Children are all born with the same ability to learn, but different environmental factors cause differences in each child's level of ability by the time school begins. In conversation adults use between 5,000 to 10,000 words repeatedly. Children hear these words and learn them. The more words the child is exposed to the more words they will understand. The only other way to learn new words is through reading. The students I teach do not choose to read because of their inadequate artillery of known words. It is up to me to expose them to new words that are necessary to understand messages that influence their lives. By listening and reading along with Presidents Eisenhower's and Kennedy's speeches, the students will build vocabulary, create interest in the text, improve understanding of sentence structure and improve their ability to visualize text. This will all be accomplished without breaking the flow of comprehension.
The objective of this activity is to have the students increase their vocabulary while generating a better comprehension of the reading material. The activity will encourage descriptive writing by focusing on the sound of words. Students will read along while they listen to an audio recording of the speech. The student will highlight words that appear to be important or descriptive in language. This activity is used to increase vocabulary development as well as increasing comprehension of the author's message.
Research shows that graphic organizers are effective learning implements for students with and without learning disabilities across all grade levels. They are effective in reading comprehension and vocabulary building and they promote organization for written assignments. They foster metacognition and systematically structure the learning process.
Throughout this unit the students will be provided with graphic organizers to increase an understanding of the words, messages and organization of persuasive writing.
A vocabulary graphic organizer will be used as an instructional accommodation. This will address the students with specific learning disabilities in reading comprehension. Students will write the word and definition in a central box on the page. Students will look up the definition with an electronic dictionary. This device is instant while promoting flow in the activity. If the word has any prefix roots or suffixes they will identify them with a provided list, and the meaning of each will be also labeled. On the side four synonyms of the word will be identified, and on the bottom four examples will be determined. Students will then compose a sentence which shows understanding and meaning of the word.
