Hi Everyone,
I will be teaching my first practicum class soon, and I have been asked to review the following list of vocabulary words from John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men. The class should already be familiar with these words, so I am to design a lesson plan to review their meaning and spelling. I have 2.5 hours to work on 47 fairly sophisticated words with about 25 students. This is a grade 11 prep class with students from 19 to 70 years old. Their vocabulary knowledge will eventually be tested in exams.
Given the level and number of the vocabulary words, I'm a little uncertain about designing a lesson plan that can cover them all without getting overwhelming. I want to do two related exercises, at least one of which should be group work. I was thinking about starting with a fill-in-the-blanks exercise, with groups choosing one of four words to write in each blank. A class game might be fun in the second half, maybe with teams rotating to write a given word on the board and use it in a sentence. At the end, I need to have some sort of measurable assessment of their learning.
These are just some first thoughts. I'm inviting each of you to help me out with other ideas and resources.
Here are the words:
Chapter 1
reluctantly, morosely, contemplated, pantomime, anguished, ashamedly, gestured, dejectedly, mimicking, glumly/goomily
Chapter 2
plaintively, complacently, ominously, contorted, apprehensive, derogatory, mollified, profound, skeptically, precede
Chapter 3
reprehensible, subdued, bemused, impressively, entranced, concealing, subsided
Chapter 4
sullenness, persuasive, convincing, gloominess, mauled, appraised, indignation, contemptuously, disarming meager
Chapter 5
sniveled, confided, sulkily, bewildered, writhed, consoled
Chapter 6
retorted, quivering, belligerently, monotonous
Collaboratively yours,
Ed
One of the best things will be catogrising them either as synonym or antonym this will be easier for them or help them know the value what i mean is whether it is a descriptive word or action word. Hope it helps.
ReplyDeleteHi Vipasha,
DeleteI was thinking about some way to incorporate synonyms and antonyms, either supplying some for them to match with the vocab list, or asking them to come up with some. I like the idea, but was afraid the lesson might become unwieldy. Maybe they could get bonus points for every synonym they can supply?
I noticed that most of these words are adverbs or adjectives. Do you think a sorting exercise would help? Maybe I could make cards for them to place in category columns. There are a few random verbs that might complicate things...
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ReplyDeleteHi Ed. I think for some of those words you can play a game of charades. Words such as mimicking, gloomily, quivering can be acted out. To make it easier you can say this next set of charades is from chapter 1. Perhaps a group of two actors can can work together. Of course some words will be difficult to act out so maybe use those ones with the fill in the blank portion.
ReplyDeleteHow about matching the words with a list of synonyms? Connect a line from one word to it's synonym.
What if you gave them the definition or hints (like in a crossword) and they had to give the word
Hope this helps. If i think of anything else I'll post again.
Cheers,
Rod
Hi Rod,
DeleteThose are all great ideas. I've been pondering how I can manage to coax these students into a game like charades. I'll have to ask my sponsor teacher what she thinks. It would be fun if I can pull it off.
Vipasha also mentioned synonyms so I'll have to work on something with those. I also want to make the students write down the words at some point, to check for spelling. A crossword might be useful for that.
Thanks for you help!
Ed
I love using charades as well with my class. In addition, depending on your access to tech in the class, you may want to use some pictures. Put pictures up on the screen and have students make associations between the pics and the words on the list. In other words, give them the words, perhaps give them the context for which these words appear, and have them match the words to a picture you are showing them. Could be fun.
DeleteHi Ed,
ReplyDeleteI have the experience of studying at the time when learning English was only thorough memorizing the words, and I know how this method is useless. So when I want to ask my students memorize a word, I show them the meaning and the way we use that word and then I ask them to use it in a sentence. I am sure that in this way even if the numbers of the words they learn are lower than in the other ways, but I am working with their long term memory and not short one. So they can remember the words even after a long time. I know it takes long time to activate the long term memory, but it is more effective.
Regards,
Nadia
Hi Nadia,
DeleteI agree that the words have to mean something to the students or they won't stay in memory for long. Somewhere along the line, they will need to use the words in sentences for sure.
Hi Ed, it's a challenge with the age range of the students being from 19 - 70. I'd design a bingo game. Putting all the words on different bingo sheets, dividing the class into groups, then you say the meaning of a word then ask them to find the words from their sheets that applies to that meaning and then ask them pronoun it out loud. You continue to ask until a group yells " bingo" then another group yells " bingo until a group wins the game. After that, each student in the group must choose a word from their sheets to make a sentence by them self. Through this game they can listen to the meaning of those words and also need to pronoun the word as they want to win the game. The objective of this game involves listening, pronunciation and writing. Hope this help --- Carol
ReplyDeleteHi Carol,
DeleteI came across the Bingo idea in an ELL resource book I got from the library, and I like it a lot! Great idea for the follow-up activity too. Thanks!
PS I have your worksheets from Monday's class for you.
Ed
HI Ed,
ReplyDeleteThose are excellent words, perhaps, not used daily by most people. Try a matching game. Make cards with the words and brief definitions, scramble them up and let students match up the definition with the words (maybe 2 groups). Give a time limit. Reward with a lollipop, etc..
For a group activity (enhanced) make them prepare sentences with at least two words in each sentence. The first team to finish wins.
Hi Baljit,
DeleteNever underestimate the power of the lollipop! There will be a game, and there will be rewards! Matching might be fun too. So many great ideas!
Ed
Hi Ed,
ReplyDeleteInteresting lesson. I thought a small group activity matching definitions with words might serve as a review for the students and an opportunity for you to confirm their level of familiarity with the vocabulary. Students could be given a handout with a list of definitions and the words that are to be matched, in no particular order. The back side of the page could have the definitions and corresponding words so that the groups could check their answers once they're finished and you would be able to do a general assessment.
Dianne
Hi Dianne,
DeleteMatching activities are popular with our class, so I will have to think seriously about incorporating them into at least one of my strategies. I like the self-checking aspect of your suggestion. Hmmm
Thanks for you help!
Ed