Unlocking Unknown Words
Aligned to L.11-12.4 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Readers uncover unfamiliar words through context clues, by analyzing roots and affixes, and by consulting references to confirm. Combining these strategies makes vocabulary self-teaching.
Worked example
Meeting 'malfunction,' you split it into 'mal-' (bad) and 'function,' predict 'works badly,' then check a dictionary to confirm.
Practice questions
- Use context to predict an unfamiliar word's meaning.
- Break a word into root and affixes to infer meaning.
- Explain how a reference confirms or corrects your guess.
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
Los lectores descubren palabras desconocidas mediante las pistas del contexto, analizando raíces y afijos, y consultando obras de referencia para confirmar. Combinar estas estrategias hace que el vocabulario se enseñe a sí mismo.
Ejemplo: Al encontrar 'inaudible', la divides en 'in-' (no), 'audi-' (oír) y '-ble' (que se puede), predices 'que no se puede oír' y lo confirmas en el diccionario.
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