Introduce Vocabulary: Animal Action ABC (Pandell)

From FreeReading

What to Do

Prepare

Select three Tier Two vocabulary words to teach your students. A list of suggested words appears below. Write the vocabulary words on the board or on chart paper.

Model/Instruct

1. Introduce the story.

Today we are going to read a story entitled Animal Action ABC.

2. Introduce the three vocabulary words you have chosen.

Before we read the story, I want to introduce some new words that we will come across. Please repeat each word after I say it.

3. Read the story.

Let’s read the story. Make sure to listen for today’s vocabulary words and to think about how they are used in the story. If you hear a vocabulary word while I am reading, raise your hand.

4. Define key vocabulary words. See definitions below.

Let’s think about our vocabulary words. The word ______________ means ____________. Does anyone remember how this word was used in the text?

Call on students to answer the question. Then refer to the text to show how the word was used in context. Repeat this process for each vocabulary word.

Practice

Now let’s practice what we’ve learned.

inflate

Inflate means to fill with air to make it bigger. What’s the word?

Only an item that is soft and stretchy can inflate. If you take a giant breath, your lungs inflate.

I’m going to name some items. If you think the item can fill with air and get bigger, say inflate. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• A tire
• A balloon
• A stomach
• A pencil
• A rock

peek

Peek means to sneak a quick look at something. What’s the word?

A baby loves it when mama plays peek with it. If you’re playing hide and seek, you’re supposed to cover your eyes and not peek.

I’m going to name some living things. If you think the thing knows how to sneak a quick look at something, say peek. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• A fish
• A chimp
• An apple tree
• A child
• A librarian

rely

Rely means to trust someone or something to do what they’re supposed to. What’s the word?

A firefighter must be able to rely on his fire truck to start every time. You can rely on your teacher to let you go to lunch on time.

I’m going to name some things. If you feel you can trust the thing to do what it’s supposed to, say rely. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• A broken alarm clock
• A car with flat tires
• Your parents
• A sharp pencil
• A new computer

scan

Scan means to look at something or read something quickly. What’s the word?

Instead of reading a whole book, some people try to scan it quickly. When you’re looking for a friend in a crowd, you scan all the faces.

I’m going to name some books. If you think you read it or look at it quickly, say scan. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• A book you might want to read
• Your favorite story
• A phone book
• A story you wrote yourself
• A book written in another language

vault

Vault means to jump high and far over something. What’s the word?

The little child began to vault out of his crib when he was only one year old. If you play leapfrog, you try to vault over the person in front of you.

I’m going to name some things. If you think you could jump high and far enough to go over the thing, say vault. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• A small stream
• The Mississippi River
• The Grand Canyon
• A wagon
• A car

Adjust

For Advanced Students:

If time permits, have students create more examples for the vocabulary words.

For Struggling Students:

If time permits, have students record the words on a Vocabulary Discovery Chart or in a Word Journal.

For ELL Students:

In order to help ELL students learn the words, it may be helpful to use realia and/or to teach cognates.

Related activities

• All Vocabulary Activities