Inside/Outside/Outside

This strategy helps students use information found within a word (e.g., affixes, roots) as well as context clues to determine its meaning while reading. Context clues include definitions, examples, synonyms, or signal words in the sentence or paragraph around a word that help students infer the word’s meaning. The Inside/Outside/Outside strategy helps students learn to define words without solely relying on dictionaries.

HANDOUTS and RESOURCES:

Slideshow Example

PREPARATION:

Before students engage in this activity, make sure that the purpose for reading has been clarified and students have conducted a “first read” to become familiar with the text.

STEPS

IDENTIFY UNFAMILIAR WORDS: After the first read, ask students to return to the text to identify words that are unfamiliar to them. They can highlight or circle these words.
TEACH & MODEL STRATEGY: Model for students how to use the Inside/Outside/Outside strategy to develop their understanding of unfamiliar words.
1. 1. - INSIDE: Students first practice “inside the word” strategies, including examining word parts, such as prefixes, suffixes, roots, bases, cognates, and word families.
    - OUTSIDE: If students need further clarification, they explore “outside the word” for context clues. Based on the context clues in the sentence or paragraph, students make an educated guess about what the word means.
    - OUTSIDE: If the word or phrase is still impeding students’ comprehension, as a final step, students search “outside the text” again using additional resources, such as dictionaries, thesauri, glossaries, or the internet, to figure out the meaning of the word.
REINFORCE: Reinforce the importance of employing the first inside/outside vocabulary strategies before seeking definitions from outside sources.
MODEL HOW TO USE OUTSIDE RESOURCES: If necessary, model how to use outside resources effectively to find a definition.

VARIATION:

Students can annotate their copy of the text with their definitions for unfamiliar words.

EXTENSION:

Create a community word bank on a poster or bulletin board in the classroom where students can add unfamiliar words as they encounter them in texts.

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