TITLE: VOCABULARY -UNFOLDING MEANING
AUTHOR: DIANE PHILLIPS; SAPULPA MIDDLE SCHOOL, SAPULPA, OK
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 6- 7 CHAPTER ONE
OVERVIEW:
MANY STUDENTS ARE UNABLE TO "COGNITIVELY" CONNECT WITH NEW
DEFINITIONS. MEMORIZING DOES NOT STAY WITH THE STUDENT. A BETTER
WAY IS SUGGESTED.
PURPOSE:
THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY, USED THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, IS
TO TEACH A STUDENT TO MAKE "REAL MEANING" FROM NEW VOCABULARY
WORDS USING THE WHOLE LANGUAGE PHILOSOPHY.
OBJECTIVES:
AS A RESULT OF THIS ACTIVITY, THE STUDENT WILL
(1) USE THE DICTIONARY AND THE THESAURUS EFFECTIVELY
(2) BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN A DEFINITION IN HIS OWN WORDS AND WITH A
"REAL" STORY.
(3) WRITE A CREATIVE STORY WHICH EXPLAINS AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT
WORD
THIS ACTIVITY WORKS BEST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS PERIOD. IT
GETS THE STUDENT IN THE LEARNING MODE. IT IS EXCELLENT FOR CLASS
DISCUSSION AND FRIENDLY COMPETITION AND IT TEACHES "COGNITIVE
PROCESSING".
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
DICTIONARIES AND THESAURUSES, CHALK BOARD, PAPER AND
PENCILS
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
(1) LIST A SINGLE WORD ON THE BOARD EACH DAY IN AN AREA
OF THE CHALK BOARD MARKED "VOCABULARY". STUDENTS
HURRY INTO THE CLASS ROOM AND GRAB A DICTIONARY TO
LOOK UP THE WORD, TO READ THE DEFINITION TO THE
TEACHER ONE TO ONE, TO EXPLAIN THE DEFINITION TO
THE TEACHER IN STUDENTS OWN WORDS, TO GIVE A "REAL"
STORY EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE WORD MEANS. TEACHER
"COGNITIVELY" PROBES THE STUDENT FOR BETTER UNDER-
STANDING AND EXPLANATION.
(2) STUDENT MAKES A 3 X 5 NOTECARD WITH THE WORD ON ONE
SIDE AND THE DEFINITION IN THE STUDENT'S OWN
WORDS ON THE BACK SIDE. THE EXAMPLE IS BRIEFLY
EXPLAINED ON THE BACK SIDE. CARDS ARE KEPT IN
ALPHABETICAL ORDER IN A METAL RECIPE BOX BELONGING
TO EACH CHILD.
(3) TEACHER LEADS DISCUSSION FOLLOWING THE FIRST TWO
ACTIVITIES ARE COMPLETED. TEACHER PRONOUNCES THE
VOCABULARY WORD AND ASKS FOR A VOLUNTEER TO READ
THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION TO THE CLASS, THEN ASKS
SOMEONE ELSE TO VOLUNTEER TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE
DEFINITION ACTUALLY MEANS. THEN, SHE ASKS FOR
EXAMPLES OF THE MEANING. THIS IS ALL DONE WITH THE
WHOLE CLASS. ANY TIME SOME ONE WHO IS CALLED ON
HAS TROUBLE EXPLAINING THE DEFINITION, THE STUDENT,
HIMSELF, CAN ASK FOR "HELP" FROM A CLASSMATE AND
THEN HE MUST EXPLAIN WHAT HE "HEARD" THE CLASSMATE
SAY.
(4) ON FRIDAY OF EACH WEEK, EACH STUDENT GETS OUT ONE
SHEET OF PAPER, PLACES ONE OF THE FIVE WORDS FOR
THAT WEEK ON THE TOP OF THE PAPER. HE THEN CREATES
A "REAL" STORY THAT, ONCE READ, WILL EXPLAIN THE
DEFINITION OF THE ABSTRACT VOCABULARY WORD. A FEW
STUDENTS WILL VOLUNTEER TO READ THEIR STORIES IN
FRONT OF THE CLASS. THE CLASSMATES WILL HAVE TO
GUESS WHAT WORD THE STORY DEFINES. (THEY WILL HAVE
THE 5 WORDS FOR THAT WEEK STILL LISTED ON THE BOARD
FOR REFERRAL) STORIES ARE PLACED ON THE BULLETIN
BOARD MARKED "CREATIVE WRITING".
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
EACH WEEK THE STUDENTS WILL HAVE A VOCABULARY TEST OVER
THE FIVE WORDS FOR THAT WEEK. STUDENTS WILL WRITE THE
WORDS DOWN FROM THE BOARD AND EXPLAIN THE DEFINITION IN
THEIR OWN WORDS. NOT A MEMORIZED DEFINITION TEACHER
GRADES AND RETURNS THE PAPERS.
NOTE:
AS THE STUDENTS BECOME MORE PROFICIENT IN USING THE
DICTIONARY AND THE THESAURUS, THE FRIENDLY COMPETITION
GROWS. TO BE THE FIRST TO FIND THE WORD AND EXPLAIN IT
TO THE TEACHER IS SO EXCITING FOR THE KIDS, THAT THEY
BEGIN LOVING TO USE THE DICTIONARY. THEY WANT TO EXPLAIN
EVERYTHING THEY KNOW AND GET REALLY GOOD AT DOING IT.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT SELF-ESTEEM BOOSTER FOR THE
RELUCTANT AND THE UNDERACHIEVER!
Click here to return to OFCN's Academy Curricular Exchange
Click here to return to OFCN's Academy
Click here to return to OFCN's Main Menu
John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org