8. VIPERS & contextual clues lesson

​VIPERS and CONTEXT clues
English Module 8

​Contextual Clues

​Using other words within the sentence (or close by sentences) to help us understand what a words means.

Janice is so fed up with her job that she is going to resign and tomorrow will be her last day.

1. Which words help us understand the meaning of the word in bold?
2. What do you think 'resign' means?

Multiple Choice

Janice is so fed up with her job that she is going to resign and tomorrow will be her last day.

Which word is a synonym for resign?

• Cry

• Depart

• Began

​Contextual Clues

​Using other words within the sentence (or close by sentences) to help us understand what a words means.

Sandra earned the most sales at her job this year so her boss decided to give her a substantial raise. 

1. Which words help us understand the meaning of the word in bold?
2. What do you think 'substantial' means?`

Multiple Choice

Sandra earned the most sales at her job this year so her boss decided to give her a substantial raise. 

Which word is a synonym for substantial?

• Generous

• Financial

• Minor

VIPERS

V - vocabulary
I - inference
P - prediction
E - explain
R- retrieval
S - summary

​These are 6 of the main skills needed during a reading comprehension

VIPERS

V - Vocabulary
Explaining the meaning of words in context and the authors choice to use them

VIPERS

V - vocabulary
Example question
In the following question, select the correct synonym to replace the highlighted word

Marcia is a novice soccer player. It is her first day of practice.

Answer choices

skilled

professional

beginner

intermediate

VIPERS
I - inference
Making inference from the text and explaining and justifying using evidence from the text.

VIPERS
I - inference

Many breeds of dogs are used for work. In many cultures dogs are used to herd sheep. The dogs keep the flock from being attacked by animals such as wolves. They also keep sheep from wandering off. Sheepdogs are known for their loyalty and gentleness.
Based on your reading of the text, you can INFER that:

Answer choices

• Sheepdogs are not very smart dogs.

• Sheepdogs are gentle and loyal.

• There are many breeds of dogs.

• Wolves are afraid of sheepdogs.
  

VIPERS
P - prediction

Guessing what might happen in the text from the details stated or implied.

VIPERS
P - prediction
Nervously, Mandy stepped up to the microphone on stage. When the teacher asked her to spell the word "precipitation," Mandy smiled with relief.  
What probably happened next? 

Answer choices

• Mandy misspelled the word

• Mandy asked to be excused.

• Mandy left the stage in tears.

• Mandy spelled the word correctly. 
  

VIPERS

E - explain
Explaining how information adds to the meaning of the story and identifying how meaning is enhanced through the authors choice of vocabulary.

VIPERS
E - explain

Which sentence from the selection shows that the pet is a cat?

Answer choices

Bryan had to feed his pet every day.

Bryan had to take his pet outside right away after school.

It was Bryan's job to clean out the litter box every 3 days.

Bryanʼs pet never bites.

VIPERS
R- retrieval
finding and recording key information evident within the text.

VIPERS
R- retrieval

Many breeds of dogs are used for work. In many cultures dogs are used to herd sheep. The dogs keep the flock from being attacked by animals such as wolves. They also keep sheep from wandering off. Sheepdogs are known for their loyalty and gentleness.
What are dogs used for in many cultures according to the text?

• ​Attack other animals

• herd sheep

• friendly pets

• racing

VIPERS
S - summary
When you rewrite the main ideas briefly into a short paragraph.

VIPERS
S - summary
For the walls, Jenny thought she would use a bright yellow paint. She would pick a border that had mostly bright red and green colors, and maybe a little bit of blue. She already had found some curtains that were sky blue with streaks of red, blue and yellow that she thought would go great with the walls. And finally, she had picked a carpet that was mostly blue with specks of red and yellow. Jenny couldn't wait till she was done decorating her room. It was really going to look awesome.

Answer choices

• Jenny likes bright colors.

• Jenny was going to paint her room.

• Jenny was picking out colors and materials to decorate her room.

• Yellow is a good color to paint your walls.

​We use context clues to find out the meaning of an unknown word by using "clue" words around it in the text

• Sometimes the context clues are in the same sentence as the unknown word, and sometimes they are in sentences before or after it instead

• We need to figure out the meaning of the unknown word AND be able to list the "clue" words that helped us figure that meaning out

​Context clues

Multiple Choice

Tiadra had never seen Sandra before. At first, Tiadra felt somewhat uneasy. As Sandra talked, Tiadra's misgivings melted away. She couldn't tell if it was the twinkle in her eye or the soft drawl of her voice, but she was really warming up to the girl!

What does it mean to have misgivings in this paragraph?

• To donate something

• To be uncertain about something

• To not like someone

• To accidentally give something

Multiple Choice

Coco began barking as I ran to relay a message to Uncle Bob and the truck driver that the milk was leaking. As they turned around and saw the milk, Uncle Bob frowned.

Which meaning of the word relay is being used in this sentence?

• A race run by several different runners working as a team

• An electrical device activated by a current of electricity

• To pass something on to someone else

Multiple Choice

Bugs can smell some things from up to a mile away. The two antennae on a bug are also able to detect motions and tastes. Small hairs cover the antennae. These hairs are used to recognize smells, movements, and tastes.

Which word best helps the reader understand the meaning of the word detect in this paragraph?

• Recognize

• Use

• Cover

• Antennae