Context Clues: Definitions and Restatements

Clues that tell you the meaning outright (is, means, that is, or, set off by commas or dashes).

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 17

Welcome to the Meaning Maze! When you hit a word you don't know, don't turn back. The words around it can show you the way.
Sometimes a writer just tells you. A definition clue uses words like is or means. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants.
A restatement clue says the meaning again in other words. Watch for or, that is, commas, and dashes. The hikers were exhausted, or very tired.
The lake was tranquil, calm and still. The dashes around calm and still tell you what tranquil means.
Here's a sentence. Find the clue for apprehensive.
Did you see it? That is, worried. Apprehensive means worried!

Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards:

4.L.V.3.a — Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) to determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple- meaning words and phrases. (I)
4.P.EICC.3.g — Determine the meanings of unfamiliar words and concepts by applying knowledge of context and of academic vocabulary and word parts. (I)