Hiệu quả của chiến lược đoán từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh để nâng cao vốn từ vựng cho học sinh khối 10 ở trường THPT Hoành Bồ (Luận văn thạc sĩ)

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

TRAN THI HAI NHU

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTEXT CLUES STRATEGY TO
ENHANCE VOCABULARY AMONG GRADE 10 STUDENTS
AT HOANH BO HIGH SHOOL
HIỆU QUẢ CỦA CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐOÁN TỪ DỰA VÀO NGỮ
CẢNH ĐỂ NÂNG CAO VỐN TỪ VỰNG CHO HỌC SINH KHỐI
10 Ở TRƯỜNG THPT HOÀNH BỒ

M.A THESIS

Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2019


THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

TRAN THI HAI NHU

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTEXT CLUES STRATEGY TO
ENHANCE VOCABULARY AMONG GRADE 10 STUDENTS
AT HOANH BO HIGH SHOOL

HIỆU QUẢ CỦA CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐOÁN TỪ DỰA VÀO NGỮ CẢNH
ĐỂ NÂNG CAO VỐN TỪ VỰNG CHO HỌC SINH KHỐI 10

Ở TRƯỜNG THPT HOÀNH BỒ

M.A THESIS
(APPLICATION ORIENTATION)

Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201
Supervisor 1: Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Huong
Supervisor 2: Dr. Nguyen Thi Que

THAI NGUYEN – 2019


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I hereby declare that all work in this thesis entitled “The effectiveness of
context clue strategy to enhance students’ vocabulary among grade 10that Hoanh
Bo High School” is my own work. To the best of my knowledge, it contains no
materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial of material
which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at SFL or any
other educational institutions. The thesis has not been submitted to any other
examining body and has not been published. Any contribution made to research by
others is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis.

Thai Nguyen, July 2019

Tran Thi Hai Nhu

Approved by SUPERVISORS

Supervisor 1: Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Huong

Supervisor 2: Dr. Nguyen Thi Que

Date: July, 2019
i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researcher has succeeded in finishing this study, which has been greatly
improved by comments, corrections, guidance and ideas of many people. It is hard to
even begin to acknowledge personally all those who have had an impact on her life
and study during that making of this study. In this occasion, the researcher would like
to express her sincerest thanks to the following persons:
To Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai Huong and Dr. Nguyen Thi Que, advisers, for their
invaluable assistance and guidance in implementing this research, and for their
constructive comments and suggestions in perfecting this thesis;
All the teachers at the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University
for their invaluable lessons, suggestions, moral support and prayers for the
completion of this study;
Mrs. Dang Thi Hien, the Headmaster of Hoanh Bo High School for her
permission to conduct the study.
All the teachers of English at Hoanh Bo High School for their suggestions and
validation of the test items and questionnaires.
All the students in 10A1 class at Hoanh Bo High School, the respondents of
the study, for their willingness in joining the experimental learning period and
answering follow-up questionnaires.

ii

ABSTRACT
The goal of this study attempted to test for the effectiveness of Context Clues
Strategy in teaching vocabulary and investigated the students’ attitude towards the
strategy experimented. The respondents of the study were 30 grade 10 students at
Hoanh Bo High School in Quang Ninh province during their second semester of the
school year 2018-2019.
The study compared the performance of the group before and after the
experimental teaching period which lasted for 8 weeks. An achievement test
composed of 40 items testing different lexical resources of units 12, 13 and 14 in the
course-book for grade 10 served as the pre-test and the post-test was administered to
the respondents to determine if there was a significant difference in their
performance. Upon the accomplishment of the pilot teaching, a questionnaire was
delivered to the respondents to investigate their attitudes towards the strategy used.
The data gathered from the pre-test and the post-test then were tabulated, analyzed
and interpreted to answer the following questions:
1. To what extent does the use of Context Clues enhance students’ vocabulary?
2. What are the students’ attitudes towards the strategy used?
The experiment was conducted during the beginning periods for eight weeks.
The t-test for dependent samples was applied to determine the significance of the
differences between the mean scores of the group prior to and after the experiment.
The following are the major findings of the study:
1. The mean score of students in the post-test using Context Clues Games is
significantly higher than that of those in the pre-test. The result proved that Context
Clues Strategy is effective in enhancing students’ performance in vocabulary
learning.
2. Students’ perceived Context Clues Strategy as beneficial to their vocabulary
learning. A majority of the participants claimed that context clues were very much
beneficial in helping them enhance their vocabulary learning while the rest of the
respondents agreed that the use of context clues was useful in improving their lexical
resources.

