Course Sample for Our Research Skills for 7th Grade Homeschool Language Arts Course

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Dictionary Skills

What do the letters ZIP in ZIP code stand for?
What does it mean to be obstreperous?
Is the correct spelling harangue or harange?

Where might you find the answers to these questions, besides Google?

A dictionary! Dictionaries are full of interesting, amazing, and helpful information. When you are doing research, a dictionary is most helpful in finding the meaning of a word, the use of a word is used, and the spelling of a word.

Let’s begin with a refresher about dictionaries. All dictionaries, whether in English or a foreign language, have the same basic format. A very important key to dictionary use is looking at the guide words. Do you remember what guide words are? Guide words are words in the dictionary used to locate other words alphabetically. Look in the dictionary and note the guide words at the top of each page.

Now that we remember the purpose of guide words, let’s use them to complete this task. If that seemed a bit easy, try this worksheet.

The dictionary can also be used to assist you in knowing how a word is used. Take, for example, the word “sit” Looking in your dictionary, you will notice “sit” has many different meanings and uses. In all dictionaries, after the word, you can find the pronunciation and the type of word. Looking again at “sit,” you can see it is most often a verb but can also be used as a noun. Other times, you may be looking to use a word that is a homophone. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings. On your own, list some words that sound alike, then look them up in the dictionary and write down their meanings. Or complete this worksheet.

While your first thought may be to ask a parent or use spell check when it comes to spelling an unfamiliar, there are times when those are not options. Remember those cool things called guide words? Those are your secret key to looking up a word for proper spelling. Not sure you found the correct word? Read the definition! Let’s try with a few intentionally misspelled words: hipocorism (using pet names, baby talk between grownups), codswelllup (nonsense, drivel), and gargentuan (gigantic).

As you can see, the dictionary is an essential tool when researching and writing. Whether finding the meaning of a word you have read, learning how to use a word, or mastering the spelling of a word, the dictionary is your one-stop shop!