Pamela M. Fowler
Goal: TO INCREASE WORD USAGE AND VOCABULARY SKILLS
The student will develop and utilize a vocabulary book which includes that vocabulary he does not know how to spell, is foreign to him or misuses in his work.
Phonics and linguistics are two ways of teaching children to read and spell. The two are so often interchanged in every school system, school district, school and classroom. My students spell phonetically. They know that they spell the words wrong because the words do not look right— in steps frustration and the idea that they will never be able to spell. I want to discourage that from happening. I intend to use the rote teaching for most of my vocabulary lessons in conjunction with phonics.
Each week, beginning on Monday and Tuesday, five words are introduced to the students for a total of ten words per week. These words gradually increase in difficulty so that the child can see progress in his ability to learn. The “New Vocabulary” is taken directly from the readings of the classics, and in the future, from the short stories. Once the vocabulary is identified the teacher writes them on the blackboard as the students copy them down into their notebooks.
The first set of exercises that the students complete is to figure out the definition of the words. It is not important that the students know the book meaning. After the class understands what the word means, in relation to their lifestyles, it is time for them to come up with a sentence that explains the word correctly. At this point I found that all of my students were working together rather than working against each other. The teacher writes the class definition on the board and their sentence following. The class is to copy both down exactly as they see it. This will begin to teach them a simple form of organization and outline.
It is the student’s responsibility for homework to write each word and its definition three times and to study and know the definition for a quiz on the following day. This is done for two days, and on the third a set of written exercises is required for the students to complete. The exercises are written on the board and copied into their notebooks. Each exercise is related directly to the vocabulary to increase spelling, defining and utilizing the word correctly. For homework the same night I require my students to study the sentences and the words for a sentence dictation session the next day. This also aids in increasing their understanding of the meaning and use of the word in context.
On day five the students are well prepared to take a spelling test which is dictated by the teacher. The teacher says the word, uses it in the sentence that the class created and then repeats the word a second time. Following this the students write the word on their paper. Do not allow the students to begin to write until the entire sequence has been completed. This session increases their listening and recalling skills.
In the second quarter when the class begins to read the selected short stories the teacher introduces the students to an additional exercise that they are to be responsible for. The students are to locate and identify the vocabulary given in their readings, copy the sentence it is used in and find the “book definition” along with the definition the class came up with. Aside from this ‘dictionary work’ each student is solely responsible for finding and recording ten words that he came across in his readings. These words are determined by asking three questions, “Do I know this word?”, “Do I understand what it means in context?”, “Can I spell it without looking?”. If the answer to any or all of these questions is ‘No’ then the student knows that word is one which belongs in his vocabulary book. This book becomes a source of reference for the future semesters.
Day 1
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1) Introduce new vocabulary #1-5. Teacher writes the words on the board as students copy them into their notebooks.
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2) Teacher and students define the word and create a sentence using the word correctly.
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3) Teacher writes the definition following the word and the sentence underneath as the students copy the work into their notebook.
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Example: Divide means to separate. I will divide this pizza in half.
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HOMEWORK: Students make a copy of the words and definitions to take home. Write each word and definition three times each and study for definition quiz.
Day 2
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1) Students take a dictated definition quiz.
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Teacher says the word, students write the word on their paper and follows it with the definition. Upon completion the class corrects peer’s papers together, by switching papers.
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2) Teacher introduces second half of new vocabulary as in Day 1.
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HOMEWORK: Repeat assignment from day one using the new vocabulary.
Day 3
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1) Students take definition quiz using the vocabulary from Day 2.
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2) Teacher writes a series of written exercises on the blackboard for the students to do. Students write the exercises in their vocabulary books and complete as per the directions.
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A. Put all your vocabulary in alphabetical order.
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B. Unscramble these words to make the vocabulary.
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C. Fill in the blanks with the right letters.
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D. Write one of your own sentences for each of the following words.
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E. Match up the correct definition with the appropriate word. (and vice-versa)
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F. Write one vocabulary word which rhymes with each of the words below.
G. Divide these words into syllables then tell how many syllables there are in
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the word.
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H. Tell what word means the same as these words below.
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HOMEWORK: Students will study the sentences from 1-10 for a dictated sentence quiz.
Day 4
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1) Teacher will dictate the ten sentences to the class twice. The students will then write the sentence on a piece of paper paying special attention to the spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
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2) The students will exchange papers and the class will correct.
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HOMEWORK: The students will write all ten words five times each and study for the vocabulary test.
Day 5
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1) Teacher will dictate to the class the vocabulary. He/She will say the word, use it in a sentence, then repeat the word a second time. The students will spell the word on their paper. Follow the sequence through all ten words.
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2) The teacher will assign two students to correct the tests.
Lesson lb English
Day 1
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1) Introduce new vocabulary #1-5. Teacher writes the words on the board as students copy them into their notebooks.
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2) Teacher and students define word and create a sentence using the word correctly.
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3) Teacher writes the word and sentence on the blackboard as the students copy the format down into their notebooks.
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4) Teacher instructs students to read short story and upon completion to find the vocabulary in context, noting the page number and the exact form in which it was used.
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HOMEWORK: Same as Lesson Plan 1a.
Day 2 Same as Lesson Plan 1a.
Add step four in the above lesson using the second half of the new vocabulary.
Day 3-5 Same lesson as in Lesson Plan #1a.