iii


3. Students agreed that using context clues is effective in enriching their lexical
resources.
4. Students strongly agreed that teacher’s implementation of context clues was
appropriate and effective throughout the treatment period.
Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. There is a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the
respondents after being exposed to Context Clues Strategy is supported in this
study.
2. Students’ attitudes towards the use of Context Clues Strategy and the teachers’
teaching methodology are positive.

iv


TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE

Preliminaries
TITLE PAGE ………………………………………………………………
Certificate of originality ……………………………………………………

i

ACKNOWLEDGMENT …………………………………………………

ii

ABSTRACT. ………………………………………………………………..

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS. …………………………………………………

v

LIST OF TABLES. ………………………………………………………..

Vii

LIST OF FIGURES. ……………………………………………………….

Vii

APPENDICES. …………………………………………………………….

viii

I INTRODUCTION

1

1.1.

Introduction and rationale

1

1.2.

Statement of the Problem ……...……..…………………………

2

1.3.

Significance of the Study ………………………………………..

3

1.4.

Scope of the Study ………………………........................................

3

1.5.

Definition of terms …………………………………………….…

4

II REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND STUDIES

5

2.1. Review of Literature …………..……….……………………

5

2.1.1. Role of vocabulary in teaching and learning language

5

2.1.2. Strategy for vocabulary enrichment ……………………………

7

2.1.3. Types of context clues…………………………….……...............

12

2.2. Review of related ……………..……………………………

16

III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

18

3.1. Locale of the study ………………………………. ……

18

3.2. Research Design..…...………………………………………. ………

18

3.3 Participants……………………...................

18

v


3.4 Research Instrumentation……………………………………

19

3.5. Reseach Procedure…………………………………………………..

20

IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

23

4.1. The effectiveness of Context Clues on students’ vocabulary.

23

4.1.1. Results of the pre-test scores

23

4.1.2. Results of the post-test scores

26

4.1.3. The difference between pre-test and post-test scores

28

4.2. Students’ attitudes towards the Context Clues Strategy.

30

4.2.1. Students’ preferences on Types of Context Clues Strategy used by
teachers
4.2.2. Students’ attitudes on how context clues help figure out meanings
of complicated/ unfamiliar words
4.2.3. Students’ attitudes on benefits of CCG on vocabulary learning
4.2.4. Students’ evaluation on the learning period being exposed to the
use of context clue games?

31

32
34
35

4.2.5. Students’ attitudes towards teacher’s method of context clue games

36

4.2.6. Students’ suggestions on the use of context clue games

37

V SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

39

5.1 Summary …………….….…………………………….............

39

5.2. Finding ………………………………………………………...

40

5.3. Conclusions…………………………………………………....

40

5.4. Recommendations...…………………………...………….......

40

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………

42

vi


LIST OF TABLES

TABLE

PAGE

1. The result of pre-test score of students

24

2 The results of the post-test

26

3 The result of pre - test and post - test score of students

28

4. T-test Results on the Pre-test and Post-test Scores

30

5. Preferences on Types of Context Clues Strategy used

31

6. Students’ attitudes on how context clues help figure out meanings of
complicated/ unfamiliar words

33

7. Students’ attitudes on benefits of CCG on vocabulary learning

34

8. The effects of context clues in your vocabulary learning.

36

9. Your teacher’s teaching method using context clue games.

37

LIST OF FIGURES
PAGE

FIGURES
1. Distribution of the pre - test and post - test scores of the Experimental
group
2. Distribution of Preferences on Types of Context Clues Strategies used
3. Distribution of how context clues help figure out the meaning of
unfamiliar words.
4. Distribution of Students’ attitudes s on benefits of CCG on vocabulary
learning

vii

29
32
33

335

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A. A Letter asking permission.……

