Context Clues

When instructing children, the context of a word is described as the neighbourhood where
it lives. Rasinski & Padak (2013), define contextual analysis as “a word identification strategy, a
reader attempts to determine the meaning and/or pronunciation of an unknown word by the way
it is used in the text. Word clues such as illustrations and graphic aids are used in this
identification strategy. Students learn a lot during read-aloud sessions as they provide great
contexts through which words are learnt. In the following read-aloud session, I will use word
clues to help a student develop a word recognition strategy by taking advantage of other words
that surround the unknown word.
I chose the following College and Career Readiness Anchor Standard for Reading to
teach Angela:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4.a
Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
Angela is a student in the third grade. I introduced Angela in week two as a fluent reader
who does extremely well in independent reading. The reading text that I will use to perform a
think-aloud of a read-aloud is, “A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Lane
Smith. I will start the session by introducing the title of the book to the student. I will say, “This
book we are reading today is called, A House That Once Was and the author is Julie Fogliano”. I
will continue to tell Angela how interesting the picture on the cover of the book. I will say, “I
wonder what happened to this house?” “Angela, what do you think could have happened?” At
this point, Angela will make guesses as to what exactly could have happened to the crooked
house on the cover page. She could say, “I think the house was poorly constructed? Or maybe the

owner of the house abandoned it, and it was ruined by a storm, Angela could also say, The house
is old and has gotten destroyed over time”.
I will continue to say, “I wonder what could have happened to the man who is not
wearing any shoes”. I will add that maybe he was attacked and his shoes stolen. Angela, what do
you think? Angela could say, “I think the man’s shoes were left in the house. Maybe he was
escaping from there and did not have time to wear his shoes”. I will then guide Angela into using
word clues to understand the content of the book. For instance, when reading Lane Smith’s
illustration, I will read bit by bit and give the student an opportunity to understand the context. I
will read, “Deep in the woods is a house, just a house that once was but now isn’t a home”
(Stevenson, 2018). At this point, I will ask Angela, “who do you think lived in this house?” she
might say, “a farmer”. I will ask Angela why she thinks a farmer lived there. One of the
responses might be, “because the house is in the woods”. Other questions that I will ask include,
“Why did the farmer leave, and to where?” in response to this question, the student might say, “to
the city to look for a job”.
Lastly, I will continue reading the book and identifying word clues that will help
understand the context of the story. I will guide Angela into putting together ideas on what could
have happened to the house that once was. Some of these will include forgotten photos, books
left behind, broken frames, and even toys. We will unravel what happened to the people who
once lived there. For instance, the forgotten items show that they left in a hurry. So, I will ask
Angela to say why the people could have left in such a hurry to even forget some of their things.
Some of the responses include, “they were forced to leave, or they had no food and would have
died if they continued to stay there”. I will tell her that although the people left, the house that
was once their home still remains. Overall, I will conclude the session by asking Angela to read

it aloud as I listen. The aim will be to ensure she pronounces the words correctly and understands
the text.

References

Rasinski, T. & Padak, N.D. (2013). From phonics to fluency: Effective teaching of decoding and
reading fluency in the elementary school. NJ: Pearson.
Stevenson, D. (2018). A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano. Bulletin of the Center for
Children’s Books, 71(9), 383-383.