Examples of Vocabulary Applications from Innovative Methods 2010
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Name Courtney Smolen

Grade PRE K
Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
PreK
Proficient levels 1-4
Language arts
Children will identify opposites/antonyms

Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
1) I’d bring in different items that demonstrate opposites (big/small dry/wet
hot/cold). We would start by passing and touching all of these things.
2) I’d then identify background knowledge by asking children to tell me the
word(s) that would describe these things. I’d write them down to label each
item. I’d explain that since each pair is totally different from the other we call
them opposites/antonyms.
3) I’d then have each child tell me an opposite that they’d like to draw to
demonstrate their knowledge. For children who can write, they can write the
words of different opposites.

What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
We can use words to help us describe things.

What is the content objective? (not required for this assignment)
Each child will be able to identify opposites.

What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language objective
is sufficient.)
Children will expressively label items using the correct antonym words with
minimal teacher prompts.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative structures
incorporated into the activity?
Higher children can sound words out to write them along with drawing a picture

Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
Children really enjoyed touching the different items and exploring the
different materials. The idea of opposites was more challenging for the
children who had never heard that word before. With prompting almost all
of the children were able to apply the correct word (i.e. if this is night then
the opposite would be…) but when I had most of them do it without
prompting they’d get a little confused with actually stating the opposites.

Is there anything you would change?
I realized that they needed more examples before drawing the picture (I had only
provided them 3 hands-on examples). With the second group I tried this with, we
went through steps 1 and 2 and then we played a game with opposite pictures.
Then after we played the game I had them draw the pictures. For young children,
drawing abstract things is nearly impossible so the game helped them get a better
understanding, which then produced better pictures.

Bring examples of student work to the next class.
Note: If you want to add any student handout or classroom example to the assignment
you submit, add it to the end of your assignment and submit it as one docume
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Name Naomi Quiles
Grade 1st grade
 Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
I teach 1st grade TBE. I have students at all levels of English proficiency from entering to
developing. The vocabulary that I am doing an activity with is in Science about magnets.
 Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
Students will be creating a picture dictionary for the vocabulary. For each word students will
draw a picture and write a sentence. This will help them throughout the time we are learning
about magnets. Vocabulary: push, pull, attract, repel, force

What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
Magnets have forces that attract or repel some objects made of metal.


What is the content objective? (not required for this assignment)
What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language objective
is sufficient.)
Students will be able to define the vocabulary through pictures. Students will write
sentences about their vocabulary.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative structures
incorporated into the activity?
Students at the beginning stages will write a simple sentence. Students at the intermediate
level will write more detailed sentences. After the students draw their picture, students will
be in heterogeneous groups and they will show their pictures and discuss in language of
their choice what the picture is. Students will be able to discuss all of the pictures and then
go back to their seats and write about it.
 Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
Before the vocabulary activity, I separated the students into 4 groups. They each got a
magnet and a bag with lots of little things like paper clips, buttons, blocks etc. They were just
allowed to explore with the magnets and share with their group what is happening with the
magnet. Students began using the words stick and don’t stick to describe magnet activity.
This was my lead into the vocabulary lesson. The students truly enjoyed the exploring and
drawing the pictures and being able to show them and discuss them with their classmates.
 Is there anything you would change?
I would have students draw their pictures first instead of having them discuss after each
one. Then each student could be the expert of his or her word and teach it to the small
group. Also allowing students to add or change their pictures after the discussion.
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Name Diana Range
Grade 2nd
 Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
I work with three students in a 2nd grade intervention group for 40 minutes each day. The
students are ELL and are at the expanding English language proficiency level. The subject
is Reading and I used the vocabulary strategy to introduce vocabulary words in a new story.
 Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
I used the first three steps in Marzano’s 6 step process to building academic vocabulary.
The students were given a modified template of Marzano’s academic notebook. First, I
modeled Marzano’s steps 1-3 so they would know what was expected of them. After I wrote
a word on the board, students rated their understanding of the word. Then, we discussed
what they thought each of the words meant. I wanted to do a think-pair-share, but since
there are only three students in the group, we had a whole group discussion. We focused on
describing the words and not coming up with an exact definition. They described the words
in their own terms, drew a picture, and wrote an example. I had the students share their
drawings and descriptions with the group. The students had the opportunity to re-rate their
understanding of the term after filling out their templates.
 What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
The topical understanding is that it is important to understand the words that will appear in a
story.

