a special meaning.)
 Mr. Santos is an optimist – a hopeful and confident person.
 Mr. Santos is an optimist (a hopeful and confident person) who believes
in the success of all students. (The brackets enclose the definition.)
 Mr. Santos is an optimist, or a hopeful and confident person.

7. Learning word parts – prefixes, root, and suffixes – or the word structure,
is another efficient means of building vocabulary.

a) A single prefix, a single root, or a single suffix can define many new
words. For example, the prefix ‘hyper’ which means over or excessive
will students learn a number of words such as, hypertension,
hyperactive, hyperbole, hypersensitive, and many others.

b) The root ‘bio’ which means life can be found in words such as, biology,
biography, biological, bio-degradable, among others.

c) The common suffix ‘able’, which states a condition or quality, is added

to such roots as touchable, bearable, accountable, and huggable. It

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 helps students to have a basic list of common prefixes, roots, and
suffixes.

8. McWhorter (2001) states five principles to remember in learning specific

word parts.
a) Generally, a word is built on at least one root.
b) Words can have more than one prefix, root, or suffix.
c) Words do not always have both a prefix and a suffix.
d) Roots may change in spelling as they are combined with suffixes.
e) Some word parts are like prefixes or roots but they do not carry the same
meaning, for example, the first three letters in ‘missile’ does not mean
‘wrong or bad.’

9. Here are some useful strategies for teaching context clues and word
analysis:

a) Word banks – students are encouraged to build their own files of words
they have learned or are interested to learn. This personal list can include
unknown words that are funny, unusual, or those that puzzle the student.
These can be taken from books they have read, content area subjects
they have studied, newspapers and magazines, and other sources.

b) Word mapping – semantic webs, semantic feature analysis, and word

maps help students remember new words they have learned because of
the visual representations that go with the unknown word.

c) Bulletin words or word walls – students can put up their own word walls
on topics that they are interested in. The display of words promotes
vocabulary awareness on new words, which students can use in writing.

d) Multiplier effect – students form as many words they can form a set of
prefixes, roots, and suffixes.

e) Wide reading and extensive writing – these are excellent ways to

expand the students’ vocabulary learning. They become more aware of
the variety of words they can use in speaking and remember them better
in writing.

f) Word games – scrabble, taboo, Pictionary, word chain, anagrams, mad

libs, and many others are a fun way of picking up new words and getting
students more engaged to learn them.

g) Vocabulary doodles – informal drawings and illustrations facilitate

attention and awareness of the meaning of unknown words. Free-hand
drawing also allows spontaneous and creative expressions that make it
easy to remember the new word.

h) Electronic books and software – these promote independent word

learning given that many young learners are adept with technology and

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 other online resources.

i) Exploring Context – this challenges students to write sentences that

provide context for the unknown word. They then discuss their original
sentences with their peer group or even with the teacher.
j) Foreign word hunt – many foreign words are now commonly used in oral
and written communications. Student can be challenged to find out not
only the meaning of the foreign word but also to check out how the word is
correctly pronounced.

10. When teachers encourage their students to be curious about the meaning
and use of unfamiliar words they help promote strategies for vocabulary
development.

Materials Time Allotment

 Taboo Games 2 hours

 Word Games
 Meta Cards Alignment to the PPST
 Contextualized SIMs on Vocabulary
Development Domain 1, Strand 4,6,7
 Group Activity/Worksheets
 Learning Pass Book

References

Barron’s English. fourth edition. (2003). NY: Barron’s Educational Series

Cooper, J.D. (2000). Literacy. helping children construct meaning. fourth edition. NY:
Houghton Mifflin Series

K12 reader. Retrieved from http://www.k12reader.com/worksheet/look-around-

meaning-in-context/view/

McWhorter, K.T. (2001). Academic reading. fourth edition. USA: Addison Wesley
Longman, Inc.

Vocabulary. reading rockets. Retrieved from

http://www.readingrockets.org/helping/target/vocabulary

Weiser, B. (2013). Effective vocabulary instruction for kindergarten to 12th grade

students experiencing learning disabilities. Retrieved from https://council-for-
learning-disabilities.org

Procedure
Introduce the session by saying: “Good ______ everyone. I am Nerio Benito
E. Eseo of SDO – Iloilo City. Welcome to an exciting LAC Session 4. Our topic for
today is “Defining Words Through Context and Word Analysis”.
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 Our resource person for this session is PROF. RUTH ALIDO from Philippine
Normal University– Taft Avenue, Manila. Before we start, let us take note of the
following session objectives.”
Activity (45 minutes)

 Acknowledge the group and the LAC facilitator

 Present the activities in the 4 Learning Stations and mechanics
 Set time slot for each Learning Station
 Allow the LAC facilitator to go through the process

Activity No. 1: Taboo Word Game (What’s the Word? That’s the Word!)
(Learning Station No.1)

The participants will be grouped into three. Each group member takes turn in
describing a word for other members to guess. They are not allowed to use the
five words listed in the card that are associated with the given word nor can they
use gestures. The describing team gets a point for every word they guess
successfully within the given time limit. The group with the most words guessed
wins.

Activity No. 2: Vocabulary Stages (This Word Sounds Familiar!)

(Learning Station No. 2)

The participants will be given a set of 10 words. They will then describe the stage
of their knowledge and understanding of the word using a 5-point scale with the
following descriptors:

1-has not seen the word

2-has heard or read the word but does not know it
3-recognizes the word
4-knows the word
5-uses the word in speaking and writing.