I

Appendix B. A Letter to the Respondents

II

Appendix C. Pre-Test and Post - Test

III

Appendix D. Answer key to achievement test

VII

Appendix E. pre - test and post - test scores

IX

Appendix F: Statistical treatment of pre-test and post-test scores

X

Appendix G. Students’ questionnaire

XII

Appendix H. The result of students’ questionnaire

XIV

Appendix I. Lesson plan

XVII

viii


CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1. Introduction and rationale
In recent years, English has been playing a significant role in Vietnamese
education since the joining of Vietnam in WTO in 2007 and the establishment of
ASEAN Community in 2015 the two important and meaningful milestones for
Vietnam, helping the country to integrate deeply into the region as well as the world.
Being an active member has helped to foster friendly and cooperative relations
between Vietnam and its regional neighbors and international partners in many fields
such as economy, politics, diplomacy, security, and culture. The open market policy
together with a free flow of foreigners to the country for travel or business purposes
is expected to offer great opportunities, new prospects as well as tough challenges for
the country. As a matter of fact, English is more important than ever on the ground
that the charters of AEC and most global organizations require English as the official
language communicate. As a result, English has become a compulsory subject at all
levels in the entire education system and an urgent need to master among people

across the country.
One of the most important goals of learning a foreign language is to
communicate effectively. However, in order to master the communication
competence, second language learners are supposed to study the four skills: listening,
speaking, reading and writing well, in which vocabulary and structure play a very
important role in acquiring and developing them. To be more specific, language, the
element for understanding the community of its speakers consists of a set of
grammatical rules and vocabulary items. Therefore, vocabulary is a very important
segment in language learning and teaching process. According to Lowanne Piccollo
(2011), “the elements of a foreign language are just like a tree. The trunk and branches
signify grammar and the leaves signify vocabulary. Leaves cannot exist without the
trunk and branches and the trunk and branches serve no purpose if there are no
leaves”. In other words, "words are the bricks of a language”, (Tan, 2001). That is the

1


reason why it is impossible to understand an oral discussion or written text without
having acquired some basic elements of all parts of the language. Particularly,
vocabulary is one of the most important goals which learners have to reach. And it
can be said that if the learners want to communicate in English fluently, the first step
towards that goal is to have a rich vocabulary.
But how to enrich vocabulary for students is always a question which every
teacher wants to seek for the answer. Of all prominent techniques in teaching
vocabulary in ESL and EFL teaching contexts, Context clue games is claimed to be
fun and motivating which may help students learn vocabulary more actively and
effectively Cesar Hernandez (2011). As a suggestion, there is a need to find out if this
strategy is useful and appropriate to teach in a particular context of Vietnam.
As a teacher of English for many years at Hoanh Bo high school in Quang
Ninh province, the researcher has realized that there still exist many difficulties and

challenges in teaching and learning English in her teaching context, which is shared
by many Vietnamese educational institutions. Hoanh Bo High School is a
mountainous school where students are not aware of the importance of learning
English so they are not interested in this subject. In addition, English teachers here
all claim that one of the factors deterring the students’ mastery of English lie on
students’ limited vocabulary and a lack of motivation in learning lexical items. This
has led to students’ bad results in English proficiency examinations as well as
hindered communication competence.
The aforementioned reasons and observations have endlessly urged the
researcher to find out if certain strategies are really useful and effective at her teaching
context. Therefore, a research on “The use of selected strategies for vocabulary
enrichment among grade 10 students at Hoanh Bo High School” was conducted with
the hope to offer urgent and appropriate solutions for English learning and teaching
here.

1.2. Statement of the Problem.
The main purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of Context Clues
Strategy on the vocabulary repertoire of grade 10 students at Hoanh Bo High School
2


in Quang Ninh province. Additionally, it further investigates the students’ attitudes
towards the strategy used in teaching vocabulary.
Specifically, the study aims at finding answers for the following questions:
1. To what extent does the use of Context Clues enhance students’ vocabulary?
2. What are the students’ attitudes towards the strategy used?

1.3. Significance of the study
The findings of this study would be beneficial and of great help to the following:
Students. The results of this study would be helpful to the students if they

would know how to use the vocabulary learning strategies that teachers employ to
help them remember words and enrich their words. Thus, their vocabulary would be
expanded.
Teachers. This study would help teachers know the effectiveness of selected
teaching the vocabulary strategies to enrich vocabulary of their students and help
them remember words and use these effectively.
School Administrators (Headmasters). Headmasters could evaluate the
teacher’s methods being used. This study could likewise suggest administrators
include in curriculum planning and programs the vocabulary strategies needed.
Future Researchers. This study could provide future researchers with
additional information for possible inclusion of other variables that relate to strategies
on teaching and learning vocabulary.

