The document discusses strategies for determining the meaning of difficult words when reading. It provides 6 strategies: 1) look at surrounding words, 2) identify synonyms, 3) identify antonyms, 4) analyze words in lists, 5) look for clues in passages, and 6) identify similar-sounding words like homonyms and homophones. Examples are given to illustrate each strategy, such as using context clues, synonyms like "little-small-tiny", and homonyms like "to-too-two". The overall goal is to help readers understand unfamiliar words without interrupting the flow of reading.

1. Figuring Out
Difficult Words
Oklahoma 4th Grade PASS Obj 1.3

2. There are probably times when you are reading where
you come across words that are difficult...
You can still be a good reader even though you don’t
know every word!

3. Reading Strategy #1
Look at the words around the word you don’t know.
Sometimes you can go back and find words in the group of
words (phrase) that will help you understand the meaning of
the word.

4. Reading Strategy #2
Look for words with similar meanings.
Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings.

5. Synonyms
little - small - tiny
big - huge - large
talk - converse - discuss

6. Reading Strategy #3
Look for words with opposite meanings.
Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning.
Sometimes a passage will give you a clue to the opposite
meaning of a word.

7. Antonyms
big - small
tall - short

8. Reading Strategy #4
Look at the meanings of words in a list.
If there is a word in a list that you don’t know, it will often
be related to the rest of the words in the list.

9. Words in a List
robin, cardinal, bald eagle, avocet
What is an avocet?

10. Words in a List
rose, daisy, dahlia, sunflower
What is a dahlia?

11. Reading Strategy #5
Sometimes you have to look for hidden clues in a
passage to find out what a word means (Read pg 26)

12. Reading Strategy #6
Look out for words that are like other words.
The English language is tricky because we have many
words that have multiple meanings. These are called
homonyms.

13. Homonyms
Homonyms are words that are spelled the same and
pronounced the same, but have different meanings.

14. Common Homonyms
Word Meaning
address place where someone lives, to speak
book a written work, to reserve
present a gift, in attendance
trip a vacation, to fall

15. Homophones
These are words that sound the same, but are spelled
different and have different meanings
to - too - two

16. Common Homophones
Word Meaning
ate, eight past tense of eat, the number
its, it’s possessive form of it, contraction of it is
sea, see body of water, to look at
their, there, they’re possessive form of they, a place, contraction of they are