After you read Chapter 4, select two of the three instructional activities listed below and implement these strategies with your students:
You Try It
p. 61
p. 69
pp. 74-75
Report how each of these went in a blog post by 12/09/16. You may create separate posts for each if you wish.
Your colleagues in the upper grades will comment beginning on 12/10/16. Be sure to monitor your posts and respond to questions and comments as needed.
I have been using poems as a fluency activity so my vocabulary words for the posts are from the poetry the second graders and I are working with not a trade book. Each week we have a poem and vocabulary words. I post the words in order as they were introduced (color coded for the poems) on a pocket chart so we revisit them often.
ReplyDeleteSlink & Slither and Patterned & Shimmer were from a poem a few weeks ago and unknowingly I did the "relating words" activity when we decided they went together to describe movement (and the kids had to move as they described them) and how something looked.
You Try It (pg. 61): ENDANGERED (we did discuss the difference between in danger and how they were closely related as well as how they looked one word/two words), HIBERNATE, GATHERED, MOONLIT
We did the poem Amazing Bats this week with the words above. We did the CHOICES activity and the ONE CONTEXT FOR ALL THE WORDS. They liked and responded better to the last one because we did a sentence/paragraph using all the words instead of a question. They "moved" for this one too (showing how they gathered food and what they'd look like if they were endangered and hibernating and how the moon would light up a path). I was also glad to hear them thinking about the endings and how adding ed/ing could change the word.
You Try It (pg. 74-74): same words as above, on page 71 about midway down is my favorite.
If you were having lots of people at your house for a party would you GATHER or HIBERNATE them?
Is ENDANGERED close to becoming gone with only a few of the creature left or ENDANGERED having lots of your creature around?
If I was a bear and getting ready for a long winter sleep I'd be getting ready to HIBERNATE or MOONLIT?
If the night was bright from the light of the moon I'd say it was...MOONLIT.
As we review each day, they are using our examples and discussions to describe and remember the words!
I can see how these activities can keep the younger students engaged. I especially liked the activity where they had to demonstrate the movement when describing the word.
DeleteI like the idea of color coding the words to go with a specific poem. It seems like such a simple thing, but I can see how beneficial it would be as a reference for the students to pair words and meaning to specific texts.
DeleteThe movement part was all them. They had a hard time using just words;their bodies were swaying and hands were sliding back and forth as they described them so I ran with it!
DeleteA few of my students have made connections in class to words you've been teaching them (or read) - it's nice to see that transfer and application happening. What you're doing is very effective!! :)
Delete"You Try It" p. 61
ReplyDeleteI used "Where The Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. I smile every time I read this book because it seems to be a biographical statement of my world lately. The words that I chose were "roared", "gnashed", and "rumpus". Most of the children were able to define and act out "roared" with just a bit of conversation. They then had fun telling how either they or someone (or something such as an animal) roared at someone before. We had to take a couple of deep breaths before moving onto the next words, very exciting activity. Gnashed took some explaining, I needed to use the instruction suggested on p. 62-63 a couple of times for the children to grasp the idea. One of the children fully understood and said her dog gnashed it's teeth at a squirrel through the window. Rumpus, well I was surprised in that none of the children had any idea of what a rumpus was. some suggested it was yellow eyes and some thought it was the forest Max was in. Again, I used the format on p. 62-63 and then we acted it out. I asked them if they had a rumpus at home and most said that would be just too crazy. Needless to say, we needed to take a break after this activity!
"You Try It" p. 74
I used the story, "How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?". For this story, I just selected the word, "pout". I asked them several questions with the word "pout" in it such as: "Would you pout if you had to go to bed early?", "Would you pout if you went to a birthday party?", "Would you pout if you went out for ice cream?" & "Would you pout if you ripped your favorite shirt?"
It took a few questions but eventually most of the children were able to do their own thinking about the question and give a thumbs up or down.
Oh my goodness! That is one of my favorite books (Where the Wild Things Are!) And I can see how those vocabulary words would be tough, even for older students! I love the interactiveness of it! I can completely picture a bunch of 5-6 year olds having a wild rumpus!
DeleteAs for the word pout, it's another good example of kids seeing words that probably have heard at home. BUt now they own the word. Good work!
Reading this it made me think of some of my students and the activities we did. This seemed simple, yet, effective and very age appropriate. I feel my students would easily, be able to catch on to this and run with it.
DeleteThanks Amanda! It really was a fun lesson (that they didn't even realize was a lesson at all!)
DeleteAfter reading your book choice for the first one it makes me think about the words I emphasized as I read it aloud for our after school 1-2 Wild Things event. I think gnashed and rumpus were on my list, but not roared! Bet they loved the "free roaring" time!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness did they ever love the "rumpus"!
DeleteI like the way you used the word "pout" in your questions with the students. They had to really understand the definition of the word when answering the questions.
