Reading to Learn | msavantdapperdesigns

Building Vocabulary

A Lesson Design on Reading to Learn

By Shelby Avant

Rationale:

Understanding vocabulary is essential in comprehending reading. If one does not know what the words they are reading mean, then he or she cannot really comprehend the meaning of the text. The best way to learn groups of words is to cluster them into semantic groups. Semantic groups are words that have a common base (i.e. things you can do with your hands, things you can do outside, ways to say hello/goodbye, etc.), which helps to make learning new vocabulary easier. These groups help children to be able to actively compare and contrast the similar words to see the different relationships. In order for the students to gain ownership of the rules, they must first find the words in context, relate the words to one another, and then be able to generate new sentences using the words. The purpose of this lesson is to have students learn new vocabulary through these semantic groups, since related words are easier to learn and trigger each other’s definitions.

Materials:

Dictionary for every student
Overhead
Worksheet with vocabulary sentences
Worksheet with vocabulary word pairs
Chart for “Word Wizard” Points
Expository Text: “Manatees: ’One of Nature’s Most Placid Species’”

Procedure:

Say, “Today we are going to learn some new vocabulary words. Why do you think it is important for us to learn new vocabulary words? Good! So we can understand what we are reading. Remember that to be good readers, we have to know what the words we are reading mean so that we can get the full information from what we are reading. One way for us to learn new vocabulary is through learning words in groups; this helps us learn them quicker because we can compare the words. Although we do our best to learn words, sometimes when we are reading we get to a word that we do not know. When this happens, we can use strategies to figure out what the word might mean. What is one thing you think we can do to figure out a word? Good! We can use a dictionary. We can also read the rest of the sentence and crosscheck to try and figure out what the mystery word means. For example, if I was reading the sentence, “The frog hurdled over the log” and didn’t know what hurdled meant, I go back and look at the entire sentence. Hm, the fog _____over the log, well I know frogs jump over things so maybe hurdled means to jump! We can then guess that hurdled means to jump. Today we are going to focus on learn these vocabulary words that deal with moods: (write them on the board as you say them) cautious, jovial, glum, placid, indignant, enthusiastic, diligent, envious, impatient.”

Say, “Today, we are going to learn how to look for our vocabulary words using a dictionary. Who knows what a dictionary is? A dictionary is a book that contains a large amount of words and their meanings. So, remind me, when is a time that a dictionary might be useful? Correct! When we come to a word that we are unfamiliar with and cannot figure out the meaning. Now, take out your dictionary from your desk and look through it for a moment. (Give the students time to look at their dictionary and familiarize themselves with it). Can anyone tell me what he or she notices about the dictionary? Right! It is in ABC order. This means that the entire list of A words come before B, all of the B words come before C and so forth. Our first word is cautious (point to it on the board). (Place your dictionary underneath the overhead so the students can see what you are doing). We were cautious when crossing the street. To begin, we look at the beginning letter of the word, which in cautious is c. Then, find where the c words begin in the dictionary. Once you find where the c words begin, look at cautious again. What is the next letter? Right! The next letter is a. So we go to our c words and look at the words that start with ca. What is the next letter? Good, it is u, so we look for cau in the dictionary. Now what is the next letter? Right! It is t, so we look for caut. We repeat this process for each letter in the word until we complete the word and are able to find it in the dictionary. (Continue the process until the word is found). What does cautious mean? Fantastic! It means to be careful. Now we have the definition for cautious. The next word is jovial. (Use the dictionary to find and define the rest of the vocabulary words).

The teacher will then provide the students with some examples and non-examples for each vocabulary word. “The word cautious means to be careful. A person who jumps off of cliffs would not likely be cautious. A person who looks before they cross the street is likely to be cautious.”

The teacher will then model how to use the vocabulary word in a sentence before asking the students to generate a sentence. Say, “Let me show you how I might use cautious in a sentence. The child was cautious when standing near the railing. Now you try and finish this sentence: The cautious mom…” (The teacher will continue to do the examples, non-examples, and finish the sentence for jovial, glum, placid, indignant, enthusiastic, diligent, envious, and impatient).

Our next word is jovial. Jovial means to be cheerful or joyful. People are jovial when they are doing something that they love. If you are in a bad mood, you will not be jovial.

The next word is glum. Glum means to be down or sad. Someone is glum when they are in a bad mood. When your parent is happy, they are not glum.

Placid is our next word. Placid means easy going or good-natured. When picking a restaurant, I am usually placid about where we go eat. If I demanded to go to a certain restaurant every time, I would not be placid.