What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language
objective is sufficient.)
Students will discuss, describe, and share the new vocabulary terms in a small group to
formulate a general understanding.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative
structures incorporated into the activity?
I gave the students a choice in how they went about filling out the template. If they wanted
to draw a picture to represent the term first, they could. If the students preferred to write a
description of the term first, they could. When it was time for the students to write an
example, I offered some sentence frames.
 Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
The students were really excited about the drawing step. They all chose to draw first, and I
feel it really helped formulate ideas of how to describe the term. I also feel that the
vocabulary terms will be more ingrained in their heads, especially having the academic
notebook template to reference. The students seemed very engaged throughout the activity
with meaningful discussion.
 Is there anything you would change?
We ended up spending almost 20 minutes on each term, which I feel is too much time. I
think next time I would use a set a timer for each step to keep us moving along at a steady
pace. I’m not sure if I would have the students rate their understanding because that
seemed to confuse them more than help them. I could get a sense of their understanding
just by discussing with them.

Bring examples of student work to the next class.
Note: If you want to add any student handout or classroom example to the assignment
you submit, add it to the end of your assignment and submit it as one document only.
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Name Chi-Li Quinteros
Grade 3/4

Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
4th grade science. Review of previously exposed vocabulary relating to space in a
class of 20 English proficient students, one level 5 student, three level 4 students,
and one level 3 student.

Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed. I used the
vocabulary strategy of connect 2.

What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
I understand that… learning how space vocabulary is connected will help me to
understand that elements in space are interconnected and cause effects on other
elements.
Example: Revolve is connected to orbit because the earth revolves around the
sun on an orbit. As the earth revolves around the sun on an orbit it causes a year
(365 days).

What is the content objective? (not required for this assignment)

What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language objective
is sufficient.) Students will connect words together and state how or why they are
related or what effects they have on each other.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative structures
incorporated into the activity? The cooperative structure I used with this activity was
Inside/Outside Circle. All vocabulary words were posted on the board on large
vocabulary cards with pictures for all to see. Students held papers with sentence
stems to assist them with language.
I differentiated by allowing students 3 choices each time they rotated around the
circle to share their connect 2 with a new partner.
1 – They may repeat their initial connect two.
2. They may “borrow” a previous partner’s connect two.
3. They may create a new connect two.
My hope was that the lower ELL students would feel comfortable repeating their
initial connect two. The mid level ELL’s would listen to a neighbor and copy their
language by “borrowing” a connect two. The higher-level ELL’s would generate
their own language by creating their own for each rotation.
Another way I differentiated was in the sentence stems I created for the different
levels of students. The stems progressively got more detailed, difficult, and
specific. See student handout of leveled sentences attached:

Evaluate the experience. What worked well? I really enjoyed using inside/outside
circle because all students are engaged in speaking or listening at one time. Also,
it was easy for me to circulate and hear many students within a short period of
time. I could challenge some students to use higher language. Because students
were sharing 12 connect two’s and were listening to 12 they were exposed to
many different levels of language.

Is there anything you would change?
Because of time constraints, it is always difficult to model activities as thoroughly
as I would like. I modeled several examples of this activity as a whole class and
allowed time for students to prepare their first connect 2. I then had to go around
and one-by-one make sure the ELL Students were on the right track. If I had had
more time, I would have allowed the ELL students time to practice this strategy
before the actual activity so that I could be sure they would be more successful
from the start. I did rely on this being a mainly verbal activity, but in the future I
would allow some students to write their connect twos to re-read to a partner, at
least until they got comfortable with the format of this activity.

