TITLE:    VOCABULARY -UNFOLDING MEANING

AUTHOR:   DIANE PHILLIPS; SAPULPA MIDDLE SCHOOL, SAPULPA, OK

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:   6- 7        CHAPTER ONE

OVERVIEW: 

MANY STUDENTS ARE UNABLE TO "COGNITIVELY" CONNECT WITH NEW 
DEFINITIONS.  MEMORIZING DOES NOT STAY WITH THE STUDENT.  A BETTER 
WAY IS SUGGESTED.

PURPOSE:

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY, USED THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, IS 
TO TEACH A STUDENT TO MAKE "REAL MEANING" FROM NEW VOCABULARY 
WORDS USING THE WHOLE LANGUAGE PHILOSOPHY.

OBJECTIVES:

AS A RESULT OF THIS ACTIVITY, THE STUDENT WILL

   (1)   USE THE DICTIONARY AND THE THESAURUS EFFECTIVELY

   (2)   BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN A DEFINITION IN HIS OWN WORDS AND WITH A 
          "REAL" STORY.

   (3)   WRITE A CREATIVE STORY WHICH EXPLAINS AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT 
          WORD

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS BEST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS PERIOD.  IT 
GETS THE STUDENT IN THE LEARNING MODE.  IT IS EXCELLENT FOR CLASS 
DISCUSSION AND FRIENDLY COMPETITION AND IT TEACHES "COGNITIVE 
PROCESSING".

RESOURCES/MATERIALS

   DICTIONARIES AND THESAURUSES, CHALK BOARD, PAPER AND
   PENCILS

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:

   (1)   LIST A SINGLE WORD ON THE BOARD EACH DAY IN AN AREA
         OF THE CHALK BOARD MARKED "VOCABULARY".  STUDENTS
         HURRY INTO THE CLASS ROOM AND GRAB A DICTIONARY TO
         LOOK UP THE WORD, TO READ THE DEFINITION TO THE
         TEACHER ONE TO ONE, TO EXPLAIN THE DEFINITION TO
         THE TEACHER IN STUDENTS OWN WORDS, TO GIVE A "REAL"
         STORY EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE WORD MEANS.  TEACHER
         "COGNITIVELY" PROBES THE STUDENT FOR BETTER UNDER-
         STANDING AND EXPLANATION.

   (2)   STUDENT MAKES A 3 X 5 NOTECARD WITH THE WORD ON ONE
         SIDE AND THE DEFINITION IN THE STUDENT'S OWN
         WORDS ON THE BACK SIDE.  THE EXAMPLE IS BRIEFLY
         EXPLAINED ON THE BACK SIDE.  CARDS ARE KEPT IN
         ALPHABETICAL ORDER IN A METAL RECIPE BOX BELONGING
         TO EACH CHILD.

   (3)   TEACHER LEADS DISCUSSION FOLLOWING THE FIRST TWO
         ACTIVITIES ARE COMPLETED.  TEACHER PRONOUNCES THE
         VOCABULARY WORD AND ASKS FOR A VOLUNTEER TO READ
         THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION TO THE CLASS, THEN ASKS
         SOMEONE ELSE TO VOLUNTEER TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE
         DEFINITION ACTUALLY MEANS.  THEN, SHE ASKS FOR
         EXAMPLES OF THE MEANING.  THIS IS ALL DONE WITH THE
         WHOLE CLASS.  ANY TIME SOME ONE WHO IS CALLED ON
         HAS TROUBLE EXPLAINING THE DEFINITION, THE STUDENT,
         HIMSELF, CAN ASK FOR "HELP" FROM A CLASSMATE AND
         THEN HE MUST EXPLAIN WHAT HE "HEARD" THE CLASSMATE
         SAY.

   (4)   ON FRIDAY OF EACH WEEK, EACH STUDENT GETS OUT ONE
         SHEET OF PAPER, PLACES ONE OF THE FIVE WORDS FOR
         THAT WEEK ON THE TOP OF THE PAPER.  HE THEN CREATES
         A "REAL" STORY THAT, ONCE READ, WILL EXPLAIN THE
         DEFINITION OF THE ABSTRACT VOCABULARY WORD.  A FEW
         STUDENTS WILL VOLUNTEER TO READ THEIR STORIES IN
         FRONT OF THE CLASS.  THE CLASSMATES WILL HAVE TO
         GUESS WHAT WORD THE STORY DEFINES.  (THEY WILL HAVE
         THE 5 WORDS FOR THAT WEEK STILL LISTED ON THE BOARD
         FOR REFERRAL)  STORIES ARE PLACED ON THE BULLETIN
         BOARD MARKED "CREATIVE WRITING".

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:

   EACH WEEK THE STUDENTS WILL HAVE A VOCABULARY TEST OVER
   THE FIVE WORDS FOR THAT WEEK.  STUDENTS WILL WRITE THE
   WORDS DOWN FROM THE BOARD AND EXPLAIN THE DEFINITION IN
   THEIR OWN WORDS.  NOT A MEMORIZED DEFINITION  TEACHER
   GRADES AND RETURNS THE PAPERS.

NOTE:

   AS THE STUDENTS BECOME MORE PROFICIENT IN USING THE
   DICTIONARY AND THE THESAURUS, THE FRIENDLY COMPETITION
   GROWS.  TO BE THE FIRST TO FIND THE WORD AND EXPLAIN IT
   TO THE TEACHER IS SO EXCITING FOR THE KIDS, THAT THEY
   BEGIN LOVING TO USE THE DICTIONARY.  THEY WANT TO EXPLAIN
   EVERYTHING THEY KNOW AND GET REALLY GOOD AT DOING IT.
   THIS IS AN EXCELLENT SELF-ESTEEM BOOSTER FOR THE
   RELUCTANT AND THE UNDERACHIEVER!