Bree Landers October 3, 2013 RDG 370 Vocabulary Activities 1. Vocabulary Roll a. Materials: i.

5 dice (to split the group up) ii. Book- 101 Dalmatians iii. Vocabulary words from the book b. Object: i. What the kids will do is first hear the vocabulary words as theyre reading throughout the story because they heard them from the list provided to them ii. After the story is read, have the students divide into groups evenly iii. Explain to the students that they are going to go through each vocabulary word given to them and each person is going to take a turn rolling the dice and each number on the di represents different things they must do to the word iv. If they roll 1. 1: Act the word out 2. 2: Draw the word 3. 3: define the word 4. 4: think of a word that rhymes with it 5. 5: think of an antonym 6. 6: think of a synonym v. Continue this process over and over because each time a student rolls with a different word their outcome could be different! 2. Vocabulary 4 Square a. http://littlepriorities.blogspot.com/2011/05/vocabulary-four-squares.html b. Above is the website for the print out of what you need for this activity c. Materials: i. Think sheet provided ii. Chalk iii. Markers, crayons iv. 4-square set up outside v. Ball to play 4-sqaure d. Procedure i. Have the students take the vocabulary words from the book read and follow along on the 4 square think sheet

ii. After they finished, they should have the word in the middle, a definition, a synonym of the word, they can use it in a sentence, and they should be able to draw a picture of the word as well iii. Once finished with that, have the children go outside and play four square with a labeled four square so each square has a specific role in what they are saying. For example if it lands on the first square, they have to define the word out loud, but if it lands on the square where they have to draw it, they must draw it with chalk on the sidewalk 3. Vocabulary Headbands a. Materials: i. Vocabulary words ii. Vocabulary words printed on index cards and construction paper to make a headband from it b. Objective i. Have the children take their vocabulary words from their book and put on their headbands and they have to go around the classroom and ask the other students to define, act out, give them a rhyming word, a synonym or an antonym. ii. For the older students they can tell them what part of speech it comes from whether it is a verb, noun, or an adjective. 4. Pictionary with a twist a. Materials i. Vocabulary words written on separate sheets of paper ii. Large drawing paper b. Have the students pair off into two different teams c. Once they pair off, they will play Pictionary and they will have to draw the word in which they draw from the bucket of words and they have to draw the picture, whoever gets the most points in the time given wins d. Next round, they have to act out the word and the same process for whichever team gets the most points wins e. Last round, the students can only use one word to describe their vocabulary word f. This is great for older children because its a game and theyre times

Vocabulary Strategies Pre-teaching Vocabulary Words

One of the most effective methods of helping children learn new vocabulary words is to teach unfamiliar words used in a text prior to the reading experience. Adults (either alone or with the child(ren)) should preview reading materials to determine which words are unfamiliar. Then these words should be defined and discussed. It is important for the adult to not only tell the child(ren) what the word means, but also to discuss its meaning. This allows the child(ren) to develop an understanding of the words connotations as well as its denotation. Also, discussion provides the adult with feedback about how well the child(ren) understands the word. After pre-teaching vocabulary words, the child(ren) should read the text. Repeated Exposure to Words It may seem common sense that the more times we are exposed to a word, the stronger our understanding becomes. However, repeated exposure to new vocabulary words is often ignored. Adults often forget a person (especially a child) needs to hear and use a word several times before it truly becomes a part of her vocabulary. Providing multiple opportunities to use a new word in its written and spoken form helps children solidify their understanding of it.

Keyword Method Like pre-teaching, the keyword method occurs before a child reads a particular text. In this method, unfamiliar words are introduced prior to reading. However, rather than encouraging the child to remember a definition for a new word, the adult teaches him a word clue to help him understand it. This word clue or keyword might be a part of the definition, an illustrative example or an image that the reader connects to the word to make it easier to remember the meaning when reading it in context. The idea behind the keyword method is to create an easy cognitive link to the words meaning that the reader can access efficiently during a reading experience.

Word Maps The word map is an excellent method for scaffolding a childs vocabulary learning. Like the other explicit instructional methods, the adult (either alone or with the child(ren)) should preview reading materials to determine which words are unfamiliar. For each of these new vocabulary words the child (with the support of the adult) creates a graphic organizer for the word. At the top or center of the organizer is the vocabulary word. Branching off of the word are three categories: classification (what class or group does the word belong to), qualities (what is the word like) and examples. Using prior knowledge the child fills in each of these three categories. Word maps help readers develop complete understandings of words. This strategy is best used with children in grades 3-12.
http://www.k12reader.com/effective-strategies-for-teaching-vocabulary/