Pokémon Reading Comprehension: Context Clues

Context clues can be used to to help students learn the meaning of new vocabulary words. Vocabulary is essential for good reading comprehension. Nobody can learn EVERY word they will come across in their reading, and traditional methods like drilling vocabulary words and memorizing long lists of words are ineffective approaches.

Using context clues is a skill that will help their reading in Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

We will read sentences about Pokemon adventures and use context clues to identify new words.

I will begin the presentation by defining "context clues" and then give a brief presentation on using the following process to use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. 

1.	Stop and reread the sentence. Pay attention to the words that come before and after the unfamiliar word.
2.	Identify context clues. What clues can you gather to help you determine the word’s meaning?
3.	Make an educated guess about the word’s meaning.
4.	Check your guess in context. Read the sentence again, substituting your definition for the unknown word. Does it make sense?

Then practice with examples like:
After Charizard attacks with a Blast, be aware of potential HAZARDS, such as broken glass and sharp objects.

We will look at the "after words" - glass and sharp objects - to figure out the definition of hazards.

There will be many more practice sentences like that during the presentation all related to Pokemon. 

Pokemon fanatics will be invited to share one related object during introductions - their favorite card, plush, drawing etc. They can also just name their favorite Pokemon. 
I will allow a limited amount of Pokemon talk during the lesson to keep things fun and learners engaged, but will guide things back to he task at hand when needed. 

This is a great skill for kids needing to strengthen their reading skills AND strong readers who are moving on to more complicated texts and encountering advanced vocabulary (like in a science article).

There will be fun Pokémon facts and trivia throughout the presentation. This will keep Pokémon aficionados engaged and excited.