Cluster 3: Vocabulary Acquisition and UseArchived

Students will examine the effect of exotic species on an ecosystem by role-playing both a healthy food chain and one that has been impacted by Mayan cichlids.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Tiger Rising, written by the award winning author Kate DiCamillo, is an engaging story of two children whose lives are thrown together in a small town in Florida. Even though their personalities are in sharp contrast, they become friends who support each other through life's challenges of grief, pain, acceptance and their adventures with the tiger. Kate DiCamillo works her magic through her skilled use of figurative language to develop the characters in a way that engages readers in her character's adventures. Short chapters make this a perfect choice for literature circles. In this lesson, students will answer text-dependent questions as they analyze the two main characters in the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students have an opportunity to make real-world connections by choosing words and phrases for effect and determining an audience and purpose for writing. They will practice using common persuasive techniques used in argumentative writing and advertisements. The lesson includes a summative assessment and rubric in which students design their own ads for a vacation destination of their choice.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will complete a close reading of "Animal Farm," a nonfiction article found online at National Geographic that describes the incredible work one man accomplished as he turned a cattle ranch in Costa Rica into a national wildlife refuge. The students will conduct three close readings of the article, each time for a different purpose. The students will create vocabulary charts and find evidence in the article to answer a set of text-dependent questions. Students will then write an informative essay where they explain how the work of Jack Ewing changed this land. Sample responses are provided along with a writing response rubric.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will be read the non-fiction article, "A Well-Kept Secret." The students will work to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary from the article and find evidence in the passage to answer a set of text-dependent questions. Students will also explain how the relevant details support the central ideas and summarize the article.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with similes and metaphors through the use of music and a graphic organizer. At the end, students will write a poem demonstrating their mastery of these types of figurative language.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will practice recognizing and explaining the meaning of common idioms through poetry. As a summative assessment, students will complete an Idiom Art Project demonstrating an understanding of the difference between the literal and figurative meanings of the idiom they selected. Students will also mark and recognize rhyme scheme notation.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore various types of figurative language, concentrating on similes and metaphors. They will see how figurative language is used in poetry to add imagery and provide deeper meanings and also see how figurative language is commonly used in popular songs. They will examine different types used in current songs and determine the deeper meanings of the figurative lyrics.

Type: Lesson Plan

This MEA asks the students to design a system to water plants using rain water. Students apply their knowledge of the water cycle and grade specific content vocabulary to label and justify their design. Students also use context clues and dictionary skills to define the term permeability.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will be working with 5 types of figurative language, including similes, metaphors, idioms, personification, and alliteration. Students will work together to create anchor charts for each type of figurative language, and then work in small groups to identify figurative language examples in poetry. They will identify the type of poem they are reading as they are hunting for figurative language. Finally, students will complete an individual assignment to gauge mastery of the figurative language skills learned.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use prefixes, suffixes, and root words to create their own Affix Books. Students will use word parts to build new words and determine their definitions. Students will also include meaningful sentences and illustrations in their Affix Books.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will read poems, see pictures, and learn about personification- the figure of speech that describes nonliving/inanimate objects by giving them human characteristics. Students will identify types of poems and create lists of characteristics, identify feelings that they evoke, and write sentences using personification. They will be writing sentences using personification to express themselves and illustrate their examples.

Type: Lesson Plan

The goal of this two to three day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they've been practicing on a regular basis to absorb deep lessons from Richard Feynman's recollections of interactions with his father. By reading and rereading the passage closely, and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will identify how and why Feynman started to look at the world through the eyes of a scientist. When combined with writing about the passage, students will discover how much they can learn from a memoir.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use Greek root words, suffixes and prefixes, to 'create' polysyllable words.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is an introductory vocabulary lesson for a science unit on forces that reshape the Earth's surface, but the activity could be used as a model for teaching vocabulary related to other topics. Students will learn new words through listening, reading and discussion.

Type: Lesson Plan

Meet Detective Brown! He and his friends are all detectives.You know, readers are just like detectives. Detectives try to solve mysteries when they're on a case and readers try to solve mysteries when they're trying to determine the meaning of what they're reading. Just like detectives, readers need to look for clues to help them figure out the meanings of unknown words and phrases. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to use context clues to help you understand the meaning of a word or phrase.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Meet Melvin the Magician! When you’re dealing with magic, things are not always as they appear. That’s what makes magic fun! Similarly, when you’re working with adages and proverbs, things are also not always as they appear. Melvin will never reveal the secrets to his magic tricks, but he will reveal the secret to figuring out what adages and proverbs mean. Learn how to recognize adages and proverbs and explain their meaning.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to recognize idioms and explain their meanings as you complete this interactive, magic-themed tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this activity, students will identify the meanings of homographs by playing a matching game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify and sort contractions, synonyms, antonyms, abbreviations, homophones, and homographs.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the meaning of roots while playing a match game. As an extension activity, students will use roots to create words.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will make words containing affixes and use them in a sentence to show meaning while playing an affix game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will determine and record the meanings of words with affixes. They will then sort them by affix meaning.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will segment words into base words and affixes to determine the meaning.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will make words to match meanings by combining base words and affixes.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will match affixes to their meanings by playing a memory game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will match homophones with their meanings by playing a card game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will read two meanings and write the matching homograph.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will match antonyms by playing a memory game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify antonyms by playing a domino game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify synonyms by playing a bingo-like game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will produce the multiple meanings of words and use the words in sentences that demonstrate understanding of the multiple meanings.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify words to complete analogies.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the meaning of words by completing a questionnaire.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will produce category labels for related words to demonstrate understanding of their shared attributes/meanings.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will produce categories and corresponding words. As an adaptation to this activity, the students may sort teacher-selected words into categories and produce a category heading based on shared attributes OR produce words that belong in teacher-selected categories (based on units of study).

