Spanish Language Arts.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;

Artes del lenguaje y lectura en español.5.3.B

Se espera que el estudiante

use el contexto dentro y fuera de la oración para determinar el significado relevante de palabras desconocidas o de palabras de significado múltiple;

TEKS Talk - SLA Vocabulary 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 banco 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, whereas the second meaning is directly connected to the topic.
Sometimes words require context to understand their intended usage. Many words in the Spanish language are spelled or sound like other words with 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. Multiple-meaning words are also known as homonyms. In Spanish, there are two types of homonyms, which are identified as homographs and homophones. These terms were introduced to students in previous grades. Homographs are words that have the same spelling, but different meanings. For example, the words sierra (sawing tool) and sierra (chain of mountains). Conversely, homophones are words that sound alike, are not spelled the same, and have different meanings. For example, the words casar (to marry) and cazar (to hunt). Multiple-meaning words are challenging in reading because readers must rely solely on the context to know which form of a word is being used. For example, the word huella could refer to a footprint or to a deep and lasting emotional impression. However, when you use the context, it’s clear which meaning of huellas the writer intends. Consider the following sentence: Fuimos a un museo y vimos huellas de dinosaurios.
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.