Word Analysis and Vocabulary Development – Students understand relationships between words and can use component structures and clues from context to decipher word meaning.

Skills and Concepts

RIT Scores below 150

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• Associate single words with pictures
• Recognize initial consonant h/p
• Recognize short vowels a/o
• Recognize plurals
• Recognize basic sight words

New Vocabulary: picture, word, ending sound, match, find

RIT Scores between 151 and 160

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• Use context to find the meaning of an unfamiliar word using simple vocabulary
• Use context to find a missing word in a simple sentence
• Make inferences from context
• Define multiple words with multiple association
• Recognize beginning sounds ch/cl/c/s
• Match a picture with a sentence
• Use context to determine which of 4 words means the same as underlined word in sentence (synonym)

• Demonstrate acquisition of basic vocabulary

Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms

• Recognize word pairs with similar meanings

Word Components

• Identify the correct prefix (un-, dis-, in-, con-) to use with simple base words
• Recognize the correct use of the plural “s” ending
• Know the two word meanings of simple contractions, such as “it’s = it is”
• Match upper and lower case letters

New Vocabulary: missing word, prefix, choose, sentence

RIT Scores between 161 and 170

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• Use context to find the meaning of an unfamiliar word in short sentences
• Use context to find a missing word in simple and compound sentences
• Use context to find multiple meanings when given a word list
• Use word context to define evaluative meaning
• Recognize short vowels a/i
• Recognize ending sounds n/t
• Use a picture to identify a word or sentence
• Use context to find the opposite meaning of a word
• Use word endings -et, -er, -le, -e to find word meaning

Multiple Meanings

• Use multiple meanings to define simple words

Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms

• Find the opposite meaning of simple words
• Identify simple homonyms
• Recognize the correct usage of simple homonyms

• Recognize word pairs with similar meanings in longer sentences

Word Components

• Use picture clues to form simple compound words
• Identify compound words
• Find the root word
• Recognize when to change y to I and add ending
• Identify the correct usage of prefixes (non-, un-, dis-, re-) with the same base word
• Know the meaning of the prefix “un”
• Identify the correct suffix or prefix to use with the same base word (-less, -ful, -ing, -er)
• Know the meaning of the suffix “-er”
• Know the two word meanings of simple contractions such as “you’re = you are
• Recognize vowel digraphs ew, eu, oi, ey
• Recognize beginning sounds cr, bl, kn
• Identify simple rhyming words
• Combine simple word family endings with beginning sounds to form words
• Put upper case letters in alphabetical order

New Vocabulary: compound word, opposite, poem, rhyme, root or base word, vowel, letter, story

RIT Scores between 171 and 180

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• Use context through complex sentences and phrases to find the meaning of an unfamiliar word
• Use context and inference to find a missing word
• Use context to find the meaning of idiomatic phrases
• Use context to find meaning of compound words
• Recognize beginning blends gr/ fr/ sc
• Recognize medial vowel sounds ow/ short i, -ed ending
• Use a picture to identify a word
• Use context to determine which of 4 words means the same as underlined word from paragraph of 20-30 words
• Choose the compound word that is missing in a sentence
• Use context to find the opposite meaning of a word

• Demonstrate acquisition of more specific vocabulary

Multiple Meanings

• Understand the correct meaning of a word that can have multiple meanings
• Use context to understand multiple meanings within a passage

Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms

• Find the opposite meaning of a word
• Recognize pairs of word opposites

• Recognize word pairs with similar meanings in complex sentences and paragraphs

Word Components

• Know the meaning of simple compound words
• Find the root word when used with simple prefixes and suffixes
• Identify the correct usage of prefixes: un-, con-, dis-, in-, extra-, over-, re-, trans-, pre-, de-
• Know the meaning of prefixes: dis-, un-, re-
• Identify the correct usage of suffixes: -er, -less, -ful, -ary, -able, -y
• Know the meaning of suffixes: -er, -less, -ful, -ary, -able, -y
• Know the correct usage of comparative suffixes: -er, -est
• Recognize which letters are vowels
• Match the words in phrases and simple sentences
• Put words in alphabetical order
• Recognize one-syllable rhyming words

New Vocabulary: homonym, synonym, underlined, suffix, incomplete, paragraph, passage

RIT Scores between 181 and 190

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• Find a sentence which does not use a multiple meaning word correctly
• Use context to determine the meaning of a word in a paragraph
• Choose which of four sentences best expresses the meaning of idiomatic expression
• Find the synonym for the word underlined in sentence

• Demonstrate knowledge of increased vocabulary within the context of a sentence or paragraph

Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms

• Identify the word which is opposite of a given word
• Identify words that are not antonyms (Term is defined in question. Identify the antonym in context.)

• Find the pairs of 2 and 3 syllable words that sound alike

• Identify which two words are synonyms as defined in a multiple sentence question

Word Components

• Identify the root or base word in a multi-syllable word
• Find the word with the correct prefix in a complex sentence
• Identify word using correct suffix to complete sentence
• Identify the two words that make up a contraction
• Divide words into syllables

New Vocabulary: nonsense, antonym, directions, definition

RIT Scores between 191 and 200

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• Use context to determine meaning of specific word in paragraph of 30-60 words
• Identify which of four words is the defined synonym for underlined word in sentence
• Choose which of four definitions means the same as a compound word from paragraph of 30-60 words

• Know vocabulary with/ without context

Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms

• Given a sentence with a missing word, identify correct missing word from a list of homonyms

• Find pairs of words that are synonyms (defined in question)
• Find groups of words with meaning that is similar to a given word

Word Components

• Identify and/or form compound words
• Given a root word definition find word that means ______
• Given a prefix definition, identify the word meaning ______, with a variety of prefixes from which to choose
• Given the root meaning, identify word meaning______, with a variety of suffixes from which to choose
• Find the word that rhymes with a non-phonetic spelling
• Identify same ending sound within a list of several words
• Identify same ending sounds

New Vocabulary: similar to, alphabetical order, syllable

RIT Scores between 201 and 210

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• After reading a paragraph of 50-75 words, use context to determine meaning of a specific word in paragraph
• Given a complex sentence, determine which of four words is synonym (not defined) for underlined word

• Knowledge of vocabulary with or without context within a complex paragraph

Multiple Meanings

• Use context of an advertising passage to figure out a word that has multiple meanings

Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms

• Identify sentence which means the opposite in a paragraph of 50-75 words
• Choose word missing in the sentence when all choices are homonyms

Word Components

• Form multi-syllable compound words
• Identify base or root word in multi-syllable words
• Identify word that, with correct prefix, becomes its own antonym
• Identify suffix which will give new meaning to specified word

New Vocabulary: advertisement, magazine, article, recipe

RIT Scores between 211 and 220

Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary

• After reading a sentence with a paragraph of 75-100 words, use the context of the sentence to find the meaning of specific word
• After reading a story, find the word in the story which means about the same as underlined word

• Increased vocabulary within the story or passage

Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms

• Find words with opposite meanings within the context of a story or passage

New Vocabulary: label, selections, introduction

RIT Scores above 221

Items include same skills and content as above with more difficult vocabulary and extended thinking.