ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.
Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.
Teacher Resources by Grade
|1st - 2nd||3rd - 4th|
|5th - 6th||7th - 8th|
|9th - 10th||11th - 12th|
Viewing Vocabulary: Building Word Knowledge Through Informational Websites
|Grades||6 – 8|
|Lesson Plan Type||Standard Lesson|
|Estimated Time||Two 40-minute sessions|
MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY
- Butcher paper
- Computers with Internet access
- Sticky notes
- Index cards
- Australia’s Biodiversity Hotspots
- CIA: The World Factbook: Madagascar
- Library of Congress Country Studies
- Madagascar, a World Apart: Creature Features
- Madagascar’s Chameleons
- Uncovering Chameleons
|1.||Familiarize yourself with the Ten Important Words Plus strategy by reviewing the summary of the strategy provided in the From Theory to Practice section in the Preview tab of this lesson. The strategy supports vocabulary development in students, encouraging them to examine words in a meaningful context, evaluate their relative importance to the content, use the words multiple times, and use the words flexibly and beyond the immediate context.
|2.||Visit the Uncovering Chameleons website. Bookmark the website on your computers so that it is easily accessible for students during research time. If you do not have classroom computers with Internet access, reserve two sessions in your school’s computer lab. You should also visit the other listed websites and bookmark them on the computers students will be using.
|3.||Gather 10 sticky notes for each student. Hang a six-foot piece of butcher paper or clear your white board so that it may be used to post sticky notes.
|4.||Prepare colored index cards or card stock with text from the Vocabulary Prompts handout. Begin by printing several copies of the prompts and cutting them apart. Glue copies of the same prompt onto the same color card, so that all cards of the same color have the same prompt. For example, paste copies of the first prompt on a blue card, copies of the second prompt on a yellow card, etc. If you choose, laminate the cards so they are more durable as you may want to use them many times and with many texts. Select three or four prompts to use with this lesson.
|5.||Select several words from the article to use in Session 1, Steps 9 and 10. Suggestions are provided in Session 1.
|6.||Make copies of the Find the Word! handout for each student in your class. Fill out your own handout to use as a model in Session 2, Step 2. After completing it, post the handout in the room where it will be visible to all students.