Bring examples of student work to the next class.
Note: If you want to add any student handout or classroom example to the assignment
you submit, add it to the end of your assignment and submit it as one document only.
1. _______ is like ______ because ________.
2. _______ is connect to __________because_______.
3. _______and ____can be connected because _________.
4. _______ is similar to _________ because____________.
5. _______ is related to _________ because ________causes ______________.
6. ____and ____are connected because when _____happens, it causes _____
7. _______, _______, and _______can be connected. When _______, _______,
and _______ combine they cause ________.
8. _____ and _____ are connected because ______ is a cause of ______.
9. ____ and _____are connected because _____ is an effect of ______.
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Name Kim Andresen


4th grade special needs.
Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
I have one fouth grade dual language student on my caseload. I see her for
replacement math one on one. According to WIDA, she scores as developing
English proficiency.
Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
I will use the Marzano six steps process to teach the definitions and
characteristics of geometric shapes. I will read Captain Invincible and the Space
Shapes by: Stuart J Murphy. This will be a great introduction to the unit. Then I
will ask the student to take out paper to create a Geometry Shape book. I will
point out the shapes in Captain Invincible and define the characteristics of each
shape. I will demonstrate how to draw them on the board and the student will
draw the shape in her book and write the defining characteristics of each shape.
The student will use pair share (using me as her partner) to create a matching
game using index cards. One card will have a picure of the shape and the
matching card will have the name of the shape and the defining characteristics.
Later in the week, the student will play the matching game with me. Another
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activity we would do is to take out our 3D manipulatives and talk about the
characteristics while feeling each shape.
What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
I understand that there are several kinds of shapes all around me in my
environment.
What is the content objective? (not required for this assignment)
Given 10 shapes, the student will correctly name and identify 8 shapes by their
characteritics.
What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language objective
is sufficient.)
Students will use the terms square, circle, sphere, cylinder, cone, triangular prism,
square prism, square pyramid, triangular pyramid, rectangular pyramid, edge, face
and vertex to label pictures of solid geometric shapes.
How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative structures
incorporated into the activity?
Differentiation is incorportated by the very definition of special education. Her
lesson is custom made to her needs via the IEP. With any student, while I
progress through the lesson, if I find that the student is not retaining the
definitions, more activities with the shapes will be incorporated to increase
understanding and maintain retention. Due to the nature of my classroom the only
cooperative structure that will be incorporated is pair share with me.
Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
The lesson went well. The student loved not having paper and pencil. She loved
having the manipulatives to touch and feel. I liked having the book that she could
refer back to when we forget the characteristics of the shapes. Games are always
fun for my students. I was able to use the matching game again for Friday Fun.
Is there anything you would change?
The one thing I would change is having her draw the shape on the cards for the
game. It took too long and was an area of frustration for her. I think I would print
pictures and have her write the name of one of the shapes on an index card and
then identify the shape, cut it out and glue it to the other index card.
Bring examples of student work to the next class.
Note: If you want to add any student handout or classroom example to the assignment
you submit, add it to the end of your assignment and submit it as one document only.
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity. (2 clinical hours)
Name: Mariah Taylor
Grade: Fourth Grade

Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
Levels of English Proficiency: According to WIDA, my students’ language proficiency
ranges from Beginning to Reaching.
Subject: Social Studies
Content: The Southeast Region of the United States

Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
I used the Connect Two vocabulary strategy. We used this strategy to review the 10page chapter students had already read on the Southeast Region. First, students
silently made as many connections as they could between the set of vocabulary terms.
Students had access to their textbook and were encouraged to reference it. Next,
students stood up and found a partner in the classroom to share their connections using
the language models provided. Students continued to do this two more times, each
finding a different partner to share their connections. Students were encouraged not to
partner with anyone that was a seatmate (students are seated heterogeneously in
groups of 4.) After that, students returned to their seatmates to write and illustrate their
connections on a group poster. Each student took a quadrant of the poster, then
illustrated and wrote an important connection. They were encouraged to collaborate
with their 3 other group members, making sure that all connections were different.
Finally, student groups shared their posters with the class by each student reading aloud
their connection and explaining the illustration. These posters were placed around the
room and will be used for a future writing assignment.

What is the topical understanding?
Geographical regions of the world can be characterized by landforms, weather,
industries, historical events and the cultures of the people that live there.

What is the content objective?
Students will use be able to identify relationships between 9 Southeast locations
(Everglades National Park FL, Cape Canaveral FL, Jamestown VA, Memphis TN, New
Orleans LA, Montgomery AL, Natchez MS, The Gulf of Mexico, and The Appalachian
Region TN) and their important industries, landforms, musical influences and historical
figures.