1.4. Scope of the study
The respondents of this study were composed of 30 students studying at grade
10th at Hoanh Bo high school in the academic year 2018-2019. The study was carried
out within two months of the second semester at Hoanh Bo school where students
took part in 2 tests namely pre-test and post-test which was then be compared for
significant differences. They also answered a post questionnaire to give feedbacks to
the experimental period.
1.5. Definition of Terms
3


In order to have a clear understanding of the study, the following terms are
defined operationally.
Context refers to the communicative situation that the words occur.
Context clue games refer to games used to teach vocabulary. Students guess the
meaning of words from context.
Enrichment is aimed at vocabulary. It anticipates students’ vocabulary would

increase after using selected strategies to help students enrich their English
vocabulary.
Guessing meaning means to give the meaning of words through intuition.
The pre-test is a test given to students before using context clues games to enrich
their vocabulary.
Post-test is the test given to students after using context clues games to enrich their
vocabulary and determine their achievement level.
The strategy is used to enrich the vocabulary of students in this study. It is guessing
the meaning from context.
Vocabulary is the total number of all the words that language possesses, including a
single word, two or three - word items expressing a single idea and multi-word idiom.
Vocabulary is needed to teach in the foreign language and a useful convention is to
cover all such cases by talking about vocabulary items rather than a word.
Grade 10 students are the respondents of this study which were composed of 30
students studying at grade 10th at Hoanh Bo high school in the academic year 20182019
Hoanh Bo school is where students have taken part in answering the questionnaires
and 2 tests namely pre-test and post-test which were then be compared for significant
differences.

4


CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter provides an essential review of literature and studies related to
vocabulary teaching and learning and strategy of context clues games to enrich
vocabulary for students, which shape fundamental theoretical backgrounds to support
the study.

2.1. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1.1. Role of vocabulary in teaching and learning language
Language system basically consists of sound, vocabulary, and grammar. As
Lowanne Piccolo (2011) writes, “The elements of a foreign language are like a tree.
The trunk and branches signify grammar and the leaves signify vocabulary. Leaves
cannot exist without the trunk and branches and the trunk and branches serve no
purpose if there are not leaves”. That is why it is impossible to understand an oral
discussion or a written text without having acquired some basic elements of all parts
of the foreign language. Particularly, vocabulary has an important role in the language
system since it is a powerful tool to carry meaning. Therefore, it can be said without
exaggeration that we cannot write or speak well if we do not possess adequate lexical
items.
According to Bui (2010), vocabulary is the total number of all the words that
a language possesses, including single words, two or three-word items expressing a
single idea and multi-word idioms of which meaning cannot be deduced from the
analysis of the component words but only understood in the sentences; or in contexts,
etc. Hence, it is important to introduce essential lexical items in order to help students
build up strong stands for mastering a language during the learning process.
In the teaching and learning process, vocabulary is embedded and in every
skill such as reading, listening, writing and speaking and almost in all linguistic
aspects. Thus, vocabulary should be considered fundamental in language teaching
and learning. Moras, Solanage (2001) claims that “Traditionally, the teaching of
5


vocabulary above elementary levels was mostly incidental, limited to presenting
new items as they appeared in reading or sometimes listening texts. This indirect
teaching of vocabulary assumes that vocabulary expansion will happen through the
practice of other language skills, which has been proved not enough to ensure
vocabulary expansion. Nowadays it is widely accepted that vocabulary teaching

should be part of the syllabus and taught in a well-planned and regular basis. Some
authors, led by Lewis (2003) argue that vocabulary should be at the centre of
language teaching, because ‘language consists of grammaticalized lexis, not
lexicalized grammar’. Therefore, the teaching of lexical items should be vital and
integrated into teaching all linguistic skills and communicative competence.
With regards to the teaching of vocabulary, it is also noted that teachers’
methodology and strategies are the key factors deciding the success of the lessons
and students’ motivation. If students take part in the vocabulary learning activities
voluntarily, they will become more active and inspired to learn, thus their vocabulary
acquisition was improved Ly (2010). Furthermore, vocabulary learning activities
should be varied to avoid boredom and encourage students’ participation. It could be
explained that as teenagers, high school students are usually eager to explore new
things rather than carry out repeated activities. Through fun and interesting activities,
the interaction among students in the class can be promoted and students are brought
closer to each other which creates a better studying environment and results in better
learning, Nguyen (2010).
David E. Freemans (2004, p 99 – 204) states “Developing vocabulary through
reading, front loading and other pre-reading activities designed to help students build
background stand in contrast to exercise vocabulary training is that time spent on
vocabulary exercises is time taken away from reading. Students acquired vocabulary
as they read. Teachers who take a sociopsycholiguistic view of reading provide item
for student to develop their vocabulary. A number of studies support program like
sustained silent reading because students see words many times as they read, and
repeated encounter with words lead to acquisition. Students acquired many more
possibly learn as the result of direct teaching of vocabulary”.
6


