MAP 5th Grade Reading

MAP 5th Grade Reading helps students build strong reading skills, understand complex texts, and apply reading strategies for success in school and life.

Basic Concepts

Understanding Vocabulary in Context

Learning New Words While Reading

You won’t always know every word you see. Understanding vocabulary in context helps you figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words using the rest of the sentence or paragraph.

Strategies for Vocabulary in Context

  • Look for definitions or explanations nearby.
  • Find examples or synonyms in the text.
  • Break the word into parts you know.

Why It’s Helpful

When you understand new words, you get more out of your reading and become a stronger reader!

Try It Out

When you see a tricky word, check if the sentence gives you hints about its meaning. If a story says, "The dog was famished and searched for food," you might guess that "famished" means "very hungry."

Examples

  • Reading that a raccoon was 'nocturnal' and noticing it only comes out at night helps you guess 'nocturnal' means 'active at night.'

  • If someone is described as 'generous' after giving away toys, you figure out it means 'kind and giving.'

In a Nutshell

Use the text around a word to guess what it means.

Key Terms

Context
The words and sentences around a word that help explain its meaning.
Synonym
A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.