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will state words that correspond to specific categories by playing a board game. NOTE: A blank game board is provided to allow teachers to create categories relevant to classroom instruction. As an extension, students may choose the word that does not belong in a set of words and name the category for the remaining words.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the meaning of words in context.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will choose words based on meaning to complete sentences in a cloze passage.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify similarities and differences between the meanings of words using a Venn diagram.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will read sentences containing context clues and sort by the type of context clue.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will depict words by drawing pictures that relate to their meaning.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the meaning of words and word-related information using a dictionary.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will look up target words in a dictionary and record specific information.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will determine the meanings of unknown words using context clues.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify words with common roots and related meanings and sort them on a sorting board.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will find Hink Pinks that correspond to meanings by playing a matching game.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will match homographs with their corresponding meanings.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will sort words based on their understanding of the words' meanings. They will then determine the meanings of the words and record them.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will determine the meanings of unknown words and rewrite sentences from text to demonstrate their understanding.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of words by applying them to a variety of contexts.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will distinguish one word from another by completing an attribute analysis grid. As an adaptation to this activity, teachers may create attribute analysis grids that reflect units of study.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will write simple definitions, sentences, and synonyms of words on a recording sheet.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify examples of non-literal words and phrases in text and record possible meanings.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify and sort words containing the same root.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will produce words containing the same root and identify their meanings.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will produce synonyms and antonyms to match targeted words.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will write simple definitions, sentences, and examples of target words in a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will produce more precise alternatives for overused words in context.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will match words to their meanings.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will use reference materials to develop clues about target words. They will provide the clues to a partner until the target word is identified.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will find, discuss, record, and define selected words in a text.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will use strategies to identify the meanings of unknown words in context.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will show the relationship among words by placing them on a continuum.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will produce synonyms as more precise alternatives for overused words.

Type: Student Center Activity

This is a fifth grade poetry unit using the book Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art by Belinda Rochelle. This poetry unit addresses genre, main idea, tone, theme, author's purpose, and figurative language. The unit concepts are supported through a student packet, which includes worksheet activities and graphic organizers.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

This is a fifth grade unit on the novel The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The unit explores fantasy fiction, setting, effects of character decisions, plot, conflict, and theme. The student packet that accompanies the unit includes graphic organizers and worksheets to assist with reinforcing the unit concepts.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

This is a fifth grade novel unit on Dogs Don't Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar. A variety of concepts are explored throughout the unit, including genre, characters, relationships, prediction, textual evidence, plot conflict, and theme. The student packet provides graphic organizers and worksheets that can assist with implementing the unit concepts.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

This is a fifth grade book unit on The Story of Jackie Robinson: Bravest Man in Baseball by Margaret Davidson (Lexile 760). The unit features a series of lessons titled: Distinguish Between Biography and Autobiography; Author's Opinion; Retelling a Life; Events and Effects; Text Features. The resource also includes an 18-day pacing guide, student resource packet and answer keys, and a unit assessment and answer keys.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

This is a fifth grade unit on the novel The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. Several concepts are explored throughout this lesson, including plot, conflict, prediction, characters, theme, and relationships. The student packet and accompanying materials provide practice with these concepts.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

This is a fifth grade unit on the historical fiction novel Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan. Several concepts regarding the novel are explored, including genre, setting, real-world connections, and effects of a character's past. The student packet and accompanying materials provide ample opportunities for practice.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

This is a fifth grade novel unit on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. The unit incorporates instruction relating to the novel's setting, characters, plot, and theme - as well as the basic elements of fantasy fiction. The student packet that accompanies the unit provides some additional structure for the lesson content.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

This is a fifth grade unit on the novel Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Graphic organizers, charts, comprehension and vocabulary worksheets, and authentic collaborative activities are used to enhance interaction with the novel. Several concepts are pursued, including theme, conflict, relationships, plot, and characters.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

In this novel unit, broken up into seven lessons, students will learn about the genre of realistic fiction, making predictions, identifying plot conflicts, analyzing character relationships, examining gender roles, determining themes, and tracking character changes through reading and discussing the novel Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Lexile 810).

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

These online activities ask students to explore the use of words with multiple meanings. There are two sample worksheets provided on building vocabulary and remembering new words. In addition, there is a video on multiple meanings. Students will enjoy this online practice!

Type: Virtual Manipulative