2.1.2. Strategy for Vocabulary Enrichment
Guessing meaning from context:

One of the strategies most often discussed in the literature is guessing the word
meaning from context. Marking the transition to independent learning can be easier
and more efficient if the teacher help students learn to recognize clues to guessing the
word meaning from context. This strategy is a key vocabulary learning for dealing
with low-frequency vocabulary, particularly in reading the authentic text.
Factors that affect the likelihood of success in inference include a context-rich
enough to provide adequate clues to guess a word’s meaning. Because many contexts
are not rich enough, a single context is often not sufficient to allow students” to guess
the full word meaning. This fact underscores: the need for repeated encounter with a
word in diverse context: It is clear, of course, that background knowledge about the
topic and the culture greatly and inferring and retention by providing a framework for
incorporating the new word with information already know, but even without such a
background learner can become skilled in guessing. The key is to learn what clues to
look for and where to find them.
When Uberman (2001) researched on vocabulary presentation and revision,
he said that many sources referred to in this article emphasized the importance of
vocabulary revision. This process aims at helping students acquire active,
productive vocabularies. Students need to practice regularly what they have learnt;
otherwise, the material will fade away. Teachers can resort to many techniques for
vocabulary consolidation and revision. To begin with, a choice of graphs and grids
can be used. Students may give a definition of a given item to be found by other
students. Multiple choices and gap filling exercises will activate the vocabulary
while students select the appropriate response. Teachers can use lists of synonyms
or antonyms to be matched, sentences to be paraphrased, or just some words or
expressions in context to be substituted by synonymous expressions. Doing cloze
tests will show students' understanding of a passage, its organization, and determine
the choice of lexical items. Visual aids can be of great help with revision. Pictures,
7

photographs, or drawings can facilitate the consolidation of individual words as
well as idioms, phrases, and structures.
In Purposes of Teaching Vocabulary, one reason teachers are concerned about
teaching vocabulary is to facilitate the comprehension of text that students will be
assigned to read. If students do not know the meaning of many of the words that they
will encounter in a text, their comprehension of that selection is likely to be
compromised. When the purpose of vocabulary instruction is to facilitate the
comprehension of a selection, it is obvious that this instruction must take place as an
introduction before the reading of the selection. A major reason for teaching the
meaning of words is to increase the number of words that students know and can use
in a variety of educational, social, and eventually work-related areas.
As noted earlier, written texts contain richer vocabulary and, therefore, more
opportunities for expansion of vocabulary through reading as compared to the word
challenge in oral language. However, the probability of learning a new word’s
meaning through encountering it in reading is not high—only about one chance in
twenty. There is research that shows that students can be taught strategic behaviors
to improve their ability to learn the meaning of words. While skills such as application
of morphological clues, reference works, and spelling clues to word meanings are all
useful, they become more powerful and functional when combined with the use of
context clues in a deliberate strategy.
According to John J. Pikulski and Shane Templetion (2004) “it seems
impossible to overstate the power of words; they literally have changed and will
continue to change the course of world history. Perhaps the greatest tools we can
give students for succeeding, not only in their education but more generally in life,
is a large, rich vocabulary and the skills for using those words. Our ability to
function in today’s complex social and economic worlds is mightily affected by our
language skills and word knowledge. In addition to the vital importance of
vocabulary for success in life, a large vocabulary is more specifically predictive and
reflective of high levels of reading achievement.” So John J. Pikulski and Shane
Templetion (2004). Strategy for Deriving Word Meanings:

8


Strategy for Deriving Word Meanings:
Step 1: Carefully look at the word; decide how to pronounce it.
Step 2a: Look around the word for context clues, including:
• Look within the sentence.
• Reread previous sentences.
• Read ahead for more context clues.
Step 2b: Look in the word for prefixes and suffixes, base words, and root words that
might offer clues.
Step 3: Make your best guess at the word’s meaning.
Step 4a: If you don’t have a good idea as to the word’s meaning and if the word seems
important, use a dictionary or glossary.
Step 4b: If you think you have figured out the meaning of the word or if the word
doesn’t seem important, keep reading.
According to Sholed (2011), when you come to a new word when you are
reading you can sometimes figure out what the word means by thinking about the
words around it. Words that give you clues about what the new word means are called
"context clues" because they give you clues about the meanings of new words.
Sometimes the context clues come before the new word and sometimes they come
after it. You may find a definition of the new word in the sentence or paragraph. A
sentence might have a word that means the opposite of the new word (antonym), and
sometimes a synonym, or word that means the same thing as the new word, will give
you a clue.
She introduced some ways tousle context clues to find the meaning of a word, to wit:
1. Read the whole sentence. If you don't know the meaning of "amenities," skip over
it and read the rest of the sentence. Then look at the words around the new one and
try to make a connection. Here is an example George cared little for social amenities,
and sometimes his unpleasant words and actions made people feel uncomfortable.

The words that come after the word "amenities" explain that the word means
unpleasant words and actions. Now read the whole sentence including the new word.

9


2. Read this sentence: They drove their bright new red vehicle to the park. You might
not know the word "vehicle," but the word "drove" is a clue that vehicle could mean
a car. In this sentence, the context clue comes before the new word. Read the sentence
again using the word "car" instead of "vehicle" to see if the word makes sense.
3. Read this sentence: He was always late; he just couldn't ever be punctual. The word
"late" is the opposite of the word "punctual." In this sentence, the clue to the meaning
of "punctual" is its opposite: "late."
4’ Read this sentence: The family needed to economize, but try as they would they
just couldn't save money. The word "save" in this sentence means the same thing as
"economize." Save is a synonym for economizing. Sometimes a synonym, or word
that means the same as the new word is a context clue that can help you figure out
the meaning of a new word.
Moreover, context clues are words or phrases that help students figure out the
meaning of unknown words they encounter while reading. Many new words are
learned this way in all types of texts. We have to draw upon what we already know
to determine what another word means. The ability to use context clues helps students
enhance their vocabularies and improves their comprehension, one of the main goals
of reading. There some activities to help students guess the meaning from context.
- Read a section of a textbook, novel or short magazine article aloud to the class.
Choose a couple of paragraphs that have words that your students probably do not
encounter every day.
- Choose two or three words as the targeted vocabulary words. Ask students to
concentrate on these words while you read the selection again.
- Look for definitions or restatements in the sentences preceding and following the

targeted word. These can usually be found in textbooks, which often state a technical
term, then follow with an explanation for example.
- Point out synonyms located near the targeted word. For example, read the following
sentences: "The man was bewildered by his son's actions. He could not understand
why the boy was acting like this." The phrase, "could not understand," is a synonym
for the vocabulary word, "bewildered."
10


- Tell students to use other clues in the texts for clues. Encourage beginning readers
to look at pictures in the book, which often depict the action being expressed by the
vocabulary word. Remind older students to look at prefixes and suffixes of unknown
words. Just knowing that the prefix "un-" means "not" can help them determine what
the word is conveying even if they do not know the precise definition.
Margo Dill (20011) gave some activities on context clues for Middle School. Many
standardized tests for middle school students include questions that require the use of
context clues to define words. Once you have taught students how to look for context
clues while reading, they will need to practice this skill throughout the school year.
You can use games and activities with vocabulary words from novels, science
textbooks or history books.
Context Clue Game. One way to teach middle school students context clue
skills is to turn the lesson into a game. Write a list of 10 to 15 vocabulary words on
the chalkboard along with page numbers where the words appear in novels or
textbooks. Students must define the word correctly in the context used in the text and
without using a dictionary, thesaurus or other tools. Students can work on their own
or in teams, depending on your preference. For each correct definition, students
receive one point. The students or teams with the most points go on to a bonus round.
For the bonus round, write a word on the board with a page number. The first student
or team to find it in the text and define it correctly is the winner.

2.1.3. Types of Context Clues:
There are several different types of context clues. I only mention these five
common types of context clues. Think about what information in the sentence is
useful and what is not. Working with your partner, see if you can come up with
different examples for at least two of the types.

