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Words in Context

NGSSS

LA.8.l.6.3: Use context clues to dClcrminc meanings of words LA.8.l.6.8: Identify advanced word! phrase relationships LA.8.l.6.9: Determine meaning of multiple-meaning words

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In this lesson, you wi ll learn about using context to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. When you use context, you study the words around an unknown word or phrase. The words you know become clues, which you can use to understand the words you don't know. Suppose you were reading a book about snakes and you came across the following sentence.

Although snakes have a reputation for being deadly creatures, most of them are innocuous.

How can you figure out what innocuous means? The word although tells you that the idea in the second part of the sentence will be opposite from the idea in the first part of the sentence. The idea in the first part of the sentence is that most people think snakes are deadly. The opposite of deadly is harmless, so the word innocuous means "harmless."

Some words have two or more meanings. They are called multiple-meaning words. The word present has at least three common meanings. It can mean "gift," "being at a place," or "at this time." When you read "Rafael gave Sahari a present," you use the context and what you know to decide which meaning fits .

Be on the lookout for pairs of words with similar meanings or opposite meanings. Context can also help you define these words. Read the following sentences.

Last week, the ice on the pond had been clear enough to see fish swimming beneath it. But now it was opaque; and nothing could be seen.

In this sentence, clear and opaque describe two different conditions of the ice. From the context of the sentence, you can determine that opaque means "not clear" or "not able to see through."

context Clues unfamiliar words multiple-meaning words words with similar meanings words with opposite meanings

~~-------------------~------~~~~~~~~~ Florida ~ NG555 LA.8.1.6.3, LA.8.l.6.8, LA.8.l.6.9

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Read this story about a man who receives the wrong e-mail. Look for context clues in the story to answer the question below.

Return to Sender

1 Arriving at his office promptly at nine, William Harris flipped on the lights. After checking his e-mail inbox, he eagerly clicked on a link to an electronic greeting card and wondered who had remembered his anniversary. While waiting for the card to

load , he shuffled a stack of folders and checked his voice mail.

2 Suddenly, a cheerful song caught his attention as a bluebird flapped across his computer sc reen and landed on a tree branch. Then a group of rabbits, lUgging a banner that said Happy 16th, Wilma! , hopped ac ross a verdant fi eld with grass like a soft green carpet. Perplexed , Mr. Harris shook his head, smiled , and deleted the card. Although he didn't know W ilma, he silently wished her a happy sweet sixteenth birthday.

In paragraph 1, what does the word lill" mean?

~ What is the contex t in paragraph l? A man is checking his e-mail at work.

~ Does lillil have one meaning? No, it has several meanings.

~ What meanings do you already know? A link is a ring in a chain. But it is also the text or image on a computer screen that connects you to an e-mail or Web page.

~ What are some other meanings of Ii Ill? that you might find in a dictionary? The word linl? also refers to a unit in a communication or transportation system, or it refers to a bond with a person or a group.

~ Of all the meanings of lin l? , which one best fi ts the contex t of paragraph l? The meaning related to computers makes the most sense.

ANSWER: The word/in/l means "the text or im age that connects computer Web pages."

In paragraph 2, what does the word verdant mean?

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Think About It The context includes the paragraphs around an unfamiliar word.

Hint How do people react to Shawn's questions about the quarry?

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Read the passage. Use the Think About It to guide your reading. Then answer the question. Use the Hint to help you.

The Quarry

1 Shawn had been cur ious abou t the abandoned granite quarry since he and his fa mily had moved to Rockland, two weeks ago. He tried asking a classmate about it, but she turned white and quickly changed the subjec t. Another time, he decided to ride his bike to the quarry, but he couldn't quite remember where it was. He stopped in a convenience store and asked the clerk for direct ions. The clerk said, "There's nothing for you to see at the quarry, sonny. And I wouldn't go asking questions about it if I were you."

2 Shawn left the store confused and a little scared , but he couldn't stop thinking about the quarry. He decided to ride his bike to the Rockland Public Library and do some research on the quarry. He was going to find every fact he could about that arcane place.

Whal does the word arcane most likely mean?

A popular B boring C amusing

D mysterious

CORRECT ANSWER Answer choice D is correc t.

SUPPORTING DETAILS The passage is about an abandoned quarry that no one is willing to talk about. The convenience store clerk even warns Shawn not to ask questions, wh ich makes the quarry seem even more mysterious.

INCORRECT ANSWERS A is not correc t because, if the quarry were popular, people would want to talk about it.

