Introduce Vocabulary: For You are a Kenyan Child (Chunnane)

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 For You are a Kenyan Child.

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.

plump

Plump means a little bit fat, or not skinny. What’s the word?

The bird seemed to have a way to find the plump worms and leave the skinny ones behind. You shouldn’t call a person plump because it might hurt feelings.

I’m going to name some words. If you think the word means a little bit fat or not skinny, say plump. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Scrawny
• Twiggy
• Overweight
• Chubby
• Round

remind

Remind means to say something so that a person remembers something or someone else. What’s the word?

Your father might remind you to brush your teeth before you go to bed so that you don’t forget. Did you remind your parents that we are going on a field trip on Friday?

I’m going to say some things. If you think they would make you remember to do something say remind. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Did you remember to look under your bed for your toy?
• It’s very hot outside today.
• My feet hurt.
• Did your teacher give you homework to do tonight?
• Doesn’t that little boy over there look like your brother?

stray

Stray means when something wanders away from the place it should be. What’s the word?

You might see a stray cat in the street that has wandered away from its home. If your mom says to stay in the yard, you shouldn’t stray from there.

I’m going to name some things. If you think the thing is wandering away from the proper place, say stray. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• A horse in the barn
• A dog in the middle of traffic
• Someone’s mind when he is daydreaming
• A puppy that is supposed to wet on the newspaper but wets on the floor
• A goldfish in a bowl

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