Words and Phrases in Context Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RL.2.4

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

In the average school day a typical 2nd grader will run into over 30 words that they do not know or have ever seen before. They can pick up a dictionary to help them along, but they are not always readily available. If you don't have the means to look it up, what should you do? The first thing you should do is break the word into part and see if you recognize a prefix, suffix, or root word. From there you will need to reread the word several times and adjust your thoughts on the word to suit your understanding. You will find an awesome cadre of worksheets below that will help towards this goal.

Words and Phrases in Context Worksheets:

At Dance Class - Understanding syllables and action words is what this is all about. This poem uses seven action words to describe something. Think about something that you like to do. Then come up with six or seven action words that describe what it's like. Vary the beats of your action words.

The Lunchtime Song - When you read poetry, each syllable of each word is considered a beat. How many beats per line are there?

Mr. Rogers - This one is very funny to read. On the lines below, write down all the words in each sentence that have the same beginning sound.

Limericks - A simple poem that we need you to give some rhythm to. A limerick is a short poem with a particular pattern of rhymes. Read the limerick that is given. Circle one set of rhyming words.

Here Comes Sammy! - Sammy likes squishy stuff, as my daughter would say. Write out all the words that contribute to the alliteration in this paragraph.

Zoe's Zebra - See where the words fit and where they don't too! Using the term bank, fill in the blanks in the story so that every sentence contains alliteration.

If I Were the President - How many times do I think about that. How many lines are in this poem and point out all the rhymes to us.

My Family - Her family is always doing something. Think of a word that describes someone in your family, and write your own line of poetry in the same style as the poem above.

Horse Problems - The kids will really enjoy this one! Count the beats in each line. Which line has the most beats? Which line has the least beats?

Night Noises - We talk about the night time animal orchestra. The middle stanza for this poem is presented to you, but the lines are out of order. Look carefully at the rhyming pattern in the other stanzas above, and then number the rest of the lines in the stanza to show what order the lines should be in.

My Zoo - When the last words of two lines rhyme, that set of lines is called a couplet. Can you think of another word that rhymes with each of the words below?

The Wishing Song - A youngster has a day dream that rhymes. . In this song there is a lot of repetition. How do you think the singer feels about the things that are repeated in each of the verses?

The Ferris Wheel - The biggest attraction at most local carnivals has some deep thought put into it. Two lines of a poem that rhyme are called a couplet. Draw lines to match the pictures below and put the couplets from the poem together.

Make a Crazy Poem! - A logic based poem. Math people love it. For each line of the poem below, fill in the blank with your own word to create a new, silly poem! Your word should have the same number of beats (syllables) as the word it is replacing.

Make Believe - Think of it as Knights and Castles in your backyard. Read the poem again. This time underline every word in the poem that has two beats (syllables).

How to Determine the Meaning of a Word Using the Context That Surrounds It


Sometimes while reading a huge block of text, you encounter a word that is unknown to you. Such unfamiliar words can mess up your reading activity as its meaning is unknown to you. However, you can still guess the meaning of the word with the help of the context. Here are a few ways to determine the meaning of a word using context.


Synonyms


You can easily guess the meaning of an unknown word in a block of text if there is a word next to it. If that unknown word is separated with a conjunction "and" with another word, then chances are that it is a synonym. Synonyms are words that have similar meanings, but differ in spellings. If you know the meaning of the word that is next to the unfamiliar word, then you can guess the meaning of it as well. They both are synonyms of each other.


Antonyms


Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Often times, a word and its antonym are used in a single sentence. Phrases like as opposed to, unlike or in contrast to, indicate the presence of time. Whenever you spot phrases like these, be sure that it is the antonym of the unfamiliar word. If you are familiar with the meaning of the antonym, then the meaning opposite to it would be the meaning of the unfamiliar word.


Explanation


If the sentence does not have any antonym or synonym, then you can also use the help of the context to find out the meaning of the unknown word. Look for clues in the context. What is being talked about? Does the text have a negative tone or a positive tone? Questions like these would help you in guessing the situation of the text. Look for words near unfamiliar words. Find out as much as you can about the meaning of the text to understand the unfamiliar word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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