What is the language objective?
Students will be able to say the prompt “__________ and __________ are
connected/similar/different because ________________,” while using the vocabulary on
the Southeast Region and speaking with a partner.
Students will be able to write expository sentences, using the prompts provided to show
how the vocabulary terms on the Southwest Region are connected.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative
structures incorporated into the activity?
In the beginning of the activity, students worked in pairs and were able to choose the
vocabulary terms they were most comfortable using. Also, my Level 2 students (2
students) were allowed vocabulary cards with visual images for each term. These
students were encouraged to share the two cards with their partner as a way of making
connections. As a challenge, students showed the page in the textbook where they
found the information. I want students to get in the habit of rereading for information, so
this encouraged students to practice this skill. The end of the activity required students
to work collaboratively together, sharing the ideas they heard and planning a poster that
would be most useful to the rest of the class. The lower level students only had to copy
the prompt, filling in the blanks with the two terms and writing how they were connected.
If students had trouble with writing this, their group members supported them. The more
advanced students were encouraged to elaborate on the connection, writing a short
paragraph giving more information on the subject.

Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
This lesson was extremely successful and I would do it again as a means of reviewing
terms that have already been taught. Students were extremely engaged and loved
sharing their ideas with each other. Since they were moving around the classroom, the
energy of the lesson was at a constant high. When students were discussing their
connections, I heard good questions being asked if someone was not sure of the
meaning. Also, using visuals with my Level 2 students helped them gain a firmer grasp
of the meanings. The post-activity where student groups completed a poster to show
their connections was also very successful. All students were able to participate and
show their learning both visually and in written language. This was a great activity!

Is there anything you would change?
In the future, I would chunk the vocabulary into smaller parts and have my students do
this activity as a pre and post reading activity. Students need to interact and discuss the
vocabulary multiple times and I believe this activity is the perfect way to do it.
The Southeast Region – A Vocabulary Review
delta
Everglades
The Kennedy Space Center
cotton
petroleum
Mississippi River
New Orleans, Louisiana
Cape Canaveral, Florida
electricity
settlers
Martin Luther King, Jr.
bayou
Montgomery, Alabama
Cajun Food
swamp
plantation
Gulf of Mexico
segregation
birds
slaves
Memphis, Tennessee
Appalachia
Jamestown, Virginia
The Blues
strip mine
Sun Belt
rocket
Cajun Music
farming
Civil Rights Movement
fertile soil
Blue Grass Music
coal
oil rig
alligators
Natchez, Mississippi
CONNECT TWO
______________________ and ______________________
are connected because ____________________________.
______________________ and ______________________
are similar because ____________________________.
______________________ and ______________________
are different because __________________________.
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Name
Jeanne Shin-Cooper
Grade 11th, 12th US Hist. Sheltered

Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content
1. ESL students in my US History Sheltered class are either 11th or 12th grade. The
majority of students are either in ESL 3 or LEP English. As a result, many of
them are almost transitioned out of the program. However, I have a few students
who are ESL 2.

Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
1. 3-day lesson on vocabulary and content of the Gilded Age, which eventually
leads into a larger unit encompassing Progressive Era and Imperialism.
2. Vocabulary: Gilded Age, industrialization, captains of industry, robber barons,
immigrants, tenements, working class, child labor, exploitation
3. Introduction to the word
 I introduced the word Gilded Age by showing a picture of something
covered in gold. We discussed the element of gold used in their life, such
as jewelry, and discussed the malleability of gold. We also judged how
gold might make something increase in value
 Students were given a list of new vocabulary words and asked to create a
List-Group-Label based off of their previous knowledge of the words.
Students were given two categories (power and no power) and completed
this in pairs. As a whole group, we discussed why certain words were
placed under each category.
4. Lecture

The class took Cornell notes on a lecture about the Gilded Age which
included all the vocabulary words.
5. Using word in sentence prompts/ cloze sentences
 Students verbalized their understanding of the content and vocabulary
words by using sentence prompts
 I understand that ___________.
 The definition of ______ is ________.
 One negative/positive aspect is _________.
 The Gilded Age means ___________.
 The Gilded Age affects me today because___________.
6. Connection to today
 During the lecture, several connections were made to the content
 Influences of J.P. Morgan, Rockefeller, Carnegie
 Traces of tenements (Cabrini Green)
 Immigrant life
 Rights of workers back then and today (minimum wage, working
hours, no child labor, worker privacy over Internet?)

