Context Clues Activities and Worksheets – 3rd Grade

*This is included in the Stellar Literacy Collective. Click here to learn more.*

Do your students struggle to use context clues to identify the meaning of new and unknown vocabulary words? These weekly context clue vocabulary activities will help your students expand and grow their vocabulary. This low prep context clue routine takes just a few minutes each day and will help your students feel confident in their ability to use context clues when they discover unknown words in their independent reading.

Having a large vocabulary is so important for students in upper elementary, but requiring students to memorize word lists isn’t always the most effective way to help them build their vocabulary. With this resource, your students will develop the strategies and tools that will help them uncover and determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

They will learn how to use the five different types of context clues, understand how to pay attention to the part of speech when making a prediction about the meaning of an unknown word, and dig into the synonyms and antonyms of each weekly word to continue to add to their vocabulary bank. Teachers and students love how effective this resource is. 

👉 This resource is included in the Stellar Literacy Collective. If you are a current member, you can find it in our resource library. If you aren’t a current member, you can learn more here.

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

This Context Clue of the Week set includes the following resources for 40 weeks worth of context clue practice.

• 40 Context Clue (word of the week) Cards
• PowerPoint Presentation for Whole Group
• Student Booklet & Recording Sheets
• Teacher Guide/Answer Key
• Digital Version created using Google Slides

The words in this set are perfect for 3rd-grade students. Check out the preview for a full list of the words included. If you feel like your students need an easier set of words or a more challenging list, you might want to check out my 3rd or 5th grade set of this resource.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN USE THIS RESOURCE IN YOUR CLASSROOM:

These activities are perfect to use in your Daily 5 Word Work center or in any type of literacy center for upper elementary students. They can also best be used for morning work, distance learning, early finishers, or substitutes. Here are some other ideas for how you can use this resource:

• Use it whole group as part of your morning meeting or reading warm-up
• Use it during small group instruction for students who need extra practice with context clues
• Incorporate it into your spiral review or test prep practice
• Get all three sets in the bundle and give students a choice for which set they will complete – easy way to differentiate your instruction
• Give to students as a “end of day” activity to keep them engaged while students pack up

LET’S BREAKDOWN THE WEEKLY ROUTINE:

Students will engage with the word of the week in the following ways:

• Monday – Students will read the word of the week in a short paragraph, predict what the word means and identify the type of context clue that helped them make their prediction.
• Tuesday – Students will reference a dictionary to identify the correct definition of the weekly word. They can confirm if they correctly predicted the meaning.
• Wednesday – Students dig deeper and consult a thesaurus to identify antonyms, synonyms, and part of speech.
• Thursday – Students create an illustration to represent the weekly word.
• Friday – Students will create their own sentence or short paragraph using a new set of context clues to show they truly understand what the word means.

LOVED BY BOTH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: 

→ Your students will love how fun and engaging the daily tasks are. They will enjoy being “word detectives” and digging deep into the study of the specific word of the week.

→ You’ll love how quick and easy this routine is. It will take just a few minutes out of your instructional day but will have a huge impact on your students’ vocabulary growth.

→Your students will love building confidence in how to use context clues. After a few weeks of doing this weekly routine, your students will start to feel more confident in their ability to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in the texts they read independently.

→ You’ll love how independent your students will be with this routine. Students can easily complete this routine on their own which makes it great for literacy centers, workstations, or as part of your morning routine.

TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ashley A. said, “I used this source to teach my students about inferring unknown words with context clues, and it gave them practice on using different strategies (looking for synonyms or examples in the text, etc.). I‘ve used this in 2nd and 3rd grade!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Combo Teaching (TPT Seller) said, “This has been one of my favorite things to implement in my classroom! Students get real-life experience for words they do not use every day. They also develop skills to figure out words they are unfamiliar with.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Emma B. said, “This is a great strategy. I live by this technique and love how students are not memorizing definitions but learning a skill to use context clues.”

I THINK YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

→ Root Word of the Week Routine

→ Prefix & Suffix of the Week Routine

→ Poem of the Week Activities

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