What if I don't know what a word means?

• We use CONTEXT clues to figure out the meaning of unknown words.

  There are different ways we can figure it out:

  Inferencing

  Definitions

  Synonyms

  Antonyms

  Examples

Inferencing

Sometimes the author does not give us the definition. We can use clues in the text to INFER the meaning of unknown words.

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Think...What is happening in the sentence?

Definitions

• You can ALWAYS use a dictionary to look up the meaning of unknown words.

  Sometimes the author puts the definition IN the sentence or in the text around the sentence.

Go get a dictionary from the window and SHOW Ms. Newton OR go to dictionary.com and SHOW Ms. Newton for 20 HAWKS points.

Synonyms & Antonyms

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  Synonyms are words that have the same meaning

• Example: Happy and joyful

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  Antonyms are words that mean the opposite

• Example: Freezing and scorching

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  Sometimes you can use synonyms and antonyms in the sentences around the unknown word to figure out what it means!

Remember in your notebook: ALIKE and DIFFERENT