Notice that each row across the two pages includes: the vocabulary term, a definition, space to write the answer to the question for that word, an image for the term, phonetic spelling for the term, a complete the sentence task, and space to write the key ideas from the yellow sentences of the paragraph for the term. These terms have been chosen to support understanding for key ideas in the unit. If you do not understand the vocabulary, you will have a hard time on the unit assessments.

Each vocabulary term is explained through a Google Slides unit vocabulary presentation that has been given to all students through Google Classroom, but can also be accessed in the folder at the bottom of each unit page on the Class Website and looks something like the example below:

(NOTE: ALL CLASSROOM MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CLASS WEBSITE!)

HOW DO WE LEARN THE VOCABULARY TERMS IN CLASS?

Vocabulary is so important to our class that we will spend 15 minutes of the class period working on learning just one term on most days. This process is meant to give students practice for many skills and hopefully lead to a greater understanding of the term. The steps below outline this process, explain the reasoning behind it, and identify what skills the students are practicing by doing it.

Step 1: Identify the term and sound it out using phonetic spelling. (1 minute)

• Students at Tomas Rivera are generally not fond of reading or learning new words. This process can be made more stressful because students do not like to make mistakes in front of others by mispronouncing words. This activity is meant to get them comfortable saying the word.

• Using the slide above, the student should sound out the term using the phonetic spelling in green. After two or three times they can move on.

Skills Practiced: phonetic pronunciation of words, reading, speaking, listening, mistake correction, following directions

Step 2: Analyze the key ideas of the vocabulary paragraph by focusing on the yellow sentences and rewriting the main concepts on slide and in workbook. (5-7 minutes)

• This is where students will spend a majority of the time to learn the vocabulary term.

• Each term has a paragraph explanation that identifies the main ideas students need to remember. The image below is an example of this paragraph.

• The color coding of the sentences is there to show students how a typical academic informational paragraph is written, very similar to what they learn in Language Arts to create C-E-R written responses. The green sentence being the Claim or Topic, the Yellow sentences are Evidence or Examples of the claim, and the Red sentences are the Reasoning or Details.

• The student should read the green topic sentence to identify that the paragraph is indeed discussing the vocabulary term for that day.

• If they struggle with the reading, every paragraph has a video recording students can play to listen to the paragraph being read to them!

• Next, the student needs to focus on the first yellow sentence and write out the key concepts within that sentence in their workbook in the section shown below:

• Once the workbook portion has been completed, students can reinforce the information in their slide presentation seen below.

• The same sequence is repeated for the second yellow sentence so students have filled in both bullets by typing on their slide and writing in their workbooks to identify the key ideas from each sentence.

• At the end the teacher will clarify the key points in the yellow senteces that should have been identified.

Skills Practiced: reading comprehension, summarizing, group collaboration, listening, speaking, working within a time-limit, typing, penmanship, Google Slides use, following directions

Step 3: Complete the sentence on both the slide and in the workbook. (1-2 minutes)

• Each vocabulary term has a ‘Complete the Sentence’ task where students need to identify the missing words to correctly define the term. These are on the slide and in the workbook seen below:

• Student can work with their groups to identify the missing words in the sentence.

  • This should be easy since the sentence is a summary of what we see in the definition and the paragraph.

• Students correct any mistakes in their in their workbook and on their slide after we go over the answers as a class.

Skills Practiced: typing, group collaboration, sharing, listening, speaking, penmanship,following directions

Step 4: Answer a multiple choice question to once more check for understanding and write the answer in the Student Workbook. (1-2 minutes)

• Students will answer the vocabulary term question in their head. An example can be seen below:

• At this point we have completed our work on the vocabulary term in the workbook and will move on to the unit notes and paragraph.

Skills Practiced: answering questions, checking for understanding, summarizing, penmanship, following directions

Step 5: Analyze the picture and record what story you think it is telling. (OPTIONAL: 1-2 Minutes)

• While completion of the vocabulary in the student workbook needs to happen first, here is where students would write on the Student Vocabulary Slide Presentation.

• Students can choose to work as groups to discuss what they see or take a shot at it on their own.

• Students can type out what they saw in the picture onto their Student Vocabulary slide as seen below.

• This portion of the slide is not copied into the Student Workbook.

Skills Practiced: image analysis, group collaboration, speaking, typing, note-taking, working within a time limit, summarizing, listening, Google Slides use, following directions

Step 6: Watch video to help students further understand the vocabulary term. (OPTIONAL: 2-5 minutes)

• In this step, student will close their Chromebooks and give their full attention to a short video that reinforces the information we have been discussing.

Skills Practiced: prolonged attention, listening, following directions.

Step 7: STUDENT DefineS the vocabulary term and type it out on the slide. (OPTIONAL: 2-4 minutes)

Some examples might be:

• • The Roman Empire is a big area…

  • Humanism is an idea…

  • Columbus is a person…

• Students should recall information identified in the yellow sentences earlier to help them describe the term.

Some examples might be:

• • The Roman Empire is a big area controlled by the city of Rome…

  • Humanism is an idea that started during the Renaissance…

  • Columbus is a person who was a famous explorer…

• Finally, they will continue using previously discussed information to explain the term and finish the definition.

Some examples might be:

• • The Roman Empire is a big area controlled by the city of Rome that made many engineering achievements.

  • Humanism is an idea that started during the Renaissance that focuses on human achievement and improvement.

  • Columbus is a person who was a famous explorer and is known for discovering the Americas.

• Students should have typed out their definition on their slide here.

• They do not need to write this in their workbook as a definition is already provided.

Skills Practiced: listening, typing, sharing, collaborating, speaking, following directions

The pages in the Student Workbook vocabulary terms should all be completed like the example below: