✦A small step for today
Read the whole sentence, look for clues, then check your guess.
Choose a text worth talking about
Let your child help choose a story, information book or short article. Read a paragraph together. If decoding takes all their attention, read part aloud so you can still discuss the ideas and interesting vocabulary.
Look beyond the unknown word
In ‘Nora was sociable: she greeted every visitor and started a conversation’, the actions give clues. Read the sentences before and after too. A clue supports a guess; it does not make every guess correct.
Check the meaning and reread
Use a dictionary, a reliable explanation or the word’s learning card to check. Reread the sentence with the meaning in mind. If the dictionary offers several meanings, choose the one that fits the passage, rather than automatically taking the first.
Take one word out of the story
Ask for a different sentence or compare the character with someone else. Later, look for the word in another book. This helps you see whether your child understands the idea outside the original passage.
Try this together
Read our original mini-story: ‘The park offered a peaceful environment. A sociable boy waved us over to the bench adjacent to the pond.’ Identify the clues for sociable and adjacent.
See an example answer
Waving people over suggests enjoying company. The bench’s position next to the pond explains adjacent. Ask your child to describe a different environment.
Words in action
environment
Meaning
The surroundings or conditions in which someone lives or works.
Example
“The quiet classroom provided a calm environment for reading.”
adjacent
Meaning
Next to something.
Example
“The library is adjacent to the school, next door.”
sociable
Meaning
Enjoying meeting and spending time with other people.
Example
“The sociable girl invited the new pupil to join the game.”
Audio uses your device’s English speech voice. Voice availability and pronunciation vary by device.
A quick check
Further reading
Independent background resources; our activities and examples are original. These organisations do not endorse 11plusVocab.
