Unlocking Unknown Words
Aligned to L.9-10.4 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Clarify unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words using context clues, recognizable roots and affixes, and reference tools. Verify a guess against the sentence before accepting it.
Worked example
In 'the treaty was a tenuous truce that snapped at the first insult,' the words 'snapped at the first insult' show 'tenuous' means weak or fragile — the context confirms the guess.
Practice questions
- Use context to infer the meaning of a hard word in a sentence you find.
- Break an unfamiliar word into a root and affix to predict its meaning.
- Verify your inferred meaning by substituting a synonym and checking the sentence still works.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Descifrar Palabras Desconocidas
Aclara palabras desconocidas o de significado múltiple usando pistas del contexto, raíces y afijos reconocibles, y herramientas de referencia. Verifica tu suposición contra la oración antes de aceptarla.
Ejemplo: En 'el tratado fue una tregua tenue que se rompió al primer insulto', las palabras 'se rompió al primer insulto' muestran que 'tenue' significa débil o frágil — el contexto confirma la suposición.
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