While students read, they often encounter unfamiliar vocabulary. It's helpful for them to engage with new words beyond a quick dictionary check in order to help them understand the context in which the word is used. In this activity, students demonstrate their understanding of several vocabulary words using a spider map. After choosing the word(s), students provide the part of speech, definition, an example from the text, and demonstrate their understanding of the word(s) through an illustration in the related storyboard cell.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Demonstrate your understanding of the vocabulary words in The Little Prince by creating a visual vocabulary board.
Make learning engaging by introducing quick games like Vocabulary Bingo or Pictionary. These activities encourage students to recall and apply new words in fun, low-pressure ways, boosting retention and classroom participation.
Guide students to look for hints in surrounding sentences or illustrations. Model this by reading a passage aloud and thinking aloud about how context helps reveal a word’s meaning. This builds students’ independent reading skills.
Pair up students or form small groups to discuss each new word. Let them share their own definitions or sentences aloud, which fosters collaboration and deeper understanding through multiple perspectives.
Ask students to relate new words from The Little Prince to something in their own lives. This could mean sharing a story, drawing a quick picture, or explaining how the word connects to their world, making the vocabulary personally meaningful.
A visual vocabulary board for The Little Prince is an activity where students select key words from the story, define them, use them in a sentence, and create illustrations or find images that represent each word’s meaning, helping deepen understanding through both words and visuals.
Engage students by having them create spider maps or visual boards for new vocabulary, where they define each word, use it in a sentence, and draw or find images that show its meaning. This interactive approach makes learning memorable and enjoyable.
Some useful vocabulary words from The Little Prince for grades 4–5 include: extinct, baobabs, apparition, indulgence, dedicate, disheartened, digest, scarcely, distinguish, ponder, primeval, encounter, thunderstruck, extraordinary, and cumbersome.
Students should: 1) Choose three vocabulary words, 2) Find and write the definitions, 3) Use each word in a sentence, and 4) Illustrate the meaning through drawing or selecting images for each word.
Illustrating vocabulary helps reinforce understanding by connecting the meaning of new words with visual representations, making the words more memorable and supporting different learning styles.