B is not correct because, if it were boring, people would be wi lling to give Shawn information about it.

C is not correc t because amusing makes it sound as if the quarry is fun , but the people Shawn has asked about it seem disturbed by it.

~~-----------------~---------------------Florida ~ NGSSS LA.S.l.6.3, LA.S.l.6.S, LA.S.l.6.9

• Think About It Read the sentence that contains the word carapace. Which words help you understand what carapace means?

If a word can have more than one meaning, pay attention to exactly how it is used.

What danger do cars and trucks most often present to animals?

Read the passage. Use each Think About It to guide your reading.

Armadillo Attributes 1 The word armadillo comes from a Spanish word meaning "little

armored one." The armad illo earned its name from its body covering. A bony carapace shields the armadillo's body like a suit of armor. The armadillo's ca rapace protects its head, back, tail, and legs. This protective covering has helped this mammal persist for about 55 million years.

2 The armadillo is related to sloths and antea ters. It may also be a descendant of ancient dinosaurs. Some scientists believe the modern armadillo is related to the glyptodont CGLlP-toh-dont), an extinct mammal. Like armadi llos, glyptodonts or iginated in South America.

3 Today, more than 20 species of armadillos live in Central and South America. They range in size from the smallest-the 6-inch pink fairy armadillo-to the largest, the 5-foot giant armadillo. Other species include the three-banded armadillo and the pygmy armadillo.

4 The nine-banded armad illo is the only armadillo species in the United States. It migrated from Mexico to the United States in the 1800s. It is now found in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas , Missouri , Louisiana, and parts of Florida.

5 Armadillos have many interesting traits. In order to swim, they can swa llow air to inflate their stomachs. In this way, the armadi llo becomes as buoyant as a balloon. Also, armadillos do not have a constant body temperature. Their temperature rises when it is hot outside and falls when it is cold. When threatened, armadillos can spring up defenSively three to four feet in the air. Other an imals that have this ability are mules and cats.

6 Armadillos have poor eyesight, so they use their sense of smell to find food. They use their pointy snouts to probe grasses, decay ing logs, or sandy soil. Once they locate beetles, ants , or other insects they like to eat, they dig them out with sharp claws and trap them with sticky tongues.

