Another great way to engage your students is with storyboards that use vocabulary from We are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball. Here are a few vocabulary words commonly taught with the book and an example of a visual vocabulary board.
Here are some ways to help your students find the meaning of the vocabulary words they choose:
(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 We are the Ship by creating visualizations.
Activate prior knowledge by discussing what students already know about baseball, segregation, or any vocabulary words before starting the lesson. Connecting new terms to familiar ideas helps students grasp meanings more easily.
Encourage students to think of times they’ve faced challenges, teamwork, or unfair rules. Relating words like ‘rival’ or ‘dedication’ to their lives makes vocabulary meaningful and memorable.
Invite volunteers to describe how a vocabulary word reminds them of a real-life event or feeling. Class discussion builds confidence and deepens understanding for everyone.
Suggest that students illustrate vocabulary with scenes or characters from their own experiences, not just the story. This personalization fosters engagement and ownership of the learning process.
After completing boards, ask questions like, ‘How does this word show up in your life?’ or ‘Have you ever felt proud, like the characters?’ Reflection helps cement new vocabulary in long-term memory.
A visual vocabulary board for 'We Are the Ship' is an activity where students choose vocabulary words from the book, define them, use them in a sentence, and illustrate their meanings with drawings, photos, or digital images. This helps deepen understanding and retention of key terms.
To teach vocabulary from 'We Are the Ship' effectively, encourage students to use context clues, analyze word parts, use print or online dictionaries, and create visual representations of each word. Combining definitions, example sentences, and illustrations makes learning more engaging and memorable.
Key vocabulary words from 'We Are the Ship' include segregation, barnstorm, dignity, ambition, roster, prohibit, peculiar, and debut. These words help students better understand the book's historical context and characters.
Students can use context clues by reading sentences around the unknown word, looking for definitions or explanations nearby, analyzing word parts, and using picture clues. This strategy helps them infer meanings without always needing a dictionary.
An effective student activity is to select three vocabulary words from 'We Are the Ship', find their definitions, write sentences using each word, and illustrate the meanings through drawings or digital images. This visual approach reinforces comprehension and creativity.