Worksheet

Fundraiser Emails: Read the Clues

Students use context and sentence structure to determine word meanings in emails planning a mini-golf fundraiser.

Grade 6ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.6.4.a

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What’s included

Single worksheet
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1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
13 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 6
Subject: ELA
Question types: Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students infer word meanings from explanations, contrasts, and examples in context.
Students use a word's position and function in a sentence to determine its meaning.

How to use

Have students read the emails independently and mark useful context clues. Discuss how sentence meaning and word function support their answers.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.6.4.a

Use context, such as the meaning of the whole sentence or a word's position or function, as a clue to what a word means.

Preview

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Name Date

Fundraiser Emails: Read the Clues

Use sentence meaning and word function to understand unfamiliar words.

Read and Infer

Read the emails. Choose meanings that fit the words as they are used, not just meanings you already know.

Planning the Putting Course

1To: Dalia | From: Kenji | Subject: Mini-golf fundraiser plans

2Our plan for Friday is tentative. We have sketched six mini-golf holes, but the activities director has not approved our use of the recreation room. We should wait for her reply before announcing a location. Meanwhile, we can test the cardboard ramps in an empty classroom.

3I think the course is feasible: we can borrow putters, reuse cardboard, and finish construction during our two remaining meetings. My concern is the narrow entrance. If every player stops there to pay, it could become a bottleneck, with people crowded together and unable to move forward. Let's collect payments at a table farther inside.

4Could you reserve the folding tables before another club requests them? A modest ticket price—low enough for students with limited spending money—should encourage participation. We could also waive the fee for volunteers; they would enter without paying after completing their shifts.

5To: Kenji | From: Dalia | Subject: Re: Mini-golf fundraiser plans

6The director approved the room this morning! I added a fifteen-minute buffer between setup and opening so we can handle small delays without starting late. I also made the entrance sign conspicuous by using large black letters on bright yellow paper. Players should spot it immediately, even from across the hallway.

7We should keep a cash reserve for unexpected expenses rather than spend every dollar on decorations. After we pay our costs, any surplus—the money left over—will go toward new equipment for the after-school program. Before making that donation, let's reconcile our records: compare the ticket list with the cash total and investigate any differences.

8Please be candid about the ramp I built. If its steep slope makes the hole frustrating, tell me directly instead of saying it looks fine. We still have time to adjust it. I'll bring the materials Thursday, and we can ask two classmates to test the revised course.

In paragraph 2, what does tentative mean?

A. ready to announce publicly
B. not yet firmly decided
C. difficult to explain clearly
D. too expensive to continue

Underline the sentence from paragraph 2 that best explains why tentative means “not yet firmly decided.”

Our plan for Friday is tentative.We have sketched six mini-golf holes, but the activities director has not approved our use of the recreation room.We should wait for her reply before announcing a location.Meanwhile, we can test the cardboard ramps in an empty classroom.

In paragraph 3, the available supplies and remaining meeting time suggest that feasible means:

A. possible to carry out.
B. approved by an adult.
C. likely to attract attention.
D. unusual in its design.

Which phrase in paragraph 3 most directly explains the meaning of bottleneck?

A. “borrow putters, reuse cardboard, and finish construction”
B. “collect payments at a table farther inside”
C. “people crowded together and unable to move forward”
D. “during our two remaining meetings”

Read the sentence from paragraph 4: “Could you reserve the folding tables before another club requests them?” Which meaning fits reserve in this sentence?

A. arrange to have something available later
B. repair something that has been damaged
C. inspect something before it is used
D. return something that was borrowed

Modest can describe someone who does not boast. Why does it instead mean “relatively low” in paragraph 4?

A. It describes the tables, which another club might request.
B. It describes the ticket price, which students should afford.
C. It describes the volunteers, who are helping without praise.
D. It describes the course, which uses borrowed equipment.

Check Meaning and Function

Return to the emails as needed. Use the surrounding words to check each answer.

In paragraph 4, what does waive the fee mean?

A. remove the required payment
B. divide the payment equally
C. increase the required payment
D. collect the payment early

Which replacement for buffer preserves the meaning of the first two sentences in paragraph 6?

A. scheduled break for playing golf
B. short meeting to assign tasks
C. firm deadline for selling tickets
D. extra time to absorb delays

In paragraph 6, conspicuous describes the sign. Which meaning fits both its appearance and the expected result?

A. firmly attached
B. carefully hidden
C. quickly made
D. easily noticed

10.

Compare “reserve the folding tables” in paragraph 4 with “keep a cash reserve” in paragraph 7. How does reserve function in the second phrase?

A. It describes how carefully the students spend.
B. It names money set aside for later needs.
C. It describes how much the tickets cost.
D. It tells the students to request equipment.

11.

Which situation illustrates a surplus as the word is used in paragraph 7?

A. The students collect $90 and have $90 in costs.
B. The students collect $90 and have $110 in costs.
C. The students collect $90 and have $60 in costs.
D. The students collect $90 and have not counted their costs.

12.

Reconcile can mean “restore a friendly relationship.” Which meaning fits reconcile our records in paragraph 7 instead?

A. organize information from oldest to newest
B. replace written information with a shorter version
C. check information and account for differences
D. share financial information with event volunteers

13.

In paragraph 8, what does candid mean? Explain how the contrast between what Dalia wants Kenji to do and what she does not want him to do reveals the meaning.