My Ela Block: Vocabulary Instruction

Thanks for popping inward to read the 3rd business office of my ELA weblog series! If you lot missed either of the kickoff 2 posts, you lot tin give the axe purpose the links below to acquire caught up.

Part One: Whole Group Reading Lesson

Part Two: Reading Centers

Today I am sharing all almost my vocabulary instruction!

Vocabulary pedagogy is thus of import that I laid aside 10-15 minutes every twenty-four hr menses for explicit vocabulary lessons too practice. This fourth dimension helped my students to increase their reading comprehension too transcend to a greater extent than interesting writers.

What Words I Teach

I am going to country this too I promise that no ane is offended.... 

Just because a discussion appears inward your reading curriculum does non hateful that it is a discussion that belongs inward your vocabulary lessons. #sorrynotsorry

Some of those words are obscure too rattling specific to that item story. One story from my reading curriculum was almost cowboys. One of the vocabulary words was "chaps." It is a cracking discussion to acquire when learning almost cowboys. But unless they read westerns, students aren't probable to come across that discussion inward other bird storey texts.

Instead of teaching these obscure words, I chose to learn tier 2 words. If you lot are non familiar alongside the unlike tiers of vocabulary words, hither is a run down:

Tier One: These are words that students don't demand to endure taught because they already know them when they come upward to school. Examples: cup, baby, happy

Tier Two: These are high frequency words that students do non already know, but volition probable regard inward bird storey text. Examples: frigid, grasp, obsolete

Tier Three: These are content specific words that pertain to a specific subject. Examples: dividend, photosynthesis, compass

The argue that I learn the tier 2 words is because they are words that my students volition regard over too over inward bird storey text too on assessments. In fact, I flora the words for my vocabulary units past times studying bird storey books. #ireadkidbooks

My Routine

I accept a vocabulary routine that stayed consistent every week. I loved non having to recreate the bicycle every unmarried week!

Monday

On Mondays I introduced our 5 novel words for the week.

I introduced words ane of 2 unlike ways.

1. I gave the students a judgement alongside the discussion inward the sentence. I asked students to purpose context clues to determine possible meanings. After getting some educatee responses, I wrote the right Definition on the board too discussed the clues inward the judgement that would assistance you lot to determine that meaning. This helped my students to exercise context clues too inference! #doubledipping
2. Sometimes I gave my students the Definition too business office of spoken communication too and thus asked them to endeavor too purpose the discussion inward a sentence. This helped my students to exercise using the proper tenses, meanings too judgement writing. We would determine on ane cracking judgement to write inward our vocabulary journals.

Students tape the definitions too a judgement for each of the 5 words inward their vocabulary magazine on Monday.

Tuesday

On Tuesday nosotros would come upward up alongside 2 synonyms too 2 antonyms (or examples too non-examples) for each of our words. This procedure genuinely helped my students to brand feel of the weekly words. The examples too non-examples helped to brand the novel vocabulary words to a greater extent than concrete for my students. I also similar to throw inward some unique or fancy antonyms too synonyms from fourth dimension to time.

Tuesday is all almost talking almost words too why they are or are non goodness examples. We accept conversations almost parts of spoken communication too verb tenses. Students start to regard that the best synonyms are the same business office of spoken communication too tense every bit the master copy word. Sometimes the kids volition start debating a fleck almost which synonym or antonym nosotros should select to record. Since I accept taught them to endure respectful, these debates genuinely only deepen their discussion understanding. It is magical! #insertfairydust

Wednesday

On Wednesdays, nosotros genuinely took a pause from our weekly words. Each Wednesday, I gave my students a "wow word." It is only a discussion that has either a prefix or a suffix. (Using "wow" makes it audio similar a pretty cool word!)

We pause the discussion apart too position the root too the affix. We volition define the root too the affix too and thus nosotros volition brainstorm other words alongside the same root and/or affix.

Students accept "aha" moments when they realize how affixes modify the pregnant of a word! We are all the same actively talking almost vocabulary, but nosotros are also hitting the reading too linguistic communication standards associated alongside prefixes too suffixes.

Thursday

The human encephalon is thus amazing. When I was inward college I learned the fine art of color coding my class notes. If I made each category a unlike color- I could recall the information easier.

I purpose this same form of thought on Thursday. By this time, my students empathize the pregnant of the 5 novel words for the week, but I desire to assistance acquire inward memorable. I don't desire them to only endure words that they acquire for the calendar week too and thus forget.

On Th I give students fourth dimension to describe a pocket-size too elementary representation for each of their words. The drawings must somehow demonstrate the pregnant of the word. For example, when the discussion was gallop- ane of my students drew a Equus caballus running. When the discussion was clutch- ane of my students drew a mitt belongings a purse.

I exclusively give students 10-15 minutes for this activity. I tell them that they don't accept fourth dimension to endure Picassos. They should only sketch quick pictures. If they complete early, they tin give the axe transcend dorsum too add together color.

Friday

On Fridays nosotros started past times having fun too reviewing our words from the calendar week (and fifty-fifty previous weeks!).

Vocabulary Social

Sometimes nosotros had a vocabulary social. Each educatee is give a lanyard alongside a vocabulary discussion from the past times distich of weeks. They review the discussion inward their journal. I tell them that they must transcend experts on that word.

Then they volition pretend that they are the discussion too walk unopen to the classroom introducing themselves to their classmates. The conversation mightiness audio like, "Hi, I'm literal. One antonym for me is figurative." "Hi, literal. I am redundant. I am redundant. I am redundant. (Ha!) H5N1 goodness synonym for me is repetitive. Can you lot purpose yourself inward a sentence?"

The conversation volition transcend along for a distich minutes every bit each educatee shares what they know. Then they volition movement on to verbalise to unlike students. This is a fantastic agency to review earlier an assessment too it is a cracking agency to exercise all those speaking too listening skills! The kids similar it because it is a petty goofy! Goofy is goodness because nosotros tend to cry back things that brand us laugh.

Games

Some Fridays nosotros played games alongside our vocabulary words. We used electrical current words too words from previous weeks. I desire my students to endure exposed to these words over too thus that they are committed to their forever memory!

Sometimes nosotros played games every bit a whole group. Bingo too Jeopardy are ever a hit!

But if you lot genuinely desire to endure the coolest instructor ever, play Trashketball every at in ane lawsuit too again!

Sometimes I had students play games alongside partners or inward pocket-size groups. I dearest to comprise vocabulary words alongside pop board games.

Pop is some other super fun, but elementary to prep game.

If you lot would similar to acquire how to play all of these games too catch some costless printables, click HERE.

Assessment

Every other Fri students did an assessment on their vocabulary words. Since the assessment is biweekly, students accept longer to exercise the words too they must cry back the words for longer.

Vocabulary Resources

I accept created resources that volition acquire inward slow peasy for you lot to implement a vocabulary routine similar the ane that I used. The units include tier 2 words, instructor guides, educatee journals too printables, WOW words too a game board.

I accept these units available for second, third, 4th too 5th grade.

Click HERE to banking concern correspond out my vocabulary units.

I promise this gives you lot a goodness await at what vocabulary pedagogy looked similar during my ELA block! I accept a video almost my vocabulary pedagogy if you lot prefer to hear almost it take away from the horse's mouth. #iamaunicorn Click HERE to banking concern correspond out the costless video.

Are you lot ready to banking concern correspond out the adjacent post service inward my ELA weblog series?! The adjacent ane is all almost teaching grammer too linguistic communication without tedious the kids to death! Click HERE to banking concern correspond it out.

Have a Not So Wimpy day!