Francis X.
Hegarty Elementary School
Island Park
Sara Merkle January 24, 2020
ELA New vocabulary within a text
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES (s) (Lesson Objective(s)*)
Students will participate in a Nearpod mini lesson and center activities to understand new words
in a text based on the definition that the author provides somewhere within a text.
NYS STANDARDS AND INDICATORS
ELA Standard: New York State Next Generation English Language Arts Learning
Standard
Language Standards
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4L4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
4L4a
Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a
word or phrase.
Indicator: This will be evident when students determine what a new word in a text
means based on the definition that the author provides for the word somewhere in the
text.
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
Nearpod Min Lesson Presentation
Smartboard and iPads
Guided reading books and materials
Independent reading books
Independent reading Activity
MyOn
MyOn Activity for Group 1
MyOn Activity for Group 2
MyOn Activity for Group 3
Context Clues Worksheet
MOTIVATION (Engaging the learner(s)*)
Students will first become engaged in the lesson by using an interactive Nearpod Mini lesson
presentation. Students will have to read different texts and highlight the part of the text that
helped them understand the unknown word. In addition, in center work, Group 1and Group 2
will be assigned books about animals which the students have shown interest in in the past.
Many of the other groups will be able to read their own independent reading books in which they
have selected themselves.
DEVELOPMENTAL PROCEDURES
(including Key Questions)
1. Students will begin Nearpod Mini Lesson. First, students will be introduced to the
objective of the lesson which is to find where a writer defines an unknown word in a text
and then to understand that new word.
2. Students will be asked to replace a nonsense word in a sentence with a real word based
on what the read in the sentence. Students will be able to choose the correct “real word”
answer from a multiple-choice format. (What should that nonsense word really be? How
do you know that’s the correct word? What part of the sentence can we look at to help us
understand which word should go there?)
3. Students will learn how the details from the text help us understand what the word is in
the previous scenario.
4. Students will then learn that sometimes when we read, we read a word we do not know
the definition of. However, sometimes the author will define the unknown word within
the text.
5. Students will practice, with the teacher, locating the definition of two unknown words in
a text with the interactive read aloud book, Eye to Eye. Students will have to highlight
where the author gives the definitions of the unknown words on their iPads during the
Nearpod presentation. (What do you think “ultraviolet light” and “tapetum” mean? How
can you tell? Where did the author write the definitions of these words?)
6. Students will practice, with the teacher, locating the definition of an unknown word in a
text with the interactive read aloud book, A Little Book of Sloth. Students will have to
highlight where the author gives the definition of the unknown word on their iPads during
the Nearpod presentation. (What do you think “paraplegic” means? How can you tell?
Where did the author write the definitions of these words?)
7. Students will practice this skill independently during the mini lesson, showing what they
know by answering a multiple-choice question on Nearpod. They will also have to
highlight where the definition of the unknown word was found in the text. (What do you
think the word affable means? Where does the author write the definition of the word?
What does the definition tell you it means?).
8. Students will break into centers to further practice the skill taught in the mini lesson.
9. Students in Group 1 will meet with teacher first for guided reading. Students will be
introduced to the text A Day Just for Kids by Ellen Catala. They will stop at different
points in the book to engage in discussion facilitated by the teacher about the vocabulary
in the book.
10. Students in Group 2 will meet with teacher first for guided reading. Students will be
introduced to the text Bug Band by Christy Peterson. They will stop at different points in
the book to engage in discussion facilitated by the teacher about the vocabulary in the
book.
11. Students on MyOn will complete book assigned to them and complete worksheet on
vocabulary in the text. (What new words were learned in the book? Did the author
provide the definitions for these words? Where?)
12. Students reading independently will read their books and be given a worksheet in which
they write new words and their definitions from the books they are reading. (What new
word did you learn? Did the author define the word? Where? What is the meaning of this
new word?)
13. To close the lesson, students will be given the opportunity to share some of the new
words they learned throughout center work. Students that did not get the opportunity to
meet for guided reading will do so tomorrow. The interactive read aloud will begin
(second period of ELA).
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES (Learning Strategies*)
Modeling
o Indicator- This will be evident when the teacher models how to understand a new
word meaning based on the definition provided by the author during the mini
lesson.
Collaboration
o Indicator- This will be evident when the students engage in an interactive
Nearpod activity during the mini lesson.
Discussion
o Indicator- This will be evident when students discuss in a full class setting during
the mini lesson as well as in