This activity works really well as a review of multiple vocabulary units as long as too many words are not included. This one is always engaging and enjoyable – not to mention memorable. Ask students to walk around the room and take some notes regarding which words they think pair best with which objects or pictures.
You can use pictures instead of objects if you prefer. On the day students bring in the objects, display them around the room in a gallery format. Then, tell students to bring in at least one item from home that relates to or symbolizes that vocabulary word ( no valuables – Mom’s diamond ring and Dad’s cash stash are off limits!). Make sure students don’t share what word they have been assigned ( as much as possible). After your students have been introduced to their word lists and have spent some time interacting with the vocabulary, assign each student a different word (or words). Gallery activities can work a couple different ways, but I love how they encourage students to think about new words creatively. How does this word relate to _? (Give students additional words to place on the continuum with the vocabulary word, or allow them to choose some themselves.) Place the word on the continuum next to words that are like it or far apart from words that are unlike it.In order to do this activity, students must practice reflection. How well do you understand the… part of speech? root word? definition? synonyms and antonyms? examples and non-examples? sentence application? Ask students to indicate their understanding of each aspect on the continuum.How well do you understand the word? (Have students place the word on the continuum, and make sure the continuum is somehow labeled…by numbers (1-10) or by words: I have never heard of this word I’ve heard of it, but I can’t define it I can use this word in my sleep, etcetera).Some of my favorite ways to use continuums are to ask questions like these: I like using continuums because they help students reflect on their understanding of the word, and they also give me a valuable quick check for understanding. If you read my first post about brain-based vocabulary in the secondary classroom and are on a quest for more vocabulary activities to add to your teaching arsenal, I’ve got them.
If you want your students to learn words for the purpose of remembering them and actually using them in reading and writing, you need to make sure they engage with their vocabulary in unique and meaningful ways.
0 kommentar(er)
