Monday, March 23, 2009
Blog #9-Vocabulary Lesson
When thinking of ideas for vocabulary lessons, I first had to think what age would be reading a story such as Roll of Thunder. Keeping this in mind I came up with a lesson that incorporates working in groups and learning necessary skills such as looking up definitions or using context clues to figure out meanings of words. For the lesson, I would first split the groups and give them each an extended passage or chapter to work with. I would have the group read the passage out loud to incorporate some fluency skills into the lesson. Along the way, I would like the students to look for words that may be troubling or unfamiliar to the students. When they come across a word, have one person in the group record the word/s until they have compiled a list from the passage/chapter they have read. From here, the students would divide up the words and be sure that each of them seek to find a definition for each word. When finding a meaning, the kids will have the options of using context clues, a dictionary or thesaurus, and also a computer if it is available. When each group member has come up with their own definitions, the members will go around and share what they have found by giving the meaning of the word and also an example of the word by using it in a sentence that will make sense to the group. By doing this, I feel the students will gain a sense of responsibility for their words and be sure that each member of the group is able to understand the new vocabulary and recognize/comprehend them if they ever come across them in the future. After this part of the lesson is complete, I will assess the students by having them write out a short story using a certain number of their new found words. By doing this, I will truly be able to see if the vocabulary words are understood, and if the kids would be able to use them and incorporate them into their own writing in the future.
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I really like this idea Jake. I think my favorite factor is that you allow the students to use the computer to find definitions. I know that as a teacher it will be important to teach our students how to use paper resources such as dictionaries, a thesaurus and encyclopedias. But I feel that in the future, we will be seeing less and less print media in our world. There is already talk that newspapers are going to be completely digital in the next decade. I think also that there is a huge wave of importance being placed on the digital book. There are hand-held devices where you buy the book and it downloads for you to read. I think that this is the way of the future and we need to teach our students that they can use the resources available online but it is also our responsibility to make them critical users.
ReplyDeleteAlso as I was reading I was thinking of a different way to assess the students after they break off and find the definitions. I was thinking that to assess them you could have them put the definition into their own words and give a personal example. I think that this would also force the students to take ownership of the word and make their learning personal and give it real world meaning.