Following a typical developmental sequence, which strategy is expected of second graders when decoding and identifying unfamiliar words?

• A. Using context clues
• B. Memorizing the entire dictionary
• C. Identifying new word meanings through knowledge of familiar synonyms and antonyms
• D. Relying only on phonetic decoding

Answer: (C)

Second graders build understanding of new words by linking them to words they already know. When they bump into an unfamiliar term, they can use familiar synonyms or antonyms to infer meaning, even before they fully decode every sound. This approach helps grow both vocabulary and comprehension by comparing what the word means to meanings they’re confident about. For example, encountering a word like “enormous”, they might think of the synonym “huge” or notice that it is opposite of “tiny,” which signals that it means something very big. While decoding sounds and using context clues are also important, relying on relationships between known words is a natural and effective step at this age.