ReplyDeleteI "tried it" with my intervention group today. We were going to start reading The Giant Turnip. The 3 words were heap, burst, and sprouted.
ReplyDeleteAfter showing them a word, telling them what it meant, giving them some examples, and then having them chose between examples and non-examples (Making Choices..pg. 67) (by the way, that is very similar to the Dr. Jeton strategies we have done). After spending time talking about each word, I did this try it:
*One Context for all the Words: 1. Why might you see a heap of food?
2. Why might a food burst? (they had great ideas for this...a watermelon hits the floor, a tomato falls and bursts open with the juice everywhere!)
3. What does a food sprouting look like?
The kids really got into talking about the words, so much we never got to read the story. Tomorrow I will start with Children Create Examples (pg 69) before reading.
So, as a review today before reading the story I did Children Create Examples from page 69:
DeleteBurst: How could you protect a balloon so it doesn't burst? How could you protect an egg so it doesn't burst? (It was interesting that one student said you could protect a balloon from bursting by letting it go. Some of the other students didn't agree)
Budge: What is something that would be easy to budge? What is something that would be difficult to budge and why?
Heap: Name something you would find in a heap and where would you find it? (This was my favorite word and examples: clothes in a laundry room, bricks in a collapsed building, toys in a playroom)
Man, I love talking about words!!
I get the idea of using so much time talking about new vocabulary words you don't get to the reading. It is really hard to stop a discussion when the learning process is working. Your example of protecting a balloon by letting it go shows really deep thinking. That child know how to apply his/her knowledge.
DeleteLisa, I'm glad you added the follow up, I was wondering how the class liked "burst". I also think it's nice when the children don't agree because they are forming their own images and defending them.
DeleteIt's such an eye opener to listen to kids talk about, defend and express their ideas/understanding of words. Their "take" on what words mean can be so very different than what we expect. Listening to our kids is such a great way to guide our instruction, and very fun for all of us at the same time.
DeleteYES listen!! So often as educators we feel we need to do the talking. However if we stop and listen, we learn so much about what our kids do and don't understand. It also helps them take ownership.
DeleteI, too, love the "letting the balloon go" for protection from bursting. Very insightful!
DeleteI really enjoy reading about the vocabulary lessons you implement in the classroom. These activities give the students the opportunity to basically interact with the words and by doing that they truly get the concept of the meanings.
DeleteI just love words! I could do vocabulary activities and read books all day! I am learning to listen to my children more. Letting go of control has not been easy for me (I know you are probably shocked! lol)
DeleteOH MAN, I have an idea with this. Especially with the visual words and having them create pictures, maybe even try having them create non-examples. I don't know, just me thinking. I like it a lot. Let their imaginations go!
Delete"You Try It" on page 69. I picked 3 words from Sarah Squirrel and the Lost Acorns.( it had tons to choose from) cheery, gruffly, scampering.
ReplyDeleteI, too, used the Dr Jetton strategy for teaching vocabulary words. The I expanded with Questions, Reason, and Examples.
Questions: If you were picked to be the leader of the day in class, you would be very cheery.Why? When else might you be cheery?
Reasons:When is a time that you might answer your mother gruffly? Why? How about your friend?Why?
Examples:Which of these is an example of someone or something that is scampering?Why? Why not?
A mouse going across the floor, or a cow in the barnyard?
Your dad coming down for breakfast, or your little sister getting to the bus on time?
A squirrel in the yard, or a pitbull chained up in the yard? I have found that my students really get involved in vocabulary since I have started using more strategies!!!
I like how you get the students involved with the discussion process. Your examples really paint a picture and make the discussion process fun.
DeleteI pictured a chained pit bull trying to scamper and I smiled all day. Comparing a mouse to a cow is a way to get the kids to understand how different scampering can be.
DeleteI really like your "or" questions. I agree with Melinda in that the pitbull scampering is a fun image!
DeleteI liked seeing the example and then a follow up example to really access understanding. Great examples by the way.
DeleteI did the "You Try It" activities on pp 61 & 69.
ReplyDeleteI think I kind of put my own spin on the activity from p. 61. We had a bunch of vocabulary words from our recent read-aloud book The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling, and we used those words to make connections to and/or describe characters from previous read-alouds. From example, one of the words was "applause" and I asked them to think of characters that we've read about who received or deserved to receive applause (and why). This was challenging, but many of them thought it was fun.
For the other activity on p. 69, I did Children Create Examples. One of my prompts was: What is something that you would "devour" if you had the chance? They loved this, but many of the examples were similar and they required some guidance/redirection to expand their thinking.
I have found the strategies to be easy to implement with this class because they love to talk all the time about anything, and most of these oral activities.
Very cool activity. It reminds me of the other activity we learned about, Applause/Applause. Maybe you could use that in the future with other words and you could also reinforce that vocabulary word. Win! Win!
DeleteThat's a good idea, Amanda - thanks!