Definition–the word is defined directly and clearly in the sentence in which it
appears. Clues to definition include “that is,” commas, dashes, and parentheses.
11


Examples:
1. His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like appearance, was frightening to see.
“Skeleton-like appearance” is the definition of “emaciation.”
2. Fluoroscopy, examination with a fluoroscope, has become a common practice.
The commas before and after “examination with a fluoroscope” point out the
definition of “fluoroscopy.”
3. The dudeen – a short-stemmed clay pipe – is found in Irish folk tales.
The dashes setting off “a short-stemmed clay pipe” point out the definition of
“dudeen.”
Antonym (or contrast)–often signaled by the words
Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. An opposite meaning context clue
contrasts the meaning of an unfamiliar word with the meaning of a familiar term.
Words like “although,” “however,” whereas,unlike, orasopposed to. and “but” may
signal contrast clues.
Examples:
1. When the light brightens, the pupils of the eyes contract; however, when it grows
darker, they dilate.
“Dilate” means the opposite of “contract.”
2. The children were as different as day and night. He was a lively conversationalist,

but she was reserved and taciturn.
“Taciturn” means the opposite of a “lively conversationalist.”
Synonym (or restatement)–other words are used in the sentence with similar
meanings.
1. Flooded with spotlights – the focus of all attention – the new Miss America began
her year-long reign. She was the cynosure of all eyes for the rest of the evening.
“Cynosure” means “the focus of all attention.”
2. The mountain pass was a tortuous road, winding and twisting like a snake around
the trees of the mountainside.
“Tortuous” means “winding and twisting.”
EXAMPLE CLUES
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Sometimes when a reader finds a new word, an example might be found nearby that
helps to explain its meaning. Words like including, such as, and for example, point
out example clues.
Examples:
1. Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder, salmon, and trout, live in the coldest parts of
the ocean.
“Piscatorial” obviously refers to fish.
2. Celestial bodies, including the sun, moon, and stars, have fascinated man through the
centuries.
“Celestial” objects are those in the sky or heavens.
Inference–word meanings are not directly described but need to be inferred fromthe
context.
Example:
She told her friend, “I’m through with blind dates forever. What a dull evening! I was
bored every minute. The conversation was absolutely vapid.”
1. “Vapid” means “uninteresting.”

2. “Walt’s pugnacious behavior made his opponent back down.”
3. “The man gigged the large fish, but he needed his friend to enlarge the hole to drag
it out of the frigid water.”

Types of

What To Look

Context Clues

For

Definition

A definition in
the
sentence

Signal Words

Is, are, is called,
means, or

Examples of Signal
Sentences
Brick made of sundried clay is called
adobe.

Signal
punctuation: Set

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The Native Americans
used adobe, or


off by commas

bricks made of sundried clay, to build
their homes.

Also, as, like,

same, similarly,
Synonym

The Zuni built their
homes with brick
made of sun-dried
clay. The Hopi also

A word with a
meaning that is
similar to the

used adobe to build

too

their homes.

meaning of the
unknown word
Antonym

A word or
phrase

But, however, in

that means the

contrast, on the

opposite of the

other hand,

unknown word

although, unlike

Several
Example

The Hopi lived in
single-family houses,
but the Iroquois lived
in longhouses.

The

examples

Such as, for

in a list

example, for
instance, like,
including

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Pueblo people

grew many crops
such as corn, beans,
and squash.


“Walt’s pugnacious

word meanings
Interfere

behavior made his

are not directly

opponent back

described

down.”

Some Games:
There are a lot of games but in this study, I just to mention a few typical games that
help students memorize words more easily in their lessons.
Clap the board
The goal is to help students review words and remember words. This game can also
help teachers check and moderate pronunciation and the meaning of words for
students and match the periods with many words and words with many abstract
meanings. In addition, it is easy to implement in most teaching periods to create an
exciting and exciting class atmosphere.
Matching:
- The purpose of helping students revise from combining new words with definitions,
semantics or through pictures to save time in word teaching.
- Depending on the purpose of each word, teachers can design activities accordingly.
It can be a combination of words with definitions in terms of abstract words or a
combination of words with Vietnamese meanings for a word with an unexplainable
word, or a picture when the words need to be intuitive but it is difficult to substitute.
Networks
- The purpose of this game is to help students revise the vocabulary system. according
to the topic learned.
- The teacher writes the topic on the board.
- Students work individually or in pairs, the group finds information about the given
topic.
Chain game

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