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Copyright © 2012 Beth Anderson http://bethandersonwriter.com

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Vocabulary That Sticks! Tried-and-True Short Activities for Daily Practice of

New Vocabulary WHAT? A wide variety of activities using word cards or sticky notes that utilize varied levels of thinking and skills WHY IS IT EFFECTIVE? Students make words their own by using them in diverse ways. Building morphological awareness, working with meaning, and making a variety of connections on a daily basis will help make the new words a part of the student’s working vocabulary. HOW? These activities can be used as warm ups or sponges and should take 5-15 minutes once students become familiar with the routines. RESEARCH shows that multiple exposures (14-40) are necessary for most children to learn a word. And it takes even more to move a word from receptive to expressive vocabulary.


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Vocabulary that Sticks!

TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS: THIS LESSON CONTAINS:

• teacher instructions • 28 vocabulary activities

YOU WILL NEED: Sticky notes! Kids LOVE sticky notes! (index cards may be used in most activities)

• Large group: 3 x5 sticky notes (1 per word) • Small group or individual sets: small sticky notes (1 per word) • OR vocabulary cards (see “Word Power” lesson) • OR student made vocabulary cards using index cards.

WHICH WORDS? Vocabulary specified by your curriculum is a start, but you may want to add your own word choices depending on the needs of your students. Words are typically chosen from within the context of text or literature, but they may be drawn from other materials as well. Vocabulary should always be connected to meaningful context. PROCEDURE: Introduce the words by discussing pronunciation, meaning, and several usage examples. Also use some kind of visual representation. Depending on grade level and language level, you may want to include synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and additional word forms. A Power Point presentation is an excellent way to introduce the new words. For some activities, you may want individual vocabulary card sets with words on the front and image/definition on the back.

efficient


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Activities should begin with the most basic understanding of the words and then move to more complex comprehension, application, analysis and evaluation. Choose from the following activities depending upon what is most appropriate for your students, your objectives, and your word list. Some vocabulary lists will more easily fit with some activities and not with others. The most important sorts involve meaning. Students will refer to definitions and pictures the first few days as they do the activities but will soon be able to work with the words without this support. *Begin with a whole group modeling of each activity using a “think aloud” strategy, and then begin guiding and supporting until they are comfortable enough to start doing them on their own. With this instructional phase, the activities will take longer initially, but after a time or two, just the words “sort your cards for positive and negative” will be all you need. HOW TO DO A FEW OF THE MAIN TYPES OF ACTIVITIES: For card sorts using categories, students should evaluate the meaning of each word and decide which category it fits in best. For example: Does the word have a positive or negative connotation? “Is it a good thing or a bad thing? If you think the word is basically good, put it on the left side of your desk/table. If you think the word is basically bad, then put it on the right side of your desk/table.” This is also an opportunity for students to learn terms for categories such as positive/negative, physical/emotional, etc. *As long as students can support their choices with sound reasoning, their answers should be accepted. I generally don’t let them “sit on the fence” with an indecisive answer. They need to make a choice and support it. Other students may offer alternative answers with their own reasoning. It’s “all good” because they are negotiating meaning and making connections in their brains. When making connections, students should state a relationship between 2 words or the word and something else. For example: “Pick out 2 of the words and tell me how they connect.” They may choose synonyms, cause/effect relationships, antonyms, experiences from their lives that incorporate both concepts, etc. Then continue to choose 2 more to connect, and so on. (As a whole group, students find out that it pays to volunteer early as it becomes more difficult as there are fewer word choices left. You might ask students who have more difficulty with it to share ideas first.) CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: With all activities, after students have completed the activity, discuss their reasoning. Students really enjoy these activities and participate eagerly because, with most of the activities, there is no right or wrong answer. Creative thinking should be welcomed!


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(You don’t need to have every student explain every word. Just make sure you hit each word at least once, giving all students a chance to participate at some level.) ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS: Vary groupings to encourage students to discuss and work with word meaning. Card sorts can be done individually or in groups of various sizes – from partners to whole group. Use Organizers! You can make a T chart with sort categories on the board and sort the teacher set of sticky notes as a class, sticking them on the board. Or do it individually or small group using water based markers to make a T chart on the desks or tables, or use an imaginary T chart. You can sort words with a Venn Diagram. With a Venn, they could have a word fit both categories. For the cause/effect activity, use a cause/effect organizer, having students place words in either category and then fill in the missing cause or effect. Many of the activities lend themselves well to use of an organizer, whether it be story elements, sequence or another type of organizer. Draw the organizer on a white board for whole class, use laminated blank organizers on posters of varied sizes for smaller groups. EXAMPLES: Following the activity list are photos using some vocabulary words from an ESL class reading the novel Because of Winn-Dixie. Have fun!! I am sure you will discover even more activities for your students that will help their vocabulary words STICK in their brains.

copyright © 2012 Beth Anderson http://bethandersonwriter.com

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Meaning Vocabulary Activities Source

text NonFic-tion(NF) Fiction

(F)

Grammar

Word parts Con

nections

1. The most basic activity is matching word with definition or picture if you have made a set of the “Word Power” cards. If you don’t have the cards, read the definition and have them identify the word by putting their sticky note or vocabulary card on the desk.