7 You might assume that their protective shells and other traits make armadillos immune from danger. However, predators such as dogs , wolves , and coyotes hunt them. More Significantly, cars and trucks can injure or kill them. Despite these threats, armadillos have been able to survive in a variety of habitats and climates.

~~~~~~~~~-----~--------------------~~ NGSSS LA.S.1.6.3, LA.8.1.6.S, LA.S.1.6.9 ~ Florida

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Hints

Look at paragraph 1. The words bony, like a suit of armor, and protective covering can help you figure out what carapace means.

What part of speech is the word range as used in the sentence?

Which word makes the most sense in the context of the sentence?

~I2AIB 'SMARE With yOUy partner, share and discllss yOUy answers and slipporting details .

Use the Hints to answer the questions below. Circle the letter of each correct answer, and provide supporting details from the passage.

1 In paragraph 1, what does the word carapace mean? A a suit of armor B a skeleton C an old mammal D a bony covering

Supporting Deta il s: ________________ _

2 Read this sentence from the passage.

They range in size from the smallest-the 6-inch pink fairy armadillo- to the largest, the 5-foot giant armadillo.

Which meaning of the word range is used in the sentence? A a group of things in a line B an appliance on which food is cooked C to place into a group D to travel through

Supporting Detail s: ______________ __ _

3 Read this sentence from the passage.

More Significantly, cars and trucks can injure or kill them.

Which word is most similar in meaning to injLlre? A damage B remedy C insult D proper

Supporting Detail s: ________________ _

~~-------------------~----------------~--~ Florida ~ NGSSS lA.B.1.6.3, l A.B.1.6.B, l A.B.1.6.9

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Read the passage "Into the Wild" before answering Numbers 1 through 5.

by 73enjalllill TIdelvater

A few years ago, I had the experience of a lifetime when I received a butterfly kit for my birthday. The kit was equipped with a mesh butterfly cage, five caterpillars in a specia l covered cup, a sugar solution, and an eyedropper for feedings. Excited ly, I set up the cage in a corner of my room where there was not too much sunlight, and I made sure the caterpillar cup was in a safe place high on my bookshelf.

For about a week, the hairy black-and-yellow caterpillars ate special food present inside their cup. Like nonstop machines, they ate, ate, ate voraciously. As they grew, they molted, or shed their old skin.

"Gross!" my younger sister Betsy exclaimed when she saw them crawling around in the cup.

"Don't worry, the caterpillars will soon be gone," I expla ined, "and you won't have to fret anymore." "What do you mean?" Betsy asked. "What'll you do to them?" "Wait and see," I sa id cryptica lly. Then I gave her a win k. Before long, the caterpillars had climbed to a disk under the lid at the top of their cup, attached

themselves to it by means of silky strands from their bodies, and hung upside down in the shape of a J. Each pupa hung from the lid of the cup in a chrysalis, a hardened case that looked to me like a milkweed pod before it opens.

A full day after all the caterpillars had made chrysalises, I opened the mesh cage and followed the kit's diagram to gently move the pupas into the mesh habitat. With a hook located under the lid, I hung the disk w ith the developing pupas on a wall of the cage, taking care not to disrupt them. Then, like a gardener, I misted my five "buds" with room-temperature water. What would grow in my bedroom garden?

Every day after school, I scurried home to examine the cage. Nothing. I methodically reviewed the instructions to make sure I had not missed any steps or done something to prevent the caterpillars from undergoing their metamorphosis. My troubled mood was obvious to my parents; they asked what was wrong and advised me to be patient.

More than a week had passed when I shuffled into my rOOln, put my backpack down, and started to change out of my school clothes. Something caught my eye. Two dark chrysalises had split open. I watched the remaining chrysalises for the next few hours. Luckily, I witnessed three more butterflies emerge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--------~~------------------------------~F~IO-"-l·d~"l NGSSS LA.S.L6.3, LA.S.L6.S, LA.S.L6.9 ~

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As each butterfly emerged, it shivered and shuddered as if it were cold. I found out that this is how newly emerged butterflies pump blood into the veins of their wings and dry them. In a matter of hours, their wings had hardened and become 'strong, and the entire cage was fluttering with five brightly colored painted lady butterflies.

Despite their ordea l, I read that adult butterflies will not feed on their first day. On their second day, I poured a solution of sugar water into the kit 's feeder and put the feeder inside the cage. I also cut up an orange and a watermelon, put the chunks in a dish in the habitat, and then watched each butterfly use its proboscis, or tongue, to drin k juice from the fruit.

For a few days, Betsy and I observed the painted lady butterflies and watched them grow stronger. I felt proud that [ had been able to raise all five caterpillars through maturation, but I knew that I would have to release them. Butterflies li ve only for a few weeks to a month, so I wanted to let them go into the wild.

On a warm spring weekend, Betsy and I took the butterfly cage outside, unzipped it, and coaxed the fu lly grown painted lad ies out of the cage. I was sad that the experiment was completed. However, I knew this was the only way the butterflies would persevere and lay more eggs. The butterflies hovered briefly over my front ya rd and then floated away like five tiny kites.

Now, every summer, 1 wonder if the painted lady butterflies sipping nectar in my mother's flower garden are distant cousins of the butterflies we released that day.

Florida NGSSS LA.B.1.6.3, LA.B.l.6.B, LA.B.1.6.9

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o Read this sentence from the passage.

Like nonstop machines, they ate, ate, ate voraciously.

What does voraciously mean as used in the sentence above?

A. slowly

B. leisurely

C. greedily

D. unhappily

., Read these sentences from the passage.

"Wai t and see," I said cryptically. Then I gave her a wink.

What does the word cnjptically mean as used in the above sentences?

F. angrily

G. quietly

H. harshly

I. mysteriously

e Read this sentence from the passage.

However, I knew this was the only way the butterflies would persevere and lay more eggs.

What does persevere mean as used in the sentence above?

A. fly

B. sleep

C. return

D. survive

• Which pair of words from the passage is most similar in meaning?

F. worry, fret

G. habitat, solution

H. scurried , reviewed

I. shuddered, hardened

• Read this sentence from the passage.

For about a week, the hairy black-and­yellow caterpillars ate special food present inside their cup .

In which sentence does present have the same meaning as used in the sentence above?

A. The birthday present was very expensive.

B. People must be present at the drawing to win the contest.

C. The school district has a tight budget at the present time.

D. Tonight, the city will present its Person of the Year award .

Answer Form

1 0 ®© ® 2® ®® CD 30 ® © ® 4® ® ® CD 50 ® © ®

Number Correct

------------~---------~--------------------~~ NGSSS LA.B.1.6.3, LA.B.1.6.B, LA.B.1.6.9 ~ Florida

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