Starting a unit or lesson with the key vocabulary that students will see in their readings or presentations aids in overall comprehension and retention. In this activity, students will create a storyboard that defines and illustrates key vocabulary related to My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.
Students will preview the terms and definitions and use whole class or small group discussion to demonstrate their understanding of each meaning. This can be done at the beginning of each chapter so that students can preview what they will read or teachers could decide to do at the end of a chapter as an assessment. When students define and illustrate each term, they master the application of it and retain it as part of their lexicon.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a spider map defining and illustrating new vocabulary words in My Side of the Mountain.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: Must have 3 terms, correct definitions, and appropriate illustrations for each that demonstrate your understanding of the words.
Empower students to determine word meaning independently by guiding them to use context clues from the text. This builds deeper comprehension and lifelong reading skills.
Find sentences in which the vocabulary words appear within meaningful story contexts. Highlighting these sentences helps students practice inference and understand words as used by the author.
Walk through an example sentence aloud. Point out clues like synonyms, antonyms, explanations, or illustrations nearby that reveal the word’s meaning.
Assign each group a sentence with a vocabulary word and ask them to discuss what the word means, citing clues from the text. Encourage collaborative thinking and evidence-based reasoning.
Challenge students to write original sentences using a new vocabulary word, embedding enough context for peers to infer its meaning. This activity deepens mastery and allows for creativity.
Effective vocabulary activities for 'My Side of the Mountain' include creating visual vocabulary boards, using spider maps to define and illustrate terms, and engaging students in whole-class or small group discussions to reinforce understanding and retention.
To teach key terms, start by previewing vocabulary before reading each chapter, use storyboards and illustrations for each word, and encourage students to define terms in their own words. Discuss meanings as a class to deepen comprehension.
A visual vocabulary board is an activity where students define and illustrate new terms. It helps students by connecting visuals with definitions, making the meanings more memorable and supporting different learning styles.
Previewing vocabulary before reading prepares students to understand the text, improves reading comprehension, and helps them recognize and remember new words when they encounter them in context.
Yes, vocabulary activities such as defining and illustrating terms at the end of a chapter can serve as formative assessments, allowing teachers to gauge students’ understanding and application of new words.