Guided Instruction - Triumph Learning · Guided Instruction 1 ... From these context clues, I predict that a competition is a type of contest ... Find context clues that help you

Guided Instruction

Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law. 51

Show What You Know

Before you begin this lesson, take this quiz to show what you know about context clues. Readthis story about an unusual art project. Then answer the questions.

Yesterday, I didn’t want to go to school.“We have art, and I don’t like drawing or painting,” I said. My mother just kissed me good-bye.

Mrs.Abroms, the art teacher, arrived early carrying a carton of cameras.“No drawing today,” she said,“because we’re taking pictures.”We hadn’t used cameras before, so they were a novelty. First, Mrs.Abroms showed us how to hold the camera steadily to take pictures.Then she handed out the cameras and explained what we were supposed to do.

“Start by taking pictures of each other,” she said.“Take only headshots, pictures of the face.Take several from different distances.”

Taking pictures was fun. I learned how to rotate the camera, or turn it on its side.Then Mrs.Abroms told the class to choose one feature of a face, such as the eyes or lips.We chose eyes. Next,she loaded our pictures onto a computer and taught us how to select just the eyes from eachpicture. Soon, we were looking at twenty different pairs of eyes. Mrs.Abroms printed themtogether as one big picture. It looked great, and we all had fun trying to find our own eyes.

1. Why were cameras a novelty?

A They were in art class.

B They were in a box.

C Students had not used them before.

D Students were not drawing that day.

2. What are headshots?

A Certain cameras

B Pictures of faces

C Different distances

D Painted pictures

3. What does rotate mean?

A Take a picture

B Explain

C Turn

D Use a computer

4. What does feature mean?

A Part of a face

B A film

C A student

D A box

Circle the letter of the best answer.

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Guided Instruction 1

Monitor and Clarify

When you monitor and clarify, you check to make sure you understand the ideas in the text. You clarify them by restating ideas in your own words.

• As you read each paragraph, check to make sure you understand the important ideas.

• Try restating the ideas in your own words. If you have trouble, reread the part youdo not understand.

• If you do not understand a word, look for clues to its meaning in the passage.

Read these sentences. Use context clues to figure out the meaning of competition.

As I waited to give my speech, I wondered why I had agreed to this. I had enteredother events before, but never a speech competition, where I could win a prize. Now I hadto stand before a strange audience and talk for two solid minutes.

Think About It1. The word competition names something in the sentence.

2. The speaker has entered other events before, but never a speech competition. Thewords other and but hint that a competition is an event. I also see that the speakerin a speech competition can win a prize.

3. From these context clues, I predict that a competition is a type of contest. Theword contest makes sense in this sentence.

When you read, you might not know or understand all the words in a story. Context clues canhelp you. Context clues are words and phrases near an unknown word that give clues to theword’s meaning.

To use context clues,

• Notice how the new word is used in the sentence.

• Look for a definition or other words that could help define the word.

• Think of another word or phrase that could replace the unknown word.

52 Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.

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Read the story. Use the Reading Guide for tips. The tips can help you monitor and clarify and usecontext clues as you read.

Now apply what you learned about using context clues.

Guided Instruction 1 continued

Reading Guide

Look for a phrase that explainsthe meaning of anecdote.

Look for a word or phrase thatmight have the same meaningas focus on.

Think about the advice that the speaker got. What wordmight mean the same thing as envision?

Think about why the speakerpictures the audience in theirunderwear. Restate why shedoes this in your own words.

As I waited to give my speech, I wondered why I hadagreed to this. I had entered other events before, but never aspeech competition, where I could win a prize. Now I had tostand before a strange audience and talk for two solid minutes.

In my mind, I reviewed the advice my teacher had givenme.“Begin with an anecdote, a short story that makes a point,”he said.“Focus on people’s faces while you’re on stage. Reallylook at them. If you’re nervous, picture the audience wearingonly their underwear.That should calm you.”

I had never given a speech to strangers before. My mouth was dry and my hands were damp. I couldn’t think of how I’d begin.Then I tried to envision everyone in their underwear, but the image gave me the giggles. Just then, my name was announced. I walked out on stage and looked at the people in the audience.They looked friendly instead of hostile, and I suddenly knew how to begin.

“I almost didn’t give this speech, because I felt so nervous.Then I tried a trick that my teacher had taught me….”

Answer the questionson the next page.


Practice the Skill 1

Practice using context clues in the story you just read.

