Discussing and Questioning New Words
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in texts; discuss word meanings and link new vocabulary to words already known
What a learner can do afterwards
- Ask 'What does ___ mean?' when meeting unfamiliar words during reading
- Use context and pictures to work out what a new word might mean
- Explain a new word by connecting it to a known word (e.g. 'enormous means really really big')
1 · Read
Sometimes you read a word you do not know. Stop and ask, 'What does that word mean?' Asking is smart, not silly.
Mia reads about a giant. The book says the giant is 'enormous.' Mia asks, 'What does enormous mean?' She looks at the picture. The giant looks huge. Enormous means really really big.
You can also connect new words to words you know. Enormous is like saying super big. That helps you remember it.
Ask what a word means. Use clues and connect it to a word you know.
More to read
Checking word meanings with dictionaries and thesauri
Sometimes a book has a word you do not know. That is okay! You can be a word detective.
First, try to guess. Look at the other words near it. Look at the picture. What do you think the word means?
Then you can check. Ask a grown-up, a teacher, or a friend. You can also look in a dictionary. A dictionary tells you what a word means.
A thesaurus is a special book too. It tells you words that mean almost the same thing. If you know the word big, a thesaurus can show you huge and giant.
Keep asking what words mean. Every time you ask, you learn a new word.
Using parts of speech to determine word meanings
Words can be like a family. They look alike and they mean alike things.
Think about the word play. You know play. Then you see playing or played. They look like play, so you can guess what they mean.
If you know the word help, then helper and helping are easy to guess too.
So when you see a new long word, look inside it. Do you see a small word you already know? That small word is a clue. Use the clue to guess what the big word means.
Then ask someone to check if your guess is right.
Reading strategy: Activate background knowledge
Before you read a book, stop and think. What do you already know about this topic?
If the book is about dogs, think about dogs you know. Big dogs and small dogs. Dogs that bark and dogs that fetch.
Then, while you read, connect the new words to what you know. The book says puppy. You know a puppy is a baby dog. Now you understand the story better.
You can talk about the book too. Tell a friend or a grown-up what the new words mean. Talking about words helps you remember them.
Your brain already knows a lot. Use what you know to learn new words.
2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.