Context Clues - Knowledge Rating Chart

(Joel G)

Rationale

      Using context clues is especially effective when it is combined with definitional information (Baumann et al., 2003).  An effective strategy that uses context clues combined with definitional information is a Knowledge Rating Chart.  Teachers can use a Knowledge Rating Chart as a pre-unit activity to assess what words students are and are not familliar with overall, and teach to the words that are most unfamilliar to students.

Procedure

A. The teacher produces a list of 15 to 20 content area vocabulary words that will appear in an upcoming unit.  Words should be chosen that the teacher deems important to the students overall understanding of the topics covered in the upcoming unit.

B. A student worksheet will be developed that lists the content area vocabulary words singly down the left hand side of the worksheet with three additional columns to the right:  Column 1 will be titled "Know it well", column 2 will be titled "Heard of it", and column 3 will be titled "Clueless". 

C. Students are given the worksheet.  The teacher will read the first vocabulary word to the students and ask them to think about how well they know the meaning of the word.  The teacher will ask students to place an X in the "know it well" column for the first vocabulary word if they feel they have a solid understanding of what the word means.  Students that have heard of the word but do not have a good understanding of what the word means will be asked to put an X in the "Heard of it" column for the first vocabulary word.  Finally, students that have never heard of the word before will be asked to put an X in the "Clueless" column for the first vocabulary word.

D. After completing the modeling for the first vocabulary word described above, students will be asked to put an X in the appropriate box for each subsequent vocabluary word.  Students will be given a designated amount of time to complete the task.

E. When students have completed the Knowledge Rating Chart, the teacher will create a class list of the words the class as a whole knows well and what each word means will be discussed in class.  For those words that the class as a whole does not know well, the teacher will give students the definition of the word and write out the definition on the overhead projector.  Students will copy the definitions into their notes.

F.  The teacher will explain to the class that the words that the class did not know well will receive special attention so that students can further grasp the definitions and functions of the words.

References

 Alvermann, D. E., Phelps, S. F., & Ridgeway, V. A. (2007). Content Area Reading and Literacy: Succeeding in Today's Diverse Classrooms. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Baumann, F. J., Kame'enui, E.J., & Ash, G. W. (2003). Research on vocabulary instruction:Voltaire Redux. In J. Flood, D. Lapp, J. Squire, & J. Jensen (Eds.), Handbook of research on teaching the English language arts (2nd ed., pp. 752-785). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Other Procedures

I try to model recognizing different kinds of context clues with struggling readers:

1.  Definition or explanation clues (usually in the same sentence as the unknown word).

2.  Restatement or synonym clues (usually in the same sentence).

3.  Contrast or antonym clues (same sentence or passage).

4.  Gist clues (guessing from the main idea of the whole passage).

I got these from Kylene Beers.

:) Jen B.