Pedagogical Retooling in Mathematics, Languages, and Science

for Junior High School

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TITLE: DEFINING WORDS THROUGH
CONTEXT AND WORD ANALYSIS

NERIO BENITO E. ESEO

Public Schools District Supervisor
Schools Division of Iloilo City
Region VI – Western Visayas

2
Session

DEFINING WORDS
THROUGH CONTEXT AND
WORD ANALYSIS
(Adapted from Session on Defining Words Through Context and Word
Analysis) 3
Objectives
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
Objectives

4. write sample tasks for developing

vocabulary skills; and

5. use appropriate strategies for

defining words through
context and word analysis.

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Let’s try this
out…

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Let’s try this out…
 LEARNING STATIONS
STATION 1: Taboo Game (What’s the Word? That’s
the Word)
STATION 2: Vocabulary Stages (This Word Sounds
Familiar!)
STATION 3: Multiplier Effect (Double the Barrel)

STATION 4: Word Game (Mr./Ms. S & A)

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LEARNING STATIONS

Taboo Game
(What’s the
Word? That’s the
Word)
1. You will be divided into three
teams. Team members will
take turns at being clue-givers
for the team to guess the given
word in the cards.

2. Each card contains the Guess

Word and five other words.
These are considered taboo
and cannot be used in giving
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3.Gestures, initials or
abbreviations,
sound effects and
sound clues are
allowed in giving
clues.

4.The team with the

most words
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LEARNING STATIONS

STATION 2: Vocabulary
Stages
(This Word Sounds
Familiar!)
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Activity: VOCABULARY STAGES

I can use
this word in
I know this
speaking
word
I think I and in
recognize writing
I have
this word
heard or
I have never read this
seen this word but I
word don’t know
it
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ACTIVITY
LEARNING STATION

STATION 3: Multiplier
Effect
(Double the Barrel)

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ACTIVITY
LEARNING STATIONS

STATION 4: Word Game

(Mr./Ms. S & A)
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Let’s think it
out…
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National Achievement Test
Least Learned Competencies in English Grade 10

Source: NAT Grade 10, 2014

What activity/ies you did
that were able to promote
the students’ vocabulary
development?

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What type of context clues
were presented in the
activities?

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Which among the activities
did you enjoy? Why?

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What difficulties you
experienced while doing the
activity? Why?

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

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

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Let’s Paint a
Picture
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 Key Understandings
●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.
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  Key Understandings

●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.
,
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 What contributes to the
student’s potential for
self expression and
effective
communication?
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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.
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 Learning vocabulary, especially
the language of academic
discipline, is an integral part of
learning academic content.

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 What is the
importance of
schema in building
vocabulary ?
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Activating and building background
knowledge has particular
importance for students.

All new vocabulary needs to be

explicitly linked to prior experiences
with connections made to past
academic learning. 40
 This allows students to have
the opportunity to make an
immediate and concrete
connection between their
understanding and knowledge
of the world and what they are
learning in the classroom. 41
By capitalizing and building
on the knowledge that
students have, educators
have a vehicle for providing
grade-level content and
meeting the language needs
of each student. 42
 What are the types
of schema in the
vocabulary
development ?
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3 Types of Schema in vocabulary development:

• Content schema refers to systems of factual

knowledge, values and cultural conventions

• Formal schema, also referred to as textual schema,

has to do with knowledge or rhetorical structures of
texts and genres

•Linguistic schema also known as language schema

refers to knowledge of language structure, vocabulary,
grammatical inflections and cohesive structures.
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 What are the three
types of vocabulary and
five stages of knowing
and understanding a
word ?
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Three types of vocabulary that students need
to learn and acquire:

• General vocabulary are everyday words with

widely acknowledged meanings in common usage

• Special vocabulary are words from everyday

vocabulary that take on specialized meanings in a
particular content area

• Technical vocabulary are words that are used in a

particular subject matter. 46
Types of Context Clues
• Definition
• Example
• Restatement or
Synonym
• Contrast or
Antonym
• Inference
• Punctuation and 48
Definition
●is considered the simplest and most
obvious way by which the meaning of
the word is revealed.
Example:
Marsupials are a group of mammals that
are known for carrying their young in
their pouch.
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 Example
●this clue illustrates or helps clarify
important concepts or ideas.
Example:
The use of non-verbal communication
such as a smile, hand movement, or
gesture helps to convey message.
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Restatement or
Synonym
●Uses the unknown word in another
form such as elaboration or pairing
closely related words.

Example:
Gio’s father is a podiatrist, or a foot
doctor.
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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 comfort of the cool
rainy days of June.
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Inference
●Requires reading between the lines to
see connection and relationship 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
has 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.
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Cooper, J. (2000), p. 23
7
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Punctuation and type
style
● Quotation marks, dashes, parenthesis or brackets and
italics also give clues to the meaning of the unknown
word.
Example:
● Mr. Santos is an “optimist.” He believes that all his
students will eventually change their ways in their senior
year.
● 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.
● Mr. Santos is an optimist, or a hopeful and confident
person.
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 What are some
principles to
remember in learning
specific word parts ?
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Fiveprinciples to remember in learning
specific word parts.
1. A word is built on at least one root.
2. Words can have more than one prefix, root, or
suffix.
3. Words do not always have both a prefix and a
suffix.
4. Roots may change in spelling as they are
combined with suffixes.
5. 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. 57
Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis
● Word banks
● Word mapping
● Bulletin words or word walls
● Multiplier effect
● Wide reading and extensive writing
● Word games
● Vocabulary doodles
● Electronic books and software
● Exploring context
● Foreign word hunt
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Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis

●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. 59
Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis

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.
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Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis

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.

Multiplier effect – students form as many words

they can form a set of prefixes, roots, and
suffixes.
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Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis

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.

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.

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Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis

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.

Electronic books and software – these promote independent

word learning given that many young learners are adept with
technology and other online resources.

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Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis

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.

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Strategies for Teaching Context Clues and Word
Analysis

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.

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APPLICATIO
N
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– VOCABULARY DOODLES
A visual representation of an unknown words
helps in remembering its meaning.

quibbl
e

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 – VOCABULARY DOODLES
Choose one word you have formed from the
Multiplier Effect activity and create your own
doodle from the word in the box below.

quibbl
e

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Use vocabulary
doodles to
visualize the
meaning of
unknown word

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“Without grammar little can
be conveyed, without
vocabulary, nothing can be
conveyed.”

David Wilkins

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