What is the topical understanding?
With great power, comes responsibility.
The Gilded Age, Progressive Era, and Imperialism all have a notion of
power and responsibility.

What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language objective
is sufficient.)
To understand and apply key vocabulary words of the Gilded Age
To verbally express understanding and connection to the Gilded Age
To understand the main idea and details of the lecture

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative structures
incorporated into the activity?
Students worked independently, in pairs, and as a whole class
Students practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking
Cooperative structures used were Think-Pair-Share for the introduction and
Numbered Heads for the conclusion

Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
The lesson went really well mostly because I was able to successfully tie the
concepts to today. By bringing up the idea that their Chase bank card can be
tied to J.P. Morgan or that the gas they get from Exxon Mobile is tied to
Rockefeller made the history alive. Also, the students were very interested in the
lives of immigrants and their struggles. This will tie into a deliberation will we
conduct at the end of the week about immigrant issues today.

Is there anything you would change?
The big change for me was to start using the sentence prompts and cooperative
structures. Since this is new and I am still mastering the implementation of the
strategies, I am happy with the progress of the lesson thus far.

Bring examples of student work to the next class.
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Name: Stacie Noisey
Grade: 6
 Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
This lesson was used with a heterogeneous grouping of sixth grade students in a language
arts class. The ELL students all had an ACCESS composite score of 3.0 or higher.

Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
The vocabulary strategy I chose was a word sort. This class has been systematically
studying word structures of affixes and root words. Groups of four students were given
sheets with words that contained prefixes or roots we had studied. They first discussed.
Then they illustrated the words. They cut apart the words and sorted them into
categories. After sorting, they had to identify the category they had defined. Students
were challenged to categorize words in as many ways as they could.

What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
Word parts can give you clues to discover the meaning of a word.

What is the content objective? (not required for this assignment)
Apply knowledge of word origins and derivations to comprehend words used in specific
content areas.

What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language
objective is sufficient.)
Recognize and identify common word structures of roots and prefixes.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative
structures incorporated into the activity?
I used Numbered Heads Together as a cooperative structure. I differentiated for my ELL
students by using color coded highlighting of the prefixes and roots in each word. All
students were able to use a reference list of roots and prefixes we had studied which
included meanings and other examples.

Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
The experience was good. The cooperative groups worked well, though I noticed my
ELL students didn’t talk as much as I had hoped in some groups. By having students
illustrate their own cards, I felt they developed a better understanding of the words. I
even heard so “a ha” moments.

Is there anything you would change?
In retrospect I might change some of the words because they were hard to illustrate.
Some kids were very creative, but others were frustrated.
Cut the strips apart and sort.
biography
photography
microphone
geology
geography
telephone
photograph
autobiography
microscope
geometry
micrometer
telescope
Draw a picture to illustrate your word.
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the the 6 Step
Process for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours)
Robbin Bedard
4 February 2010
8th Grade Language Arts, Reading, ESL

Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
o These students are 8th grade, Tier C, ESL Students. I teach Language Arts, Reading,
and ESL support for the core classes of Math, Science and Social Studies. In these
lessons, I was pre-teaching key vocabulary for an upcoming Math unit in the Connected
Math “Growing, Growing, Growing” unit on exponential relationships.

Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
This lesson incorporates Marzanos Six Steps to Effective Vocabulary Instruction.
1. Key vocabulary was indentified in partnership with the Math department who would
be teaching the content area for the Growing, Growing, Growing Connected Math
Unit (Appendix A). This vocabulary instruction was taught the week prior to the
content applications in the students’ general education math class.
2. Teacher provided an explanation of each term along with a visual representation
(picture or drawing) of terms to help students better understand the vocabulary
(Appendix B).
3. Students completed a Frayer Model for the vocabulary terms, indicating the word,
formal definition, definition in their own words, drawing to help them understand the
word, and their own sentence utilizing the word (Appendix C).
4. Students learned (on separate days) two separate activities to be completed in
upcoming literacy stations:
 Students played “memory” with two sets of cards. One set with a
word/definition pair and one set with a word/picture pair (Appendix A and
Appendix D).
 Students played a “Spin and Spell” activity where Student 1 chose a word
from the bank and Student 2 spun to select either Spell it, Use it (in a
sentence), Draw it or Define it (Appendix E).
In both center activities, the other students at their tables acted as the judge on
whether or not they were accurate, ensuring engagement by all students.
(Students were introduced each of the activities on a separate day before they
had a choice of the two).
5. Students participated in a Word Work literacy center, in which they could chose
either (or both) of the above activities in a small group setting.

