Here is a vocabulary lesson I implemented in class today. The students had a lot of fun with it. My goal for this year is to expose the students to as much vocabulary as possible, given that it is pivotal to their reading comprehension and writing skills. I like to have them use a variety of words without necessarily testing them on all of them. This lesson only took 15 minutes, yet I think the students were introduced to a plethora of new words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Objective: I can demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word important to expression.
As the students arrived to class, I greeted them at the door with a crown on my head. My crown read, "Captivated," and it had some symbols and a + sign. They asked why I was wearing this crown. I told them that I was feeling captivated right now by the brilliance and beauty of my students.
The students were instructed to use a thesaurus or dictionary.com to find a word that accurately described how they were feeling at the moment. After they found their word, they made their own crowns. Throughout the class period, I would call on a student randomly and ask them to elaborate on their feeling. Each student, at some point during the lesson, had a chance to explain how they were feeling.