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Introduce vocabulary: Miss Spider's Tea Party (Kirk, 2006)

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Activity Type: Introduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 30 minutes
Materials: Miss Spider's Tea Party, David Kirk
Goal: Given a word, the student can say its meaning
Items: conceal, courtesy, demand, descend, dread, fragile, frail, gloomy, peer, reputation, shriek, strode


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 Miss Spider's Tea Party. 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.

conceal

  • Conceal means to hide something. What's the word?
  • A dog will bury its bone to conceal it from other dogs. When you buy a gift for someone, you conceal it until it's time to give it.
  • I'm going to name some items. If you think you could hide the item under a hat, say conceal. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • A car
    • A toothbrush
    • A baseball team
    • An orange
    • A horse

courtesy

  • Courtesy means polite behavior. What's the word?
  • It's important for people to treat each other with courtesy. When you say "please" and "thank you," you are showing courtesy.
  • I'm going to name some actions. If you think the action is polite, say courtesy. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • Holding the door for someone
    • Playing your music softly so it doesn't bother others
    • Spitting
    • Dropping trash on the ground
    • Waiting for the other person to finish speaking before you talk


demand

  • Demand means to ask for something strongly. What's the word?
  • The woman didn't just ask the waitress for more coffee, she demanded it. Usually, you should not demand that your friends do what you say.
  • I'm going to say some sentences. If you think the sentence is strongly telling someone to do what you want, say demand. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • Get out of my way!
    • Bring me some pie!
    • Would you like more cocoa?
    • I will ride my bike to school.
    • Pay attention to me.

descend

  • Descend means to sink or move lower. What's the word?
  • Once we reach the top of the mountain, we will descend to the town in the valley. If you climb to the top of the ladder, you will want to descend carefully so you don't fall.
  • I'm going to name some items. If you think the item sinks or moves lower, say descend. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • An airplane coming in for a landing
    • A rock in the water
    • A bird coming down to catch a mouse
    • A boat on a lake
    • Your school

dread

  • Dread means a big fear. What's the word?
  • I felt dread as I watched the spider crawl towards me. Whatever you are most afraid of is what you dread.
  • I'm going to list some animals. If you think the animal would have a big fear of people, say dread. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • A tiger
    • A shark
    • A wild rabbit
    • A mouse
    • A deer

fragile

  • Fragile means easily broken or not very strong. What's the word?
  • A spider web looks fragile, but it is actually strong. Be careful with your homework; paper can be fragile.
  • I'm going to name some items. If you think the item is easily broken, say fragile. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • China plates
    • Window
    • Your desk
    • The flag pole
    • A cement wall

frail

  • Frail means a thing that is very weak. What's the word?
  • The newborn horse was sick and frail, so they didn't know if he would live. You should help people who are frail, because they're not as strong as you.
  • I'm going to name some people. If you think the person is very weak, say frail. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • A very old lady
    • A wrestler
    • A cowboy
    • A man in a hospital bed
    • A sick baby

gloomy

Gloomy means dark and not bright or cheerful. What's the word?

  • When it rains all day, it makes me feel gloomy. If your room is too gloomy, add another light bulb to your bedroom lamp.
  • I'm going to name some places. If you think the place is dark and not cheerful, say gloomy. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • A cave
    • A park
    • An empty movie theater
    • A forest at night
    • The beach at noon

peer

  • Peer means to look carefully at something. What's the word?
  • The children peered into the scary house before entering. When you're not sure if your mom is still sleeping, you might sneak into her bedroom and peer at her.
  • I'm going to name some items. If you think you would look carefully at the item, say peer. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • Your school
    • A special shell you found on the beach
    • A small feather
    • The sun
    • A scary skeleton

reputation

  • A reputation means what other people think of someone. What's the word?
  • The man was so kind and helpful to his friends that he had a great reputation. If you want a good reputation, you should be honest and nice.
  • I'm going to name some behaviors. If you think doing the behavior will make other people think well of you, say reputation. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • Telling lies
    • Taking other peoples' lunches
    • Helping the teacher
    • Doing all your work
    • Being clean

shriek

  • A shriek means a sharp, fast, loud scream. What's the word?
  • The babies got so excited they shrieked and clapped their hands. It might be OK to shriek on the playground, but you should never shriek in school.
  • I'm going to name some places. If you think it's OK to scream loudly in the place, say shriek. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • The library
    • The classroom
    • An exciting ball game
    • A horse race
    • A swimming pool

strode

  • Stride means to walk quickly with long steps. What's the word?
  • The little child walks slowly, but his mom strides across the lawn. I knew you were in a hurry when I saw you stride down the hall.
  • I'm going to name some places. If you think you would walk quickly with long steps in the place, say stride. Otherwise, don't say anything. Just sit quietly. Ready?
    • A playground
    • A large football field
    • The mall
    • lAn art museum
    • A beautiful flower garden