The next word is indignant. Indignant means to be outraged or furious. The man became indignant towards the waiter when he messed up the order. If the man had been easy going about the situation, he would have not become indignant.

Enthusiastic means to be excited or animated. Fans are always enthusiastic for football games! They are not enthusiastic if they do not win the football game.

The next word is diligent. Diligent means hard working or thorough in your work. Students who get out their work as soon as they get into the classroom are diligent workers. When students piddle around the room before sitting down, they are not being diligent.

Envious is our next word. Envious means to be jealous or to hold a grudge. I was very envious of my best friend when she got the new CD before I did. If I had not cared about who got it first, I would have not been envious.

Our last word is impatient. Impatient means to be annoyed or unwilling to wait. The man was impatient while he was waiting for the cashier to check him out. If he had been tolerant of the wait, he would not have been impatient.

The teacher will continue to talk about the vocabulary words. Have the students comment about each vocabulary word: “Would a professional dare devil be cautious? Why or why not? Who might be someone who is cautious?” Then continue talking about the rest of the vocabulary words.

If I hated going to the grocery store, would I be jovial about going?

I am having a bad day and do not feel like doing anything. Would I be glum or jovial?

When my friends made a suggestion about what to play on the playground, I didn’t care what game we played. Was I being placid about the situation?

My dad got extremely upset at the post office for damaging his package for work. Was he being placid or indignant?

When our parents told us we were going to Disney world, we were jumping and screaming we were so happy! Could you say we were enthusiastic or glum?

When I get home from school, the first thing I do is get out my homework and start working on it. When my parent walks in, would he or she say I was being diligent?

When Sally got the new doll that I wanted, I was so jealous that I wouldn’t talk to her for a week. Would my parent call me envious or placid about the situation?

My friend told me he would come over and play around 2 o’clock. When it came to be 2 o’clock and he wasn’t here, I sat by the door annoyed and waiting on him. Am I being impatient or jovial?

For an assessment, the teacher will have the students complete a sentence using the vocabulary words. (See below).

After completing the sentence sheet, the students will read an expository text. The teacher will pass out an article that includes at least one vocabulary word from today’s lesson. Say: “The article that is being passed around is called Manatees: ‘One of Nature’s Most Placid Species’. We are going to read this story to learn more about some of the words that we just discussed.

Does anyone know what a manatee is? Or anything about manatees? Judging from the title, what kind of temper do you think manatees have? Lets read to find out! (The students will then read silently to themselves.

We will then discuss the text that the students have just read.

Where do the studied manatees live? During which time of the year?

Why do they like living here?

How are the manatees described physically?

Describe a manatee's personality.

What vocabulary word did we see while reading?

How was this word used in the story?

What is the meaning of the word that was used?

The students will have an opportunity to participate in an activity called, “Word Wizard.” The students will look for the vocabulary words. Each time the student sees the word in print they will earn one point. If the student hears it used in speech, they earn two points. If the student uses the word themselves (and it makes sense in context) they will earn three points. The points the students earn will be used to earn ranks. Each student will be ranked on a chart in the class. The lowest level is apprentice. As students earn more points they will move up to word journeyman and eventually to word wizard.

Assessments

Vocabulary Sentence Worksheet

Name _________________________________

Date __________________________________

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the vocabulary word list.

Words: cautious, jovial, glum, placid, indignant, enthusiastic, diligent, envious, and impatient

The family looked both ways before they crossed the street so they are ____________________________.
My sister was so happy to find out that she made the dance team so you could say she was ______________________________.
I was so ____________________ of Kevin when he got the brand new video game before anyone else.
The rainy day put me in a bad and gloomy mood. You could also say that I was _________________________.
My teacher told me I was being _____________________ when I said I couldn’t wait any longer for lunchtime.
Instead of being ________________________ about what to do for our family vacation, I was very controlling and wanted it to be my way.
I became ___________________________ when I was told that I could not go play until I did my homework.
While building my model airplane, I was extremely focused and being very ________________________while I worked.

Answers: 1. Cautious, 2. Jovial, 3. Envious, 4. Glum, 5. Impatient, 6. Placid, 7. Indignant, 8. Diligent

Name __________________________________

Date ____________________________________

Can someone be indignant and placid?
Can someone be cautious and diligent?
Can someone be jovial and glum?
Can someone be impatient and placid?
Can someone be jovial and indignant?
Can someone be envious and impatient?
Can someone be cautious and envious?

Resources

Rice, Katie. Auburn University. Valuable Vocabulary. http://www.auburn.edu/%7Eksr0009/RiceRL.htm

Expository Text:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/manatees-photos-tripods-in-the-sky_n_863874.html

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