NF F

x

2. Alphabetize the words – an easy way to teach or check on a basic skill

NF F

x

3. Beginning readers can do various phonics sorts. (beginning, medial, end sounds, rhymes, vowel sounds, etc)

NF F

x

4. Syllable sort – group the words by counting how many syllables they have: with 1 syllable, 2 syllables, 3 syllables.

NF F

x

5. Card sort: positive/negative Decide which words are bad and which are good.

NF F

x

6. Card sort: inside/outside (interior/exterior) Where do you think you would find or use these words?

NF F

x

7. Card sort: school/home Which words go with home? Which go with school?

F x

8. Card sort: home country or culture/ American culture or USA (ESL) Decide if the words fit more with your home culture or with American culture.

NF F

x x

9. Card sort: physical/emotional Which words are about feelings? Which ones can you see or touch?

F x

10. Parts of speech: noun/verbs (others depending upon list and class knowledge) After teaching the part of speech, practice with sorts. Which words are nouns? Stick them on the left. Which are verbs? Stick them on the right.

NF F

x x

11. Parts of speech: further sort nouns into person/place/thing/idea Pick out the nouns. Decide if they are a person, place, thing, or idea.

NF F

x x

12. Choose 2 words and state relationship between them. Have next student share with different pair.

NF F

x x

13. Connect word/s to self (each choose 1 or 2) F x x 14. Connect to a previous vocabulary word. Pull previous

vocabulary set/s of cards to use. State a relationship between a new word and a previously taught word.

NF F

x x


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Meaning Vocabulary Activities Source text

NonFic-tion(NF) Fiction

(F)

Grammar

Word parts Con

nections

15. Card Sort: nature/people Decide if each word relates to what we find in nature or if it is more about people and the way they live.

NF F

x

16. Word parts: prefixes/suffixes (also may find none or both)

NF F

x

17. Connect to person/body. This is loads of fun with a life-size cardboard cutout of a person (i.e. Jack Sparrow - these are often available on the internet or might be obtained from theaters or retail stores). Distribute teacher set of sticky notes. Students stick paper on body in appropriate place. (something you do w/ hand, feeling word on heart, thinking on head, sensory on sense organs, related to the clothing, etc.) This is a student favorite!

NF F

x x

18. Classroom connection: similar to above except stick notes on things in the classroom that connect to the concept.

NF F

x x

19. Draw it – hand out white boards or paper. Distribute teacher set of words and tell them to keep their word secret. Draw it, share, guess.

NF F

x

20. Dramatize – (individual or partners) Student choice or distribute teacher set. Keep it secret, do it, guess.

NF F

x

21. Multiple Meaning words – pull out words that have more than one meaning, share other meanings.

NF F

x

22. Ultimate connection activity (my favorite!): Display all sticky notes. As whole group or small group, one person chooses 2 words (stick them to form a line) and states the connection. Next - must connect another word to either of the 2 posted. Continue to connect another word to either end of the chain to eventually form a rectangle or circle with the sticky notes. The most difficult one will be the last word, which must be connected to the words on both sides of it. This has the air of a game show and can get quite creative!

NF F

x x

23. Cause/effect: create a cause and effect chart on the board and have students decide if the word is a cause or an effect. What would the missing cause or effect be? This works well with nonfiction.

NF F

x x

24. Story Elements Sort: decide if each word is about the character, setting or conflict.

Literary NF F

x x


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Meaning Vocabulary Activities Source text

NonFic-tion(NF) Fiction

(F)

Grammar

Word parts Con

nections

25. Analogies: use 1 or 2 of the words to create an analogy.

NF F

x x

26. Intensity – line them up from weakest to most powerful (may not work with entire list)

NF F

x

27. Make predictions: Before they encounter the text from which the words were drawn, predict whether they are from the beginning, middle or end of the text.

F x

28. Open sort: student groups decide on 2-3 categories, sort and explain to class.

NF F

x

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