Vocabulary Instruction Activities
from: Beck, Isabel L., Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan. Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary
Instruction. New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.
Questions, Reasons, Examples (56)
-If you are walking around a dark room, you should do it cautiously. Why?
-What is something you could do to impress your teacher? Parents? Friends?
-Which of these things might be extraordinary? A rock that…
Making Choices (56)
If any of these things are examples of people clutching things, say “clutching.” If not, don’t say anything.
If any of these things might make someone look radiant, say “radiant.” If not, don’t say anything.
Relating Words (57)
Could a group of words be expressed in actions or facial expressions?
Use a group of words in one sentence.
Choose the proper word for the situation.
If you get your clothes ready for school the night before, would that be sensible or raucous?
One Context for All the Words (58)
What would an immense plate of spaghetti look like?
Why might you feel miserable after eating all that spaghetti?
What would it look like to eat the spaghetti in a leisurely way?
Same Format (58)
Is imagine more like dreaming or sneezing? Why?
Is snarl something a fish might do or a lion might do? Why?
Is grumpy a way your might feel or a way you might move? Why?
Children Create Examples (59)
If there was an emergency at an amusement park, what might have happened?
If you had a friend who watched TV all the time, how might you coax him into getting some exercise?
Applying Learned words to New Stories (69)
Use words learned in previous stories to describe scenes in current stories.
Remember the word deserve? Do you think this character deserves…
Using Words in Reading and Writing Situations (70)
Incorporate new words into the daily message.
Create a dictionary with word meanings and simple sentences.
Pull a word out of a hat and have students come up with sentences using the word.
Facets of Word Meaning (74)
Provide two similar situations, and students choose the more appropriate situations.
Which is an example of banter?
*A husband and wife argue about what to have for dinner.
*A husband and wife kid each other about who ate more at dinner.