What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
Many words are important for the understanding of exponential relationships (which the
students will be learning). Several of these words have different meanings in math than in
everyday life.
Note that the Connected Math curriculum is based on investigations in which the students
are presented the Big Idea, in this case of Exponential Relationships, through a series of
investigations utilizing hands-on experiments with inductive and deductive reasoning
throughout. Because I was pre-teaching the vocabulary for this unit, they Big Idea does not
encompass the content portion focused on the application of the mathematical concepts.

What is the content objective? (not required for this assignment)

What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language
objective is sufficient.)
Students will understand the meaning of key vocabulary related to exponential relationships
and explain them verbally, in writing, and complete sentence frames utilizing the words.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative
structures incorporated into the activity?
Differentiation was incorporated as the students chose words to teach the class. Lower-level
students were given the opportunity for first choice of the words and guided toward those
words which would be easier for them.
Students worked cooperatively at several points during the lessons. Students worked in
partners as they completed their Frayer Models, though each student needed to use his or
her own words on the assignment. Students worked in mixed-ability small groups to create
their word lesson, though each student was required to have a role in the presentation.
Students worked in mixed-ability groups in their literacy stations.

Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
The students engagement throughout the work on this vocabulary was outstanding. This
was the first test drive at running literacy stations in preparation for Guided Reading. I
expected the students to need greater interventions both behaviorally and instructionally,
however once they were in their groups and understood the instructions, they were
completely engaged and productive in their work together. There really wasn’t a part that
didn’t work, although they were pretty nervous when they were teaching their individual
words.

Is there anything you would change?
In the beginning, I provided the students with the images that represented the words. I
question if I shouldn’t have had the students work together to brainstorm what the image
could be rather than feeding it to them. I feel this would have made a greater connection and
ensured that they truly grasped the connection between the image and the word rather than
just memorizing the association, which I felt some students did.
Additionally, since this activity, I have tried (on separate vocabulary) having students in
teams of 2-3 sign up for one word on the vocabulary list and given the challenge of teaching
that word to the other students in the class utilizing some creative device to help the
students remember the word. They were encouraged to sing it, act it, or say it in a unique
and memorable way that related to the word. Students taught their words to the class, using
their own creative techniques. Most chose to act out a skit that explained the word. If I did
this sequence again, I would incorporate this activity after the Frayer Model and before the
literacy stations.
Note: If you want to add any student handout or classroom example to the assignment
you submit, add it to the end of your assignment and submit it as one document only.
Appendix A: Growing, Growing, Growing Vocabulary
base
compound
decay
exponent
exponential
factor
investment
linear
rate
standard
Appendix B: Visual Cues for Growing, Growing, Growing Vocabulary
Appendix C: Frayer Model for Growing, Growing, Growing Vocabulary
Name: ____________________________________
Vocabulary 4-Square
Definition
A picture to help
me remember:
Definition
A picture to help
me remember:
In My Own Words,
this means:
A sentence that
uses the word:
In My Own Words,
this means:
A sentence that
uses the word:
Appendix D: “Memory” Word Bank for Growing, Growing, Growing Vocabulary
base
compound
decay
factor
exponential
standard
linear
rate
investment
exponent
the main part of
something. Other
things are added to
it to make it larger
or complete.
one of the things
that causes
something to
happen
regularly used or
accepted and the
norm.
made up of two or
more parts
a slow loss or
breaking down of
something
a description of
something
the speed at which
becoming faster and something happens
faster or bigger and
over a particular
bigger as it
period of time
continues
in the form
of a line
a symbol that is
written above and
to the right of a
number to show
how many times the
number is multiplied
by itself
some amount of
money that is used
to earn more money
Appendix E: “Spin ‘n Spell” Vocabulary for Growing, Growing, Growing
Spin ‘n Spell
Hints & Tips
1. The “Reader” Picks a Word from the Vocab Sheet. The Reader is the
only one who can look at the vocab sheet.
2. The Spinner spins and finds his or her task.
 “Spell it” means the “Spinner” must spell the word correctly
without looking. [1 pt.]
 “Use it” means the “Spinner” must use the word correctly in a
sentence, that helps to show the meaning of the word. [2 pts.]
 “Draw it” means the “Spinner” must draw a visual representation
of the word, then explain the meaning of the drawing to the group.
[3 pts.]
 “Define it” means the “Spinner” must give a verbal
3. If the Spinner lands on a line, spin again.
4. Keep score on the Score Chart.
5. The “Reader” decides if the Spinner’s answer is acceptable (using the
vocab sheet).
6. Keep score on the Score Chart.
7. Use each word only one time.
8. The game ends when all words have been used.
Spin ‘n Spell
Scorecard
Player 1 Name:
_______________
Total:
Player 1 Name:
_______________
Total:
Player 1 Name:
_______________
Total:
Player 1 Name:
_______________
Total:
Katie McCarthy Administrator Example, Elementary Principal
Assignment 3: Apply a differentiated vocabulary activity OR at least Steps 1-3 of the 6 Step Process
for Building Academic Vocabulary. (2 clinical hours).

