Routine · Vocabulary
Use clues in the text
Look around an unknown word for a clue to its meaning: a definition, an example, an opposite or the general sense.
- Time
- 5 to 8 minutes
- Skill
- Vocabulary
- In a session plan
- Library only
When to use it
For students who skip unknown words or stop reading when they hit one.
Materials
- A few sentences with helpful clues around a hard word
Steps
Get ready
Show a sentence with a hard word underlined and a clue nearby.
I do
Think aloud: read the sentence, then the ones around it, look for a clue, guess the meaning, and put the guess in place of the word to check.
Say: I do not know this word. I read around it. Here is a clue. I think it means this. Does that fit when I read it back? Yes.
We do
Do two more sentences together, naming the type of clue each time.
You do
The student works out the meaning of words in new sentences and checks each guess by swapping it in.
Student: Finds the clue, guesses, swaps the guess in to check.
Check
Give a sentence where the clue does not help. Ask what to do next, such as ask someone or look it up.
If the student...
Makes a guess that does not fit the sentence.
Have them swap the guess into the sentence and read it aloud. When it sounds wrong, point to the clue again and guess together.
Tips
- Real texts do not always give good clues. Teach the student to notice when they do not.
- In a group, have partners find the clue and point to it before anyone shares a meaning.
Original routines written by Literacy Trail. In the app, every routine is filled with your student's lesson.
Related routines
- Meanings of prefixes and suffixesTeach what a common prefix or suffix means, then use it to work out the meaning of new words.5 to 8 minutes · Library only
- Using a dictionaryFind a word in a dictionary, choose the meaning that fits the sentence, and say it in your own words.6 to 10 minutes · Library only
- Teach a word: friendly meaning, examples, non-examplesExplain a new word in everyday language, show it in use, and test it against examples and non-examples.3 to 6 minutes · Library only
- Word talk during a read-aloudPause briefly on rich words while reading aloud, then come back to them after the story.5 to 10 minutes · Library only
Have this routine filled in for every lesson
In Literacy Trail, the session plan picks a routine for each block and fills it with the words, sounds and sentence from your student's lesson. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.