Robust Vocabulary Lesson for Owl Moon
By: Jane Yolen
Authorship Credit: Emily Simpson, Lisa Christy, Teresa Dhondt
Grade: 4th
As always, make adaptations to the words selected to meet the needs of your diverse students.
Tier 2 Words Selected:
crunched (page 5)
shrugged (page 9)
clearing (page 15)
threading (page 18)
Other words that were considered: owling, stared, echo, cloudy, shining
Planning for instruction/ Resources needed A copy of Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
 Sentence strips with vocabulary words and definitions
 Materials for graphic organizers
Day 1- Read aloud and discuss Owl Moon. During the reading define owling if necessary, and briefly
discuss Great-Horned owls to aid students in comprehension. This book lends itself to a discussion
about figurative language and descriptive scenery.
Day 2- Introduce Tier 2 Vocabulary Words using the following steps:
1. Say the word and show the written word on a card.
2. Tell the students the word in the context of the story. “In the story…”
3. Provide a student-friendly definition
4. Talk about the word in an additional context beyond the one used in the story.
5. Give students opportunities to interact with the word.
Crunched (page 5) – Show the word. Teacher says the word. Students say the word.
1. In the story it says, “feet crunched over the crisp snow and little gray footprints followed us.” Crunch
means to make a loud muffled grinding sound when crushing, moving over, or hitting something.
Opportunity for practice: I will give some examples. If the item crunches, pretend you are crunching a
carrot, an apple, etc… (Teacher models). If the item does not crunch, do nothing.
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Playing with Play-Dough (non-example)
Stepping on Autumn leaves (example)
Eating a nice, juicy steak (non-example)
A bike running over an empty coke can (example)
Eating potato chips (example)
Shrugged (page 9) – Show the word. Teacher says the word. Students say the word.
In the story, “Pa shrugged and I shrugged. I was not disappointed.” To shrug means to raise your
shoulders slightly for a moment to show you aren’t sure about something or to show unimportance.
Ask students to demonstrate shrugging their shoulders.
Clearing (page 15) – Show the word. Teacher says the word. Students say the word.
In the story, “Then we came to a clearing in the dark woods.” A clearing is an open space in the
forest. Clearing can also be used as a verb, meaning to make space or remove items.
Opportunity for practice: I will list some things you might see in a clearing. If it is an example of
clearing, stand up. If the item does not match clearing, stay seated.
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To take the dishes off of the table (example)
A deer standing in a meadow (example)
Pouring your Legos all over the floor (non-example)
An empty space between trees while hiking (example)
Taking all of the garbage out of your desk (example)
Threading (page 18) – Show the word. Teacher says the word. Students say the word.
In the story, “Pa raised his face to call out again, but before he could open his mouth, an echo came
threading its way through the trees.” Threading means to move carefully or skillfully in and out of
obstacles.
Opportunity for practice: I will list some situations. If the situation is about threading, weave your
hands back and forth (teacher models). If the situation does not apply to threading, keep your hands
still in your lap.
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Fog wandering through trees in a forest (example)
A needle and thread going back and forth through fabric (example)
My mom flipping pancakes in the kitchen (non-example)
A squirrel weaving through tree branches (example)
Day 3- Group discussion/Guess My Word Game
Place students in partnerships or groups of 4 (depending on class size). The most important thing is
for the students to have a chance to discuss and use the words in context.
“Guess My Word Game”
This spinner is a word wall game for a group of students. They take turns choosing a word. Then
they spin the spinner and give the group the clue the arrow landed on while the group tries to guess
the word. The blue arrow is designed to be attached to the spinner with a brad. *The game spinner
was purchased from http://www.teachersnotebook.com/dashboard
Day 4- Vocabulary Log
Depending on your classroom procedures or the skill level of your students, provide an opportunity
for students to record the Tier 2 words in a Vocabulary Log/graphic organizer. The log can include
the word, a student friendly definition, the word used meaningfully in a sentence (any of these can
be provided by the teacher as needed), and a picture of the word.
Word:
Sentence:
Definition:
Picture:
Day 5- Assessment
Directions: Please answer each question in complete sentences. Remember to use each bolded
vocabulary word in your answer.
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2.
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List 3 things you can “crunch.”
Describe something you might shrug about.
Draw a clearing in a forest.
Write a couple of sentences about a game of tag. Use the word “threading” in your sentence
Essay response: Using at least three vocabulary words, write about a time when you have been on
an adventure. Be descriptive! Tell what you saw, heard, and felt during your experience.
Next steps/ Reflection:
Consider using this book launch a writing activity in which students consider figurative language
and describing scenery.