Molly’s Pilgrim Vocabulary: Making Inferences and Using Context Clues
Third Grade/ November 2nd, 2009
Objectives: Students will be able to use context clues to predict meanings of new words, will understand
the meaning and uses of these words, will apply knowledge by writing sentences, will extend knowledge
and encounter words in new contexts.
Focusing Question: “When you find a word whose meaning don’t know, what can you do to make sense
of it?
Connection/Rationale: Students have not yet learned dictionary skills yet, so vocabulary must be
directly taught, making use of students’ inferential skills. “We are about to begin reading Molly’s Pilgrim.
Before we begin, we will learn about some challenging words we will be encountering in the text.”
Materials: student reading guides, chalkboard, vocabulary posters with definition, sample sentence, and
illustration. (vocabulary: embroider, tenement, synagogue, corkscrew curls, ignorant, modern, taunt)
Hook: “Today we are going to be word detectives. We will use clues to investigate the meanings of new
words.”
Learning experiences/procedures:
1. Review previous lesson about prior knowledge of pilgrims. Students will be introduced to lesson
using rationale and hook. “By the end of this lesson, you will not only have learned seven new
words, but you will be able to use them in sentences.”
2. Say new vocabulary word clearly. Write on board, then say again. Have students say the word.
3. Ask “Any predictions about what this word may mean?” Compile student predictions and repeat
back to students. Ask why they made certain predictions. Point out when students agree with
each other: “Okay, so I see that C and K both agree with D that the word “ignorant” means
“proud.”
4. Use the word in a sentence. Say the sentence twice. “Any other predictions? Does anyone want
to revise a prediction?”
5. Ask students what clues in the sentence led them to think that a word means ________.
6. Display vocabulary poster with the definition covered with a piece of paper. Point to the
illustration, and have students narrow down their predictions yet again. Remind students that
we have used both the sound of the word, the clues in the sentence, and the picture to help us
in being word detectives.
7. Give the definition of the word to students and some background context. Point out when
students have predicted correctly. Allow students to ask questions about the word. Use the
word in another sentence. Allow a volunteer to come up with another sentence the word might
be used in.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 for the rest of the words. As momentum builds, speed up the pace. By the end
of the lesson, the front of the room will be papered in vocabulary posters.
9. Give enrichment activity- “If you can go home and find this word being used on TV, in a book, or
if you can find it in a dictionary, - come back to us and report how you have sighted the word
and you will receive a small reward [ the reward was a photo of an animal from an old
calendar].
10. Assign independent work in reading guides. They will complete the vocabulary workout in their
reading guides.
Differentiation: Vocabulary has been introduced in a variety of ways (orally, written, visual) so as to
stimulate various learning styles. Students with lower skills with be completing vocab practice with a
word bank and a fill in the blank sentence. Others will be writing entire sentences using the new words
and the glossary in their reading guides. At home word hunt for enrichment.
Closure: “Today we have found that clues in sentences and pictures give us clues to the meanings of
difficult words. When we learn new words, we often start to recognize them in books, movies, TV, and
conversation. We will be keeping our eyes and ears open for these interesting new words. Now when
we read Molly’s Pilgrim we are already prepared to face these challenging words.
Assessment: Vocabulary practice, vocabulary test at the end of unit, enrichment activity, conversations
with students.
Reflection: This lesson was a great success. I found that leading the students into discovering the
meaning of the words on their own without a dictionary was way more effective than simply providing
the meanings of the words to them. They all did very well on the assessment. If I were to teach
vocabulary in this way again, I would find a different space for the posters because it became hard to
write on the board with all the posters in the way.