Use Dictionaries to Clarify Word Meanings
Help Questions
2nd Grade Writing › Use Dictionaries to Clarify Word Meanings
Sofia reads “The dragon was enormous.” What should she do to find what enormous means?
Stop reading because the word is hard
Guess what it means and do not check
Look up enormous in a dictionary and read the definition
Explanation
This tests using dictionaries. Sofia should look up enormous in a dictionary. The dictionary will tell her it means very big.
Maya reads “harsh climate” and feels confused; where should she look for meaning?
Ask a friend how to spell climate and write it down.
Look up climate in the book’s glossary and read the definition.
Sound out climate and keep reading without checking its meaning.
Explanation
This tests using reference books. The glossary has word meanings. Maya should look there to understand climate.
Yuki reads “The turtle moved at a gradual pace.” What should she do to learn gradual’s meaning?
Look up gradual in a dictionary and read the definition
Look up gradual to see how many letters it has
Skip gradual and just look at the pictures
Explanation
We use dictionaries to understand new words. Yuki should look up gradual in a dictionary to find its meaning. The dictionary will tell her gradual means slow or little by little.
Maya reads “The desert climate is hot.” How can she learn climate’s meaning?
Use the dictionary to check how to spell climate
Skip the word and keep reading
Look up climate in the glossary and read the definition
Explanation
This tests using dictionaries to find word meanings. Maya should look up 'climate' in the glossary to learn what it means. The glossary has definitions for hard words in the book.
Amir reads “Please observe the ants.” Amir doesn’t know observe. How can he learn it?
Stop reading because the word is new
Guess the meaning and do not check
Look up observe in the dictionary and read the definition
Explanation
This tests using dictionaries for new words. Amir should look up 'observe' in the dictionary. The dictionary will tell him it means to watch carefully.
Keisha reads “A shelter keeps you safe.” Keisha doesn’t know shelter. What should she do?
Look up shelter to copy the word neatly
Look up shelter in the glossary and read the definition
Keep reading and hope it makes sense later
Explanation
This tests using glossaries to understand words. Keisha should look up 'shelter' in the glossary. The glossary will explain it's a place that protects you.
Marcus reads “She swung the bat.” He knows bat is an animal. How can Marcus learn bat’s meaning here?
Use the animal meaning because it is the only one
Skip the sentence and start a new book
Look up bat in the dictionary and choose the definition that fits
Explanation
This tests finding the right meaning for words. Marcus should look up 'bat' in the dictionary. He needs to pick the sports meaning, not the animal one.
Emma reads “The rabbit ran to its habitat.” Where should Emma look to understand habitat?
Look up habitat in the dictionary and read the meaning
Ask three classmates what habitat means
Guess the meaning and never check
Explanation
This tests where to find word meanings. Emma should look up 'habitat' in the dictionary. The dictionary will tell her it means an animal's home.
Jamal reads “A fox is a predator.” What should Jamal do to find out what predator means?
Skip predator and just look at the pictures
Look up predator in the glossary and read the definition
Look up predator to see how many syllables it has
Explanation
This tests using glossaries for word meanings. Jamal should look up 'predator' in the glossary. The glossary will explain that predators hunt other animals.
Sofia writes “The dog is enormous.” How can she learn the meaning of enormous?
Stop writing because the word is hard
Look up enormous in the dictionary and read what it means
Look at only the first letter and guess the meaning
Explanation
This tests finding word meanings in dictionaries. Sofia should look up 'enormous' in the dictionary. The dictionary will show her it means very big.