Introduce vocabulary: Arthur's New Puppy (Brown, 1995)

From FreeReading

Activity Type: Introduce

Activity Form: Standard

Grade: K, 1

Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class

Length: 30 minutes

Materials: Arthur's New Puppy, Marc Brown

Goal: Given a word, the student can say its meaning

Items: active, astound, disappear

What to do

1. If more than three words are listed below, choose three. (It's tough for students to take in more than three new words in one go.) Write the three words on sentence strips (so they can easily be displayed after the lesson).
2. I'm going to read a new book to you today. It's called Arthur's New Puppy. It uses some words you might not know, so I'm going to tell you the words now. Then, when I read the story, I want you to raise your hand when you hear the word. Okay?
3. Tell students the three words and their meanings. Have them repeat the words back to you.
4. Remember, when you hear any of our three words, raise your hand. Ready?
5. Read the story. Praise students who correctly identify the words as you read. Repeat each word's meaning as you encounter it.
6. When you finish reading, go through the three words giving the complete sequence below for each word. You can give the examples/non-examples either to the whole group or to individual students. Feel free to add your own examples and non-examples, particularly if students seem unclear.
7. Optionally, read the story again.
8. Students need to encounter a word multiple times before learning it. So:
   • Try to find opportunities to use the three words during other activities in the next 24 hours.
   • Ask students to use the word themselves and praise them strongly when they do.
   • Be particularly excited about usage in contexts different from that in the book you read, since students often have difficulty dissociating a word and the specific context in which they first came across it.

active

• Active means moving around a lot. What's the word?
• Fish are active. When you play soccer, you are being active.
• I'm going to name some places. If you think you should be active in a place, say active. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?
  • The library
  • A gym class
  • A church
  • A wide open field
  • A parade

astound

• Astound means to surprise. What's the word?
• You children are so smart it astounds me. When the bell rings before you're ready to go, you might feel astounded.
• I'm going to name some items. If you'd be surprised to find the item in a grocery store, say astound. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?
  • A goat
  • A swingset
  • A can of pineapple
  • A box of cereal
  • A puppy

disappear

• Disappear means to go out of sight. What's the word?
• The magician was good at making things disappear. When you hide from your friends, they may think you've disappeared.
• I'm going to name some items. If a magician makes the thing go out of sight, say disappear. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?
  • A rabbit
  • A card
  • Your house
  • Your school
  • A coin