Context Clues
Speaking rudely to the judges was rash behavior. You really hurt your chances of winning!
In the above context, what does “rash” mean?
a. an itchy skin condition, b. funny, c. trying to hide or disguise a piece of cheese, or d. with little thought or consideration
What is ... d. with little thought or consideration?
Crack! Thunder struck and rain poured. Max stared blankly out the window, trying to contain his emotions that raged like the weather. He was beginning to lose it. Dropping the kite from his hand, Max broke out into full sobs. His mother comforted him, “There, there, Max. We’ll just find something else to do.” She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich. Max snapped, “I don’t wanna sand-mich!” A flash from the sky lit up the living room. Boom! Mom sighed.
Based on the passage, why is Max upset?
What is ... it is raining, and he cannot go outside to play?
Synonym means ...
What is ... a word having the same meaning as another word?
Poison ivy and poison oak are woody plants that grow in almost any habitat and are very similar in appearance. Both poison oak and poison ivy have berrylike fruit and brown stems. But poison ivy acts more like a vine than a bush and can grow high in trees. The fruit of poison ivy is gray and smooth. On the other hand, poison oak acts more like a bush than a vine. The fruit of poison oak is hairy instead of smooth.
How are poison ivy and poison oak different?
What is ... Poison ivy has smooth fruit & poison oak has hairy fruit?
Name the figurative language: "The stars danced in the night."
What is ... personification?
Some people are always bashing the president just like others bashed the one before him. Wouldn't you think that everyone could find something to praise him for, at least once in a while?
What does “bashing” mean in the above selection?
a. hitting hard with a heavy tool, b. going to too many expensive parties, c. speaking or writing harshly about, or d. voting for a different candidate
What is ... c. speaking or writing harshly about?
“Tommy!” Mom called out as she walked in the front door. “Tommy,” she continued shouting, “I sure could use some help with these groceries. There was still no reply. Mom walked into the kitchen to put the grocery bags down on the counter when she noticed shattered glass from the picture window all over the living room floor and a baseball not far from there. “I’m going to kill you, Tommy!” Mom yelled to herself as she realized that Tommy’s shoes were gone.
Based on the passage, what happened to the window?
What is ... Tommy broke the window playing baseball?
What is an antonym for the word sad?
What is ... happy, glad, delighted, joyful?
What graphic organizer is used to compare and contrast two or more groups of things by visually displaying their similarities and differences?
What is ... A Venn Diagram?
Name the figurative language: "The slithering snake stalked the small children."
What is ... alliteration?
Removing seeds from cotton plants was a slow job until Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.
What is a cotton gin?
a. a drink, b. a book, c. a machine, or d. a cloth
What is ... c. a machine?
Today was a special day in Ms. Smith’s class. Some of the children were walking around the room, some of them were standing in small groups, and some of them were at their desks, putting finishing touches on cardboard mailboxes. After coloring a cool flame on the side of his racecar mailbox, Johnny hopped off his chair, strutted over to Veronica’s desk, and dropped a small white envelope into her princess castle mailbox. Veronica blushed and played with her hair. While this was happening, Bartleby was frantically trying to put a small white envelope into everyone’s mailbox. After giving one to Ms. Smith, Bartleby pulled out a medium-sized red envelope from his pocket. He blushed and tried to put it in Veronica’s mailbox, but it wouldn’t quite fit. Bartleby struggled with it for a few seconds and then ran off with the envelope. Veronica rolled her eyes and popped her gum.
Based on the passage, what holiday is being celebrated?
What is ... Valentine's Day?
Antonym means ...
What is ... A word having the opposite meaning of another word?
What does it mean to compare?
What is ... to tell how two or more things are the same?
Name the figurative language: "The rabbit was as slow as a sloth."
What is ... simile?
As the summer sun sent scattered rays through the maple and oak leaves overhead, the young deer stood frozen, making it almost impossible for the hikers to see her.
In the above passage, the word “frozen” means _______.
a. very cold, b. visible, c. not moving, or d. not melted
What is ... c. not moving?
Kyle ran into his house, slamming the door behind him. He threw his book bag on the floor and plopped onto the couch. After six hours of playing Grand Larceny VII, he ate some pizza and fell asleep with a slice on his stomach and his feet on his book bag. When Kyle came home from school the next day, he was noticeably distraught. He balled up his report card and placed it inside a soup can in the garbage. He then flipped the soup can upside down in the garbage can and arranged loose pieces of trash over it. As he plopped down on the couch, he let out a sigh and picked up his controller.
Based on the passage, why is Kyle distraught?
What is ... he probably has bad grades?
Jump and leap are _____.
What are ... synonyms?
My brother flew down before Christmas and it was really nice to see him. We went to Universal Studios while he was here.
What is different about my brother and I?
What is ... we don't live in the same city?
Name the figurative language: "Johnny is feeling under the weather."
What is ... idiom?
No matter where you go, the Internet is following you. Almost every portable device is being made with an Internet connection. Most new TVs and many other appliances come with Internet connections as well. The Internet is truly ubiquitous.
If something is ubiquitous, __________.
a. it is fuzzy and will bite you, b. it is everywhere, c. it costs too much money, or d. it causes rashes
What is ... b. it is everywhere?
Cassie rolled over in her bed as she felt the sunlight hit her face. The beams were warming the back of her neck when she slowly realized that it was a Thursday, and she felt a little too good for a Thursday. Struggling to open her eyes, she looked up at the clock. “9:48,” she shouted, “Holy cow!” Cassie jumped out of bed, threw on the first outfit that she grabbed, brushed her teeth in two swipes, threw her books into her backpack, and then ran out the door.
Based on the passage, what problem is Cassie having?
What is ... she is late for school?
What is a synonym for the word nice?
What is ... kind, friendly, polite?
Mr. and Mrs. Badger want to take their three children on vacation. Mr. Badger wants to go to the mountains because the family can camp out and hike across the hills. Mrs. Badger wants to go to the beach so they can all go swimming and also relax on the sand.
How are Mr. and Mrs. Badger the same?
What is ... they both want to take their three children on vacation?
Name the figurative language: "The bee buzzed around my head."
What is ... onomatopoeia?