English Language Arts and Reading.5.3.B

The student is expected to

use context within and beyond a sentence to determine the relevant meaning of unfamiliar words or multiple-meaning words;

vocabulary strand teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--vocabulary. The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively.

The meaning of a word is relevant when it connects directly with the matter at hand. Since words often have more than one meaning, they can be used in different ways and in diverse contexts. Students are required to determine the meaning of a word that logically connects to the sentence, paragraph, or text being read. For instance, the word bank relates to both a financial institution and the rising ground bordering a river. If the text being read is about landforms, the first meaning (financial institution) is irrelevant to the text, whereas the second meaning is directly connected to the topic being studied.
Many words in the English language look and/or sound like other words but have completely different meanings. These multiple-meaning words require students to use the information around the word, either spoken or written, to determine how the word should be interpreted. Homonyms are examples of multiple-meaning words. Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and usually sound alike but have different meanings and require context to determine which usage is intended. For example, the word pitcher could refer to a position on a baseball team or a container for liquid. Homographs are words that are spelled the same as another word but sound different when spoken and have different meanings. Homographs are challenging in reading but not necessarily challenging in listening because readers do not hear the spelling and, therefore, must rely solely on the context and pronunciation to know which form of a word is being used. For example, the word wind can refer to a movement of the air or taking on a twisting course.
Authors often include hints, or clues, to help the reader understand unfamiliar words. These hints are found in words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms), word parts (e.g., affixes and roots), phrases (e.g., definitions, examples), and sentence structure (conjunctions that signal relationships between ideas.) Students use the words or sentences that precede or follow a specific word or sentence to help them determine meaning.

Research

1. Kuhn, M. R., & Stahl, S. A. (1998). Teaching children to learn word meanings from context: A synthesis and some questions. Journal of Literacy Research, 30(1), 119–138.   doi:10.1080/10862969809547983

Summary:  This article is an overview of 14 studies that focused on different strategies to improve the students' ability to learn word meaning by using context. The primary findings show that strategy was not a variance in students' learning but practicing the strategy was a factor. The conclusion is that each strategy is of value, but the student must be given ample time to practice the skill.

2. Ehri, L. C., & Rosenthal, J. (2007). Spellings of words: A neglected facilitator of vocabulary learning. Journal of Literacy Research, 39(4), 389–409. doi.10.1080/10862960701675341

Summary:  This topic of this study is the importance of spelling in retaining the meaning and pronunciation of words. The authors review theory and evidence, which reveals that spelling is routinely overlooked as a critical element in learning vocabulary.