Get a Clue: Using Context When Reading

The Fourth of July is almost here: time for cookouts, fireworks, and — of course — the celebration of our nation's independence. This summer, though, we want to add another type of independence to the mix: independent reading. What do you think when you hear that phrase? Maybe you picture a person reading alone, completely enraptured in a book.

But in the tutoring and teaching context, "independent reading" refers to a student's ability to understand a passage or story without having to continually ask for assistance from a more advanced reader. The ability to read independently is hugely important for a student's comprehension level. And, the ability to read independently translates to better learning retention (which means higher classroom performance).

For a dependent reader, one of the most daunting stumbling blocks is unknown vocabulary. When faced with an unfamiliar word, the dependent reader will ask a peer or teacher for help (at best) or give up on the passage entirely (at worst). Independent readers, on the other hand, do not allow tough words to ruin their reading experience. This is because they use context as a clue. Rather than abandoning a text because of what they don't know, independent readers use what what they do know in order to decode tricky words. If your child struggles with reading, you may want to introduce her to this idea of using context as a clue. Following are some of the most common — and helpful — types of clues.

Definition Clues: These are perhaps the most straightforward types of context clues. An author uses an advanced or technical word, but then he goes ahead and provides the definition for the reader — right there in the same sentence or paragraph. For example, a science author might write that "there is a layer of magma, or hot melted rock, within the Earth's crust." The sentnece tells us straight-out that "magma" is "hot melted rock."

Synonym Clues: Like definition clues, synonym clues are pretty straightforward. After using a trickier word, an author uses that word's synonym. Synonym clues are very helpful to readers striving for independence, because they build off of ideas and vocabulary words that the reader already knows. For example, "Monique described the painting as extraordinary, and I agreed that it was amazing."

Antonym Clues: These clues provide context by giving us the opposite of an unfamiliar or difficult word. Antonym clues require a bit more connection-making on the readers part, but they are incredibly useful. For example, consider this sentence: "We had expected the weather to be scorching, but instead it was quite cold." Your student may not know the meaning of the word "scorching," but she does know "cold." The "but" in the sentence is a "road sign" of sorts — it points the way to the upcoming antonym!

When you tutor your child in reading (or any other subject that requires deciphering of unknown words), keep these handy clues in mind. They are great strategies for turning a dependent reader into an independent one. If you would like to hire an in-person or online tutor to work with your child on reading strategies, take a moment to check out the experts here.