Canyon and Context

This vocabulary-focused reading worksheet is designed for students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 to strengthen word-learning strategies, inferential thinking, and comprehension. Students read a short narrative titled Lost in the Canyon and use context clues from surrounding sentences to determine the meanings of bolded words such as formidable and ingenuity. A reflection question encourages learners to think critically about why the author selected specific words and how those choices shape tone and mood.

Learning Goals

• Vocabulary Acquisition & Use (Grades 6-8)
  Students determine word meanings using context rather than relying on definitions alone.
• Using Context Clues
  Learners analyze sentence clues-such as description, contrast, and inference-to define unfamiliar words.
• Analyzing Word Choice & Mood
  Students examine how precise vocabulary contributes to tension, tone, and atmosphere.
• Reading Comprehension & Inference
  The activity supports deeper understanding of narrative meaning through language analysis.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with middle school ELA vocabulary and comprehension standards.
• Explicit Strategy Practice
  Reinforces transferable skills for decoding unfamiliar words in any text.
• Engaging Narrative Context
  The canyon survival setting provides rich descriptive clues.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for vocabulary units, close-reading lessons, literacy centers, or assessment.

This printable worksheet gives students meaningful practice with using context clues to unlock challenging vocabulary while also reflecting on author’s word choice and mood. By connecting meaning, tone, and language, learners strengthen vocabulary growth, inferential reasoning, and overall reading comprehension. Suitable for classroom instruction or homeschool use, this no-prep resource supports confident, strategic readers.

This worksheet is part of our Grade 6 Reading Comprehension collection.