Context Clues

Context clues are hints or definitions that a writer uses in the text to help the reader understand the meaning of new or unfamiliar words. These clues can appear within a sentence, a paragraph, or in other areas of a passage. Want to learn more about Context Clues? Here’s a refresher on the different types of context clues.

America’s First Laboratory in Space

Skylab was America’s first space station. The 169,950-pound station orbited Earth from 1973 to 1979. Astronauts lived aboard the station and conducted scientific experiments. They also studied the Sun using the station’s solar observatory. Skylab proved that it was possible for astronauts to spend extended periods in space. On May…

Before the Battle

In Stephen Crane’s novel, The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming is a young Union soldier in the Civil War. Before he enlisted, Henry had a romantic view of war. This passage takes place before Henry’s first battle as a soldier. —————————– However, he perceived now that it did not…

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

President Abraham Lincoln gave his most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, on November 19, 1863. At that time, the U.S. was in the middle of the Civil War. Lincoln gave the speech at the dedication of a cemetery for the soldiers who had died during the Battle of Gettysburg. ————————…

The Winged Monkeys

L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. It tells of the adventures of Dorothy, a Kansas farm girl. She is swept up by a cyclone to the magical land of Oz. In order to go home, the Wizard of Oz has told her she must kill…

Icarus

In this version of a Greek myth, Daedalus is a great builder employed by King Minos. He became famous for designing and building the Labyrinth of Crete which held the Minotaur, a great monster. —————————————– Daedalus was guilty of a deed which angered the king very greatly; and had not…

Sculptor Anne Seymour Damer Meets Napoleon

On May, 1, 1815, English sculptor Anne Seymour Damer stood in a room at the Palais Elysée in Paris. His Imperial Majesty Napoleon I had commanded her presence. Her appointment was at 10 a.m. She had been waiting two hours. Finally, a servant approached her. “Madam, please follow me.” The…

The Lullaby

For six years, Sebastian slept in his own room at the top of the stairs. It was a big room with slanted ceilings. The whole room was painted a cheerful shade of yellow, and it was a wonderful place to play, read and snuggle into blankets on a winter night.…

The Happy Home

In the book Peter Pan, Peter lives in the magical land of Neverland with his friends, the Lost Boys. Peter brings his new friends, Wendy, John, and Michael, to Neverland. Once she is in Neverland, Wendy becomes a “pretend” mother to all the boys. The group has many adventures, including…

Mike and the Magic Mirror

One day while playing in the garden, Mike found a very tiny toad. The toad was brown with a small green stripe on its side. Mike watched it hop along the ground and waited patiently. On its next jump, he held out his hands. Plop! The tiny toad landed on…

The Shadow

Peter Pan is the story of a boy who would not grow up. He lives in a faraway world called Neverland. Peter can fly. He often goes into London to look for adventures. In this passage, Peter, with his friend Tinker Bell the fairy, has entered the bedroom of the…