Introduce Vocabulary: Make Way for Ducklings (McCloskey)

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 Make Way for Ducklings.

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.

responsibility

Responsibility means a chore or activity that you must do because it's your job or because no one else can do it. What's the word?

It's fun to have a puppy, but taking care of it is a big responsibility. One of your responsibilities is to work as hard as you can in school.

I'm going to name some chores. If you think the chore is something a child must do, say responsibility. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?

• Finish your homework
• Make your bed
• Fix the car when it breaks down
• Put away clean laundry
• Drive the school bus

satisfied

Satisfied means to be happy with the way things turned out. What's the word?

The man said he was satisfied with the meal he got at the restaurant. When your mom says you can watch your favorite show, you feel satisfied.

I'm going to name some things. If you think you'd be happy with the way the thing turned out, say satisfied. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?

• The team you like won the game.
• The lunch at school was your least favorite thing.
• There was beautiful weather on the day of the field trip.
• You got tickets to see a fun new movie.
• Your big balloon floated away.

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.

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