Identify grade, levels of English language proficiency, subject, and content.
I worked with a group of five fourth grade students on Monday in my office. Two students are
ELLs who had been at my school since third grade. They are solid in their social language but
aren’t familiar with all the words students may use in a social situation. The content area is
SEL/Second Step; I learned that a bully could use words, friends, and physical contact to hurt
others.

Identify the vocabulary strategy used. Explain the activity if needed.
I used the first three steps of BAV to introduce the term “bully” to the students. First, I gave the
traditional definition of a bully; someone who makes other people feel bad. I gave the examples
of a bully asking one of them for their lunch money everyday and another about a bully
punching one of them after school one day. The students all agreed those were good examples
of bullies, so I asked them to give me an example of a bully, either that happened to them or
that they watched happen to someone else. Each student gave me solid examples using my
sentence prompt “A bully is someone who…” such as asks to copy their homework, says they
were going to beat up a friend, and calls another person a mean name. This was step two of
BAV because they could all give me an explanation or example in their own words. For the third
step, I had students draw me pictures of what happened on Friday.

What is the topical understanding? (The big idea about the topic.)
I learned that there is a connection between bullying and my own actions.
Our discussion about bullying was intended to help the students see they were acting as bullies
to the student who was called the name and by persuading other students to call him the name
without them actually saying it. (The two ELL students called the third child the name after two
other students convinced them it was his nickname and liked being called it.)

What is the content objective? (not required for this assignment)
Students will use the five problem solving steps to create an agreement on future bullying
issues in their classroom (Second Step).

What is the language objective (Since the focus is on vocabulary, a language objective is
sufficient.)
Students will participate in a small group discussion.
Students will share an example of a bully in a small group setting.
Students will discuss and apply the Second Step problem solving steps to the current issue.

How was differentiation incorporated into the activity? Were any cooperative structures
incorporated into the activity?
The whole “lesson” was done as a small group after I was done collecting information from them
in a private situation. Each child agreed to meet with the others present to get to the bottom of
the situation. The conversation was differentiated in itself, as three students were already
familiar with using the problem solving steps as a solution to their bullying issues. For the other
two students, it was new and I spent some time reviewing the steps and had a visual poster
listing the steps to help them stay focused.

Evaluate the experience. What worked well?
This is my third time speaking with three of the five students for bullying each other, but the
previous times were during recess. This time the setting was much less concrete and the
bullying was very subtle; it was true “girl” style bullying using manipulation. I think it worked well
to use the problem solving steps from Second Step with them (again) because all views were
represented throughout the discussion. By our defining “bully” I learned each child did not have
the same interpretation of such a person, and that some of the students felt they did not act in
such a manner. I think it worked well to have the students draw pictures of what happened
since I was not there; it helped me see their point of view as well as there understanding of
bully-behavior.

Is there anything you would change?
I would not change anything. I will admit it is a long process, though.

Bring examples of student work to the next class.
Note: If you want to add any student handout or classroom example to the assignment you
submit, add it to the end of your assignment and submit it as one document only.