Delete*For example (and I read it over twice before posting!)
ReplyDeleteI did the basic instructional format on pages 74-75 along with the making choices activity on page 67 with a small group of second graders. The instructional format went smoothly during the lesson. It did require a bit of prep to ensure that I had examples involving a variety of context. I found it challenging to come up with a student friendly definition for determination. I struggled to define the word in a way that identified it as a noun yet holding to the fact that the word determined is used to describe a person's character. I settled on 'determination is the name for sticking with something even when it is really hard.'
ReplyDeleteFor the most part (2 out of 3 words) the making choices activity went well. A problem arose for the word confident. I told the students to stand and say, "I'm confident," if they were confident they could do the thing I named. They all felt confident that they could build a house because people/adults can build houses. I had to clarify that I wanted them to respond based on now, not someday.
Live and Learn.
I used the instructional format on pp. 74-75 with a Pocket for Corduroy and then used some of the suggestions on the previous pages to involve the students even more with the words. The words I chose were fetch, dampness, and reluctant. It is eye opening to realize that even though the students think they know what a word means, they can't explain it or give examples. So even though they have heard the word at some time, the strategies really give them the tools to own the word!! Briefly here are the strategies I used.
ReplyDeleteReluctant: Tell me which you would be reluctant to do. Why?(Then I gave several examples)
Fetch:Tell me something that a dog might fetch. Your teacher. You.
Dampness:If I say something that shows dampness or something that is damp, say "dampness".(Then I gave examples)
It may take more than a few examples or questions to get students to know the words but, they really like the interaction and the chance to talk!!
I agree that it is eye opening to see that our students recognize words and think they know their meanings, but are unable to explain or give examples of them. My students couldn't get past "eggs you eat" for the word scramble. I like how you said these strategies give the students "tools to own the word". It's so true!
DeleteI used the You Try It on page 61 and 74-75.
ReplyDeleteWe used words from Cynthia Rylant's 'Gooseberry Park'. All of the words are listed on the door (in addition to any others we've drawn attention to this school year). Some words that were particularly useful were exasperated and nuisance. Both of these words could easily describe classroom behaviors or family situations with siblings. It became fun for me to read ahead and make my giant list of words and then narrow that list down. I recently loaned that book out to a parent for a nightly read aloud and left the notes in it. I hope she enjoys them! ;)
The You Try It on pg 74-74 was very similar to that produced by Dr. Jettan, except for step 6. Getting the kids to interact with the word seems much more useful than to agree or disagree to the use of the word, although, when the students came up with examples themselves (Dr. Jettan), I suppose that was also interacting with the word.
How did it go when the kids interacted with the word? I guess I want to know why you thought this was better.
DeleteEach time I gave an example of a word being used, the kids would have to say the word itself instead of just a thumbs up or thumbs down. For example, "If they is an example of nuisance, say nuisance, if it is not, say nothing at all.
DeleteTeacher: My brother would not stop pulling my hair.
Students: nuisance
Getting them to say the word again, while thinking about it's use has been useful to learning the word.
The idea of them saying the word instead of just giving a thumbs up and the repetitiveness and exercise is something I am going to implement. Awesome!
Delete"You Try It pg. 69
ReplyDeleteWe did the "Making Choices" activity. We used the words bolt and hover. This was a fun activity for the kids. Some were a bit timid at first because they do not enjoy being wrong, but as we did more examples, they became more willing and sure of themselves. The length of their response time increased as we went through the activity. It changed from slow/timid to quick and a bit cocky, to slow and thoughtful. We disused why this happened as well. They want to do this activity more often.
"You Try It" pg.74 - 75
We read the book "What Do You At A Petting Zoo?" by Hana Machotoka. We focused on the word "scramble". It was both interesting and fun. The story context was the unfamiliar usage, (... sheep and goats scramble over one another to greet their newest visitor). They recognized the word and were able to talk about its use with scrambled eggs, but they really didn't know what scramble actually meant. I introduced other uses for the word and then let the class act out the examples with steps 5/6. They enjoyed coming up with their own examples and non-examples. The non-examples gave those that really didn't understand it the comfort and security to try without the fear of being incorrect before they fully understood the word.
This is just a comment to everyone...I think it's great the number of big words that are kids are getting exposed to. I don't think we would of ever picked these "big" words without the push of these strategies. Well, maybe you would have because you are all rock stars in the classroom, but I just think it's great to recognize the vocabulary building we are doing for all our students.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Michelle! I think this is so interactive and the students are noticing the discussed words in other texts weeks later - I LOVE THAT! It makes me think of just HOW much kids miss when not at school (for any reason); that disucssion, word play, thought process is so vital to keep those connections going. A matching or word hunt sheet just doesn't cut it!
DeleteI am just happy that we now have permission to spend time on vocabulary building! It's one of those things that went away over the years. I'm thrilled that it has come back!
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