Direct Instruction Lesson Plan

Grade Level/Subject: 3rd Topic: Context Clues

Rationale: Students need to be able to use the context clues in a sentence to help them find the
meaning of unknown words

Common Core/Essential Standards Reference: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.4a Use sentence-
level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to identify the context clues in the sentence by
circling the clue and describing what the word means in a sentence.

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills:
- Different strategies used to find the meaning of words in a sentence

Materials/Resources:
- Context Clues worksheet http://www.k12reader.com/context-
clues/gr3%20look_for_the_meaning.pdf
- Context Clues tic tac toe game http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Context-
Clue-Tic-Tac-Toe-Game-Freebie-564502

Focus/Review: Have you ever read a sentence and wondered what a word in the sentence was?
How did you figure out what that word was? Play the video http://www.flocabulary.com/context-
clues/.

Objective (as stated for students): Today we are going to be word detectives use context clues
to help us find out what the words we do not know in the sentence mean.

Teacher Input: Context Clues are words or group of words in the sentence that help us figure
out what a word we do not know is. Sometimes context clues are synonyms or words that mean
the same as the unknown word. When you see a word you do not know in a sentence, you look
for other words in the sentence that might help you figure out what the word you do not know
means, those are the context clues. We use context clues while we are reading to help us learn
what words we do not know what they mean.

Teacher reads this sentence and writes it on the board: The rainstorm dissipated when the clouds
separated and disappeared. I see a word that I do not know in this sentence (Underline
dissipated). I am going to find a context clue. I see the word separated (Underline separated) I
know that word means to split apart. I also see the word disappeared (Underline disappeared). I
know that word means you cannot see it anymore. So that means that the word dissipated means
to split apart until you cannot see it anymore.

Guided Practice: Students will play context clue tic tac toe with their shoulder partner. They
will write the sentences they use during the game down and circle the clue in the sentence that
helped them figure out the word. They will also write down what the word means. Then their
partner will check what they have written to see if they can make their mark.


Independent Practice: Students will complete the worksheet look for the meaning.

Evaluation: The worksheet will be used for evaluation.
- 6 out of 8 is mastery
- 5 out of 8 on task
- Less than 4 need extra work

Closure: What are context clues? Anticipated answer: context clues are words that help us learn
new words How do we use them? Anticipated answer: when we see a word we do not know we
look for context clues to help us

Plans for Individual Differences:
- Allow Ells to use sentences with pictures that will help them determine the meaning of
the unknown word.