La Ceiba Bilingual School Skill Study Guide - I Quarter

Vocabulary study guide covering grammar, sentence structure, morphology, etymology, literary elements, context clues, and reading strategies for the Quarter Exam.

Parts of Speech

The eight grammatical categories—noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection—whose function depends on how a word is used in a sentence rather than the word alone.

Definition Context Clue

A context clue where the meaning of an unfamiliar word is directly explained in the surrounding text.

Synonym Context Clue

A context clue where a word or phrase with a similar meaning provides clarification for an unfamiliar word.

Antonym/Contrast Context Clue

A context clue where an opposite idea provides evidence to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

Example Context Clue

A context clue where specific instances clarify the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

Inference Context Clue

A context clue where the reader must combine several details and use logical reasoning to determine word meaning.

True Cognates

Words across languages that share related spelling and meaning (e.g., information/información).

False Cognates

Words across languages that look similar in spelling but have different meanings (e.g., embarrassed/embarazada, library/librería).

Tier II Academic Vocabulary

High-utility words across general academic contexts (such as analyze, accurate, maintain, significant, and plausible) whose meaning, part of speech, and contextual function must be mastered.

Character

A participant in a story.

Setting

The time and place of a story.

Conflict

The struggle or problem in a story.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere of a story.

Complete Subject

A sentence part that includes the main subject plus all of its modifiers.

Complete Predicate

A sentence part that includes the verb plus all words completing the thought.

Simple Subject

The main noun or pronoun in a sentence.

Simple Predicate

The main verb in a sentence.

Compound Subject

Two or more subjects that share a single predicate.

Compound Predicate

Two or more verbs that share a single subject.

Direct Object

The sentence part that receives the action of the verb, identified by asking 'verb + what?'.

Indirect Object

The sentence part that identifies to whom or for whom the action is performed, identified by asking 'to/for whom?'.

Prefix

An affix that comes before the base or root of a word (e.g., un-, re-, pre-, mis-, dis-, sub-, inter-, anti-).

Suffix

An affix that comes after the base or root of a word (e.g., -ness, -ful, -er, -ment, -able, -ian, -ly).

Root: bio

A root meaning life.

Root: geo

A root meaning earth.

Root: chron

A root meaning time.

Root: aud

A root meaning hear.

Root: spect

A root meaning see.

Root: port

A root meaning carry.

Root: phon

A root meaning sound.

Root: scrib/script

A root meaning write.

Etymology

The study of word origins and history, which provides clues to word meaning.

Summary

A reading comprehension synthesis that includes the central problem, major events, and resolution without unnecessary details.

5-Step Vocabulary Strategy

A systematic method for decoding words: 1. Read the whole sentence and nearby sentences; 2. Look for a definition, synonym, contrast, example, or inference clue; 3. Break the word into prefix + root/base + suffix; 4. Use etymology or a familiar cognate when appropriate; 5. Test your predicted meaning by replacing the word in the sentence.