Activity No. 3: Multiplier Effect (Double the Barrel)

(Learning Station No. 3)

Given set of prefixes, root, and suffixes, the participants will form as many words
as they can. The group with the most number of words wins.

Activity No. 4: Word Game (Mr./Ms. S & A)

(Learning Station No. 4)

Five members of each group will pick a word. These words are written on colored
meta cards. Yellow cards for Synonyms while Green cards for Antonyms.
Before giving the correct answer each member will describe his/her answer by
starting his/her answer with the phrase: “I believe...” and ending it with “And I
Thank You!”

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Example: The given word on the meta card is INTELLIGENT.

“I believe that the synonym of INTELLIGENT is a 6-letter word. It begins

with letter B and ends with letter T. My answer is BRIGHT! And I Thank You!

Analysis (20 minutes)

Charting the Insights.

Activity Strategy Skills Insights

 What were the activities that you did that were able to promote the students’
vocabulary development?

 What types of context clues were presented in the activities?

 Which among the activities did you enjoy? Why?

 What difficulties you experienced while doing the activity? Why?

 What is the significance of being aware of the vocabulary stages?

 How did your group strategize the forming of words using specific word
parts?

Abstraction (20 minutes)

 What contributes to the student’s potential for self-expression and effective

communication?

 What is the importance of schema in building vocabulary?

 What are the three types of vocabulary and the five stages of knowing and
understanding a word?

 What are some principles to remember in learning specific word parts?

 What are the types of schema in the vocabulary development?

 What are the three types of vocabulary that are learned and acquired?

Reflection Questions

How to demonstrate appropriate strategies for defining words context and

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 word analysis to improve learning outcomes?

Application (10 minutes)

The Lead Facilitator will introduce vocabulary doodles as a visual strategy for
learning new words. Choose one of the words formed in Activity 3 and make your
own doodles of the word.

Closing

Say: we end our LAC session today, let me share with you a quote from –David
Wilkins “Without grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can
be conveyed.”

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Session 3. Defining Words Through Context and Word Analysis
ACTIVITY 1 – TABOO GAME (What’s the Word! That’s the Word!)

Directions: Each group member takes turn in describing a word

for other members to guess. You are not allowed to say the five
words listed in the card that are associated with the given word.
You may use body gestures. The describing team gets a point for
every word they guess successfully within the given time limit. The
group with the most words guessed wins.

SECRET DREAM TICKLE ADHESIV DESSER

E T
whisper nightmare itch
murmur sleep scratch glue cake
speak softly nap prickle sticky salad
confidential vision amuse bond chocolat
undergroun hallucinatio tingle paste e
d n epoxy sweets
sundae

CHAPEL JOURNAL SUPPOR FIERCE JEWEL

T
pray experiences violent valuable
sacred record help hostile gem
worship events assist intense ornamen
meditate log uphold wild t
small private use advocate cruel accessor
church provide y
precious
Session 3. Defining Words
Worksheet 1. Taboo Game

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Session 3. Defining Words Through Context and Word Analysis
ACTIVITY 2 – VOCABULARY STAGES (This Word Sounds Familiar!)

Directions: Classify your knowledge of each of the following words

according to the five stages of vocabulary development. Write your
FIRST NAME on the appropriate column of each word.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5

I have never I’ve heard or I think I I know this I can use this
seen this word read this word recognize this word word in
Word but I don’t word speaking and
know it. writing
1. rant

2. gnaw

3. nibble

4. teal

5. chucklehead

6. trod

7. haggle

8. cuddle

9. quibble

10. flounce

TOTAL

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 Session 3. Defining Words
Worksheet 2. Vocabulary Stages

Session 3. Defining Words Through Context and Word Analysis

ACTIVITY 3 – MULTIPLIER EFFECT (Double the Barrel)

Directions: Below is a set of most common prefixes, roots and

suffixes. Use them to form as many words as you can without
using a dictionary or a thesaurus. The group with the most
number of words formed wins.

PREFIXES ROOTS SUFFIXES

trans - diction -ance

mis-/ dis-/ in-/il-/ aud -ous

im-/un-

Pre gen -ist

Re tel -al

Circum vis /vid -ward

Session 3. Defining Words

Worksheet 3. Multiplier Effect

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Session 3. Defining Words Through Context and Word Analysis
ACTIVITY 4 – WORD GAME (Mr./Ms. S & A)

Directions: Pick a meta card from the PRIMAL’S TV Plus. These

metacards are color-coded: Yellow cards for Synonyms while
Green cards for Antonyms. Before giving the correct answer you
have to describe your answer by starting your answer with the
phrase: “I believe...” and ending it with “And I Thank You!”

Example: The given word on the metacard is

INTELLIGENT.
“I believe that the synonym of INTELLIGENT is a 6-
letter word. It begins with letter B and ends with letter T.
My answer is BRIGHT! And I Thank You!

Given words:
1. elevate
2. essential
3. manifest
4. glorify
5. clash
6. ardent
7. vivid
8. shrewd
9. zealous
10. adorn

Session 3. Defining Words

Worksheet 4. Word Game

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 SESSION 4: DEFINING WORDS THROUGH CONTEXT
EDIT LOG

CONTENTS SLIDES VIDEOS

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