Vocabulary
Monday, 10:25-11:05am
Vocabulary is essential for effective oral and written communication and reading comprehension. Through vocabulary instruction and vocabulary games, children will develop “word wonder” so they will continue to assess and develop their own vocabularies (Cunningham & Allington, 2011; National Institute for Literacy, 2001).
Learning new vocabulary requires active encounters in different contexts over time, so children can understand and effectively use the words (National Institute for Literacy, 2011).
Objective:
Our vocabulary sessions focus on direct instruction, which teaches specifics words or provides word-learning strategies. Effective classrooms spend a lot of time on literacy instruction, ensuring all time is spent wisely. Since time is essential, especially for struggling readers, the class always plays a literacy game with the remaining vocabulary instruction time ("Time," 2015). This vocabulary session will aim to teach specific words by reinforcing known strategies and making connections to social studies. Since it is the middle of the school year, students have already been taught many vocabulary strategies, and the focus is now on specific word instruction.
Students are studying the global community and government in their current social studies unit. There are some new words that will be included in the social study lessons this week, and it is important for students to preview the words before they come across them in the readings. It is also important to discuss the words so students can have meaningful discussions during social study lessons.
The key words are: deforestation, referendum, environmentalist, and petition.
Literacy Food Groups:
-
Motivation for literacy
-
Oral language
-
Knowledge building
-
Vocabulary
Lesson Plan Part 1: Word Detectives
Students work as detectives investigating words in pairs. Each pair will receive a word to investigate using any resources available in the classroom. Students might choose to use a dictionary, their social studies textbook, or the laptops. This promotes the Universal Design for Learning, so all students feel included and confident. The pairs are responsible for filling out their own personal paper or iPad version Frayer Model (see below):
-
Definition in their own words
-
Characteristics/facts
-
Examples
-
Non-examples
-
Draw or find a picture to place on the back of the sheet
Lesson Plan Part 2: Knowledge Building Circle
Presenting is a skill that the class has been working on to improve oral language and confidence through activities, student of the day, and readers theatre. They now feel apart of a community, and know that making mistakes is a part of learning. Sitting in a semicircle for the presentations and discussions also fosters a sense of community (Natural Curiosity, 2011).
Once everyone has finished, the class gathers in a semi-circle on the carpet to present their words. Pairs work together to present the words they investigated by providing facts, examples, and proof from reliable resources. A discussion regarding each word follows, where ideas are questioned or additional thoughts are added. During the discussions each student fills out his or her own Frayer Models based on the specific words presented. Therefore, at the end of part two, each student should have four new Frayer Models to add to their vocabulary folder.
Lesson Plan Part 3: "Talk a Mile a Minute"
Time is essential, especially for struggling readers. Effective classrooms spend a lot of time on literacy instruction, ensuring all time is spent wisely. Therefore, the class plays a literacy game with the remaining vocabulary instruction time ("Time," 2015). All the new vocabulary words that have been targeted during vocabulary instruction are placed on the world wall in the classroom. However, after each vocabulary activity, students wrap up with a game using the words that have been discussed since September. It is a fantastic way to review words and end the session before lunch.
In “Talk a Mile a Minute,” the specific words from the word wall are taken down and shuffled. One student volunteer chooses a word from the pile, thus becoming the “mystery word.” That student then has one minute to describe the word using a definition, examples, descriptor words, etc. The only rule is that the word can not be named by the volunteer. After the minute is up, each student has the opportunity to make an educated guess to figure out the mystery word. If the word is still not solved, one final clue is presented to the class and the word is then shown. This continues for the remaining time.