I agree with most of what you said. I also do not have my students look words up in a dictionary. However, I want them to have the awareness that using context clues may be misleading - they need to integrate trying to use context clues with their own good thinking, being aware that sometimes using context can be misleading. I don't require my students to memorize the types of context clues. But, I want them to be aware that there are drawbacks to depending solely on context. Hope this makes sense. On Feb 3, 2008, at 7:40 PM, Heather Poland wrote:
> I disagree. Often, context clues do work, but not always. When they > don't, > they can rely on morphology. If they don't know a root or can't > figure out > the parts of a word, well, they need to decide if it is essential > that they > know the meaning. If not, they can skip it. That is what real > readers do. I > *never* sit with a dictionary and look up every word I do not know. > I use > context clues and morphology, and then if I don't absolutely need > to know > the meaning, I move on. Later, if I'm interested, I might look up > the word, > but usually not. > > Teaching context clues is not just about a couple of strategies. > There are > many, and they all require thinking. Sometimes commas will set off the > definition, often a sentence before or after will give clue, or > sometimes > you have to read the whole paragraph. And sometimes, yes, there > will be no > context clues. This is why students need a variety of strategies to > use. I > don't see the point of teaching the students the names of the types of > contexts - it's just something else for them to memorize, and > really doesn't > serve to help them. But teaching them how to figure out words is > powerful. > But it cannot be just one or two strategies. > > On Feb 3, 2008 4:24 PM, Linda Crumrine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> I think we need to teach our students that they should try context >> clues, but that they often do not work. Beck teaches there are 4 >> types of context, and this is what I teach my students. Here is an >> example of each type of context: >> Categories of Natural Context: >> >> Misdirective - There's a wireless and lots of books. >> >> Nondirective - Paula put down her pirn, wrapped herself in a >> paduasoy, and entered puerperium. >> >> General Context - Eagles eat carrion mostly in the winter, when other >> food is hard to find. >> >> Directive Context - Eagles have talons, or claws, to help hold >> slippery, wriggling fish. >> >> I think when we teach context, we also need to teach flexibility of >> thinking. >> >> >> >> >> On Feb 3, 2008, at 7:05 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >>> we do not do any dictionary work in my high school classroom. >>> they are >>> struggling readers and i have found the dictionary will not help. >>> they are not >>> inclined to work their way through the definitions to find the >>> correct one. >>> would they not have to understand the context anyway to find the >>> correct >>> dictionary meaning? we use context clues to find the definition >>> because they will >>> not have a dictionary to use during a test or the SAT and sadly, >>> they will >>> not make the effort to use one when they come across a word they >>> do not >>> understand when reading anytime. >>> >>> *\l/**\l/**\l/*Lynn*\l/**\l/**\l/* >>> Once you learn to read, you will be forever free" >>> >>> -Frederick Douglass >>> http://readingsisters101.blogspot.com/ >>> >>> >>> >>> **************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL >>> Music. >>> (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy? >>> NCID=aolcmp003000000025 >>> 48) >>> _______________________________________________ >>> The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org >>> >>> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http:// >>> literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. >>> >>> Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive >> >> _______________________________________________ >> The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org >> >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. >> >> Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive >> > > > > -- > - Heather > > "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of > man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments > fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; > new races build others. But in the world of books are > volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet > live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were > written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men > centuries dead." --Clarence Day > > "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little > good evidence exists that there's any educational substance > behind the accountability and testing movement." > —Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds > > "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose > funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase > funding. " > —Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http:// > literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
