Context, Affixes and Reference Works

1. Write: "Unlike her gregarious brother, who chatted to everyone at the party, Lena stood quietly in the corner."
2. Ask: what does "gregarious" mean? Nobody will know the word. Push: what do you know about the brother? Expected: he chatted to everyone, so "gregarious" means sociable, friendly, likes people.
3. Ask: which words helped? Expected: "Unlike," "chatted to everyone," "quietly." "Unlike" tells us he is the OPPOSITE of quiet Lena.

“You worked out a word nobody in this room knew. You didn't guess — you used evidence. That's what we're doing today, with three tools.”

1. TOOL 1 — CONTEXT. Write three clue types with an example of each. Definition: "The fossil was in sediment, the layers of sand and mud that settle at the bottom of water." Contrast: the gregarious sentence. Example: "Nocturnal animals, such as owls, bats and foxes, hunt after dark." Underline the clue words in each.
2. TOOL 2 — PARTS. Write "telescope." Split: tele- = far, scope = look. "Something for looking at far things." Then "autobiography": auto = self, bio = life, graph = write → "writing about your own life." Then "interrupt": inter = between, rupt = break → "break in between."
3. Show how parts and context work together: "The audience could not hear the quiet singer, so her voice was barely audible." aud = hear, -ible = can be → "able to be heard." Context ("could not hear") confirms it.
4. TOOL 3 — REFERENCE. Write: "The swimmers were pulled out to sea by a strong current." Look up "current" and read the senses: (1) happening now, (2) a flow of water or air, (3) a flow of electricity. Ask: which one? Expected: sense 2, because the sentence is about the sea.
5. Make the point: the dictionary doesn't give you THE meaning, it gives you several — you need the sentence to choose.
6. Write the order on the board: CONTEXT first (fastest), PARTS second, DICTIONARY to confirm or when the first two fail.

“Context, then parts, then the dictionary. And the dictionary isn't the end — you still have to choose the meaning that fits your sentence.”

1. Pairs work through five sentences. For each: write a meaning from context and/or parts, name the tool, then check in the dictionary and copy the matching sense number.
2. (1) "The bridge was a sturdy structure that survived three floods." (struct = build). (2) "The doctor used a microscope to see the tiny cells." (micro = small, scope = look). (3) "Despite his reluctance, Ben agreed to sing — he had refused twice before." (contrast clue). (4) "The portable heater was light enough to carry from room to room." (port = carry). (5) "The store had a sale on cotton, wool and other fabrics." (example clue).
3. Circulate and ask each pair: "Which tool gave you the answer first?" For (3), expected: context — "despite" and "refused twice" show he did not want to. Reluctance = unwillingness.
4. Bring the class together for (4): ask what else has "port" in it. Expected: transport, export, porter. All about carrying.

“When you check the dictionary, don't just copy the first meaning. Read them all and pick the one that fits your sentence.”

1. Students complete the word-meanings page, naming the tool used for each word.
2. Pull together anyone who wrote "I looked it up" for every answer and redo one word with context first.

1. Write: "The new law was retroactive: it applied to things people had done before it was passed."
2. Ask: what does "retroactive" mean, and which tool did you use? Expected: "applying to the past"; a definition clue after the colon, and "retro" = backwards.