View Content #28514

by TIgre Lusardi, CASLS Graduate Intern

This activity was designed to guide learners in using context clues to understand the meaning of an unknown word they encounter while speaking or signing. It was designed for learners of all proficiency levels. 

Learning outcomes:
Learners will be able to:

• Identify the context of the sentence, context of the subject of the conversation, and context of the relationship between speakers
• Brainstorm possible meanings for an unknown word using three kinds of contexts.

Mode(s): Interpersonal

Materials: Use Context to Guess Meaning: A Strategy for Speaking and Signing (video)

Procedure:

1. Ask learners to think of a conversation where someone said or signed a word they didn’t know. Ask them to explain the times in which they were able to explain what that word meant. 
2. Next, write an example sentence on the board, using a nonsense word or symbol for the word they’ll need to guess. For example, “I like to watch XXXX at the cinema,” where XXXX can mean movies or films. Ask them to guess the unknown word, and then ask them to explain what clues they used to make that guess. 
3. Next, show learners Use Context to Guess Meaning: A Strategy for Speaking and Signing. Ask learners to name the three types of contexts mentioned in the video (sentence meaning, topic of the conversation, and relationship between speakers). Write these three contexts on the board or in a shared digital collaboration space like jamboard.
4. As a group, have students compare their brainstormed strategies with the three contexts from the video. What similarities and differences do they see between their strategies and those from the video?
5. Next, divide learners into smaller groups and assign each group one of the three contexts. Ask learners to brainstorm at least three ideas for what information they would need to notice in their context to be able to guess the meaning of a new or unknown word. This could be, for example, other words or grammar features, intonation or gesture (for context of a sentence), what was said in a previous sentence or related topics (for context of the conversation), and what relationship the speakers have to each other and/or what they usually talk or sign about (for context of the relationship).
6. Have each small group present their brainstormed information to the larger group. As they present, tie their ideas back to the specific context they are working with. For example, you could point out the context of the sentence a learner has just said, the context of the brainstorm/presentations, and the context of relationship between learners and instructors, etc.
7. Ask learners to write a reflection of the following questions, based on the brainstorm from steps 5 and 6:

• When would you rely on other words or grammar features, intonation or gesture for clues about an unknown word?
• When would you use what was said in a previous sentence for clues about an unknown word?
• When would you use the relationship the speakers have to each other and/or what they usually talk or sign about for clues about an unknown word?

Notes:

• If more visual input is needed to support learners’ understanding of what the three contexts are, one could use the three situations used in the video to illustrate the three contexts. Show each of the three scenes and have learners use the scene for their context to guide their brainstorming during Step 4. 
• If using this video and activity for self study, the group brainstorming (Step 5) and answering reflection questions (Step 7) could be done on one’s own in a journaling format.