Context Clues

When you are reading and come to an unknown word, what should you do first?

• Look for clues in the sentence
• Ask your teacher
• Look it up in the dictionary
• Skip it

Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word in red.
When he didn’t understand the instructions, the student asked the teacher to clarify them.

• remove
• call
• explain

They were ecstatic at the birth of their baby. They couldn't stop smiling for days. 

Based on the context clues in the sentence, ecstatic means:

• Nervous
• Discouraged
• Excited
• Relieved

Many Northern birds migrate for the winter.  They return in the spring.

Based on context clues in the passage, migrate means _____________.

• Lay eggs
• Eat
• Move away
• Sing

When Rhea started out on her day full of errands, her backpack was nearly empty. She'd almost forgotten that it was on her back, but

after a trip to five shops and the grocery store, it had become quite

cumbersome. She'd had to stop and rest several times on the way home. She'd also needed to rearrange the bag's contents several times to keep them from poking her in the back.

What does cumbersome mean as used in the text? You must infer the meaning.

Flying is becoming more expensive, and planes are getting less roomy. Nevertheless, most airlines still offer a few perks to make trips more comfortable. Most will still give you free snacks. Most have free movies, and you can usually borrow headphones if you need them. Most airlines still offer you a free beverage such as juice, coffee, or soda.

What are the examples given to help define beverage?

History teaches us how quickly relationships between countries can totally change. The United States and the Soviet Union were allies during most of two world wars, but by the end of World War II, they were enemies. The Cold War that erupted between these two countries lasted decades.

What antonym helps us to understand the meaning of allies?

It might come as a surprise, but grazing animals are a key factor in erosion, the process by which earth is worn away by winds, water, or other means. This is especially true in coastal regions. Grazing animals eat the grasses. The grasses' roots help bind the dunes together. With these grasses and roots gone, the soil is easily blown off or washed away.

What definition does the text use to help define erosion?