Now read each question. Circle the letter of the best answer.

EXAMPLE

What is an anecdote?

A Something that reverses a poison

B A piece of advice fromsomeone

C A short story that makes a point

D Someone who gives a speech

Think about how the word is used in the sentence.

The teacher said to begin with an anecdote, so I know it’ssomething you would hear in a speech.

Look for context clues.

The teacher follows the word anecdote with the phrase ashort story. This phrase might tell what the word means.

Try replacing the new word with your guess about its meaning.

I think an anecdote is a kind of short story.

1. The phrase focus on means —

A draw a circle around

B draw a picture of

C look carefully at

D stand in front of

2. What word means the same as envision?

A Picture

B Agreed

C Review

D Calm

3. Which word or phrase might help youunderstand the meaning of hostile?

A in the audience

B should calm you

C gave me the

D friendly instead of

4. What does the word hostile mean?

A Warm

B Unfriendly

C Strange

D Damp


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ONTARIO, CANADA—Most people wouldfind it scary to run into a gorilla. And they wouldfind it downright terrifying to come face-to-facewith a 1,200-pound ape the size of King Kong.Movies invented King Kong, but scientists havefound a giant ape that actually did exist thousandsof years ago.

Scientists call this enormous ape“gigantopithecus blackii.” It is the largest primatethat ever lived. At over 10 feet tall, it was muchtaller than other primates, such as monkeys.

In 1935, scientists began to dig up teeth andjawbones in Asia. At first they didn’t know what

creature the bones belonged to. Eventually, theyrealized that the bones belonged to a large ape.Research has continued ever since.

Scientists at McMaster University in Ontariohave used advanced technology to determine thatgigantopithecus lived as recently as 100,000 yearsago. So, unlike dinosaurs, this ape lived at the sametime as humans.

Gigantopithecus was, however, no threat tohumans. It ate bamboo. Scientists believe thathuman beings may have been responsible for theape’s extinction. People may have consumed thebamboo that the great ape relied on to survive.

Write About ItNow you will practice the skill using a real news article. Find context clues that help you findthe meaning of primate. Then write a definition of the word.

Word Clue(s) Meaning

primate

These jawbones belonged to a real King Kong.

Ladder to Success

Review You have learned how to use context clues to help find the meaning of new words. These clues canbe found before or after the unfamiliar words.

Review the steps you can take to use context clues.

• Notice how the new word is used in the sentence—as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.

• A context clue may be a definition or another way of saying the same thing. Look for thesetypes of clues as you read.

• Try to think of a different word or phrase that could replace the unknown word, but keepsthe same meaning.

Practice 1Read the following paragraph. As you read, think about the piece of art described. What words inthe paragraph tell about it? Look for context clues in the paragraph that can help you figure outthe meaning of the word inimitable.

In 1973, a wealthy Texas businessman joined a group of artists named the Ant Farm.Together,they created Cadillac Ranch, one of the most unusual art projects in the world.The inimitablework is made from ten used cars half-buried in the ground.All the cars are Cadillacs.They all havetheir noses sunk into the ground.Their trunks stick up into the air.This artwork of half-buriedcars is one of a kind.

Fill in the chart below to help you figure out the meaning of the word inimitable.


Unknown word

inimitable

How the word is used

Clues in nearby sentences

Word or phrase that might mean the same

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Ladder to Success continued


Practice 2Read the passage. What do you think the word inception means? Look for context clues to helpyou figure out the word’s meaning.

Women’s basketball today is a fast, lively sport. However, it wasn’t always that way.Women’sbasketball has been played for more than a hundred years.The game has changed a great deal sinceits inception. For example, the earliest women’s games had some regulations that seem unusualtoday. Players were not allowed to hold the ball longer than three seconds.Their movements onthe court were also limited. Courts were divided into three parts, and each player had to stay inher own part. Even without these rules, players had trouble moving around.Their clothing mademovement difficult.They didn’t have uniforms. Most women then wore tight dresses with longsleeves and long, full skirts.The skirts, which were worn even when playing basketball, usuallyreached the floor.

Fill in this graphic organizer to help you figure out the meaning of inception. Use context cluesfrom the passage.

Unknown Word

inception

The sentence containing the word

Clues in nearby sentences

Other clues in the passage

What I think the word means

Ladder to Success continued


Practice 3Read the passage. Then use context clues to answer the questions. Make a graphic organizer ona separate sheet of paper to organize your thoughts.

If you ask most people to draw a building, they will draw four straight walls and a flat roof.Most buildings have flat walls and roofs, but some do not. In fact, almost every state has buildingsthat were made to look like something else. Most were meant to catch the eye of people drivingby. Although their insides often had square rooms, their exteriors were shaped like animals, birds,or objects.

One of the most famous such structures is Lucy the Elephant in New Jersey. Lucy stands morethan six stories high.Visitors can walk around inside and look out from Lucy’s back.Anotherbuilding shaped like an animal is the Big Duck on Long Island, New York. It was once used as ashop that sold ducks and eggs, but now the shop sells small gifts. For some reason, fish were oncepopular subjects for buildings.Years ago, you could visit a fish-shaped theater, eat in a fish-shapedrestaurant, or visit a fish-shaped museum. Few of these buildings still survive today, althoughpictures of them have lasted.

1. What is the meaning of exteriors in this passage? What clues helped you find the meaning of exteriors?

2. What is another word for structures? How do you know?

3. What clues help you understand the meaning of survive?

Guided Instruction 2


Read these two sentences. What context clues suggest the meaning of mannequin?

Few students took the class seriously, especially after they met Andy.Andy was a life-sized doll they practiced on, and this mannequin had a head and chest but no arms or legs.

Think About It

As you read, you will come across unfamiliar words. In many cases, context clues can helpyou determine the general meaning of these words.

As you saw on pages 55–57, graphic organizers can help you use context clues.

• Write the unfamiliar word in one oval.

• Below it, write how the word is used in the sentence. Is this word a noun, verb,adjective, or adverb?

• Look for context clues near the unfamiliar word, such as definitions.

• In the last oval, write what you think the word might mean.

Preview and Predict

When you preview and predict, you use what you already know to imagine what you mightlearn or what might happen.

• First, preview what you are about to read. Look at the title and any pictures.Based on this preview, predict what the passage could be about.

• As you read each paragraph, predict what you might read next.

• Make new predictions as you read more. Ask yourself whether the predictions youmade were correct.

New Word

mannequin

How Word IsUsednoun

Word MightMean

model of a person

Nearby ContextClues

life-sized doll

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Guided Instruction 2 continued

Read the story. Use the Reading Guide for tips that can help you preview and predict and usecontext clues to figure out the meanings of words.

Reading Guide

Read the title and look at thepicture. What do you think thepassage will be about?

Look for a description thatgives clues to the meaning of informal.

Read the surrounding text for clues about the meaning of abdomen.What type of word is vigorous?

Last year, my brother’s principal decided that everyone inthe school would learn the Heimlich maneuver.This type offirst aid is used when someone is choking. Few students tookthe class seriously, especially after they met Andy.Andy was alife-sized doll they practiced on, and this mannequin had a headand chest but no arms or legs. Many jokes were made aboutAndy. My brother never discussed the class, so we never noticedwhen he completed it.

Then my parents took us out for dinner one Saturday. Idon’t remember what we were celebrating, but we ate at aninformal restaurant. Everyone wore jeans and T-shirts.The familybehind us had a little girl in a highchair, who was playing withsome crackers, singing to herself.

My father told a very funny story, and we all startedlaughing.Then I heard an unusual sound coming from the tablebehind me.Without warning, my brother jumped up andgrabbed the little girl. He folded her over and said to herparents,“She’s choking on something.”Then he pushed hardagainst her abdomen, just below her chest.After several vigorous pushes, a big chunk of cracker popped out of hermouth. She glowered at my brother angrily but then startedsinging again.

My brother just sat downand buttered some bread.

“Continue your story,” hetold my father.

Instead, my father said,“Tellme more about that Heimlichmaneuver course you took.”

Answer the questionson the next page.


Practice the Skill 2

Practice using context clues by answering questions about the story you just read. Read eachquestion. Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. Which word is the best definition of theHeimlich maneuver?

A school

B first aid

C crackers

D life-sized

2. What word might describe a restaurantwhere everyone wore jeans and T-shirts?

A Relaxed

B Formal

C Expensive

D Clean

3. What context clues suggest that anabdomen is a body part?

A the table behind

B out of her mouth

C in a highchair

D below her chest

4. How is glowered used in the sentence?

A Names something

B Names an action

C Describes an object

D Tells when something happened

5. What do you think glowered might mean?

A Sang quietly

B Laughed loudly

C Looked angrily

D Smiled happily

6. On a separate sheet of paper, write whatyou think vigorous means and describe the context clues that helped you decidethis.


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DADE CITY, FL—You won’t findcowboys, cattle roping, or stampedes at CRMRanch. You will find huge piles of manureand millions of worms. Worm rancher JohnRowles started the CRM Ranch, and it isgrowing fast. In the past year, the ranch hasgrown from 3,000 pounds of worms to over18,000 pounds of worms.

On the CRM Ranch, Rowles raises redworms, or red wigglers, by the millions. Hisgoal is to turn organic waste into fertilizer.The worms eat cow manure or other waste,digest it, and then excrete it.The end productis worm castings.

Red worms eat about half their weightevery day. That means they can clean up somevery smelly problems. In the process, theyproduce powerful fertilizers.The fertilizers arefull of nutrients, so they are the best soilamendment that any gardener could everhope for. When soil is improved by addingworm castings, flowers have bigger blooms.Some say that fruit grown with worm castingseven tastes better.

Unlike chemical fertilizers, worm castingsare organic. Chemical fertilizers can causelong-term problems, but worm castings haveno detrimental effects. Worm castings alsocontain natural pesticides, which protect theplants against pests. Soil that is fertilized withworm castings also holds water better thansoil fertilized with chemicals.

Write About ItUse context clues to find the definition of each underlined word from the passage. On aseparate sheet of paper, write a definition for each word.

Together, red wigglers are a powerful waste-eating machine.

Show What You Learned


Read this article about fires that burn for years. Then answer the questions on the next page.

Most fires, including forest fires, are temporary.They burn for a while and then go out.However, in certain places, fires have been burning for years, sometimes centuries, and no one hasbeen able to put them out.These fires cannot be extinguished because they are underground.

These long-burning fires are coal fires. Some start for no known reason, while others startwhen forest fires spread to seams, or bands, of coal on the earth’s surface.

One of the best-known underground coal fires is in Pennsylvania. It burns beneath a towncalled Centralia, a town that was once filled with coal mines.About 40 years ago, burning trashfirst caused the coal to catch fire.

Fires require fuel and air to burn. In Centralia, the coal provides the fuel, since that part of thestate has many narrow coal seams that run both above and below the ground.Air reaches theunderground fires, because it flows through the old coal mines and tunnels that riddle that area.

The fires continue burning underground, where people cannot easily reach them and putthem out. People have certainly tried various methods.They have flooded the burning area withwater, pumped special gases into the fires, and dug deep ditches to stop the fires from spreading.

Nothing has worked, so the government has finally moved citizens out of Centralia.Visitors,though, can still see smoke and steam coming up through cracks in the ground.These signs provethat the fires still smolder underground, even if noone sees the flames.

Centralia is not the only place with firesunderground. Subterranean fires have also beenburning in Australia for more than a thousand years.China has similar fires, as do many other countries.

Scientists are concerned about such fires forseveral reasons.The fires burn valuable fuel productsthat people need.The fires damage people andbuildings directly, putting mine workers and citiesin danger. Most important, though, is the negativeeffect that such fires can have on the air. Dirtysmoke and gases can pollute our atmosphere andmay even affect Earth’s climate. For this reason,scientists around the world are looking for ways toextinguish these fires.

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Show What You Learned continued


Read each question. Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. Which phrase is a clue to the meaning of temporary?

A Most fires

B for a while

C in certain places

D for years

2. Which context clue is used to suggest themeaning of seams?

A fires spread

B or bands

C others start

D earth’s surface

3. Based on the surrounding text, what do youthink riddle means?

A Chill

B Move

C Burn

D Fill

4. What do visitors to Centralia see today?

A Smoke and steam

B Deep ditches

C Special gases

D Flames

5. What does the sight of smoke and steam prove?

A Burning trash started a fire.

B People have flooded the area.

C Fires still burn underground.

D Fires can cause damage.

6. What does smolder probably mean?

A Flood

B Burn

C Flow

D Stop

7. What does subterranean probably mean?

A underground

B burning

C special

D thousand

8. On a separate sheet of paper, write whatyou think extinguish means. Then explainthe clues that helped you arrive at thatanswer.

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Guided Instruction - Triumph Learning · Guided Instruction 1 ... From these context clues, I predict that a competition is a type of contest ... Find context clues that help you