R- Require Learner Participation
Instructor(s) / Trainer(s): Hoff, Shayla C
Student Practice Activities
Students took notes on the 5 types of context clues, which involved writing the explanation of the clue and an example sentence that used it. Students then highlighted both the word and the clue in the example sentence. We discussed each type of clue as a class while highlighting.
The next day, students completed their worksheet competition. They shared one worksheet for each group, which consisted of 10 questions. Each question had 1-3 sentences that included an unknown word, and 4 multiple choice answers containing possible definitions for the word. Groups had to answer the multiple-choice questions and underline the part of the sentence they used as a context clue. Each group was very involved and wanted to win.
Students created sample context clues questions themselves by creating a paragraph describing a non-sense word that stood in for something they could see in the classroom. They then made 4 multiple choice answers to the question, crumpled up the paper they’d written on, and threw it at someone in the room. They solved the question, then met with the original writer to see if they were correct. One or two students then shared their questions with the class to see if anyone else could guess the answer.
Finally, students played the game Context Clues Climber. They greatly enjoyed the game, turning it into a social experience while helping each other with the controls and sharing hints about the game puzzles. All the while, they had to solve a context clue question each time they hit an obstacle. Students played the game for 15-20 minutes over the course of two days, and some also chose to spend their early finisher time playing as well.
The next day, students completed their worksheet competition. They shared one worksheet for each group, which consisted of 10 questions. Each question had 1-3 sentences that included an unknown word, and 4 multiple choice answers containing possible definitions for the word. Groups had to answer the multiple-choice questions and underline the part of the sentence they used as a context clue. Each group was very involved and wanted to win.
Students created sample context clues questions themselves by creating a paragraph describing a non-sense word that stood in for something they could see in the classroom. They then made 4 multiple choice answers to the question, crumpled up the paper they’d written on, and threw it at someone in the room. They solved the question, then met with the original writer to see if they were correct. One or two students then shared their questions with the class to see if anyone else could guess the answer.
Finally, students played the game Context Clues Climber. They greatly enjoyed the game, turning it into a social experience while helping each other with the controls and sharing hints about the game puzzles. All the while, they had to solve a context clue question each time they hit an obstacle. Students played the game for 15-20 minutes over the course of two days, and some also chose to spend their early finisher time playing as well.
Feedback
Students received a lot of feedback from the activities we did as a class and from their game. We went over the context clues worksheet from the competition immediately after the groups finished their worksheets. They received feedback from the original authors of their They also received immediate feedback from Context Clues Climber each time they answered a question. They also received immediate feedback on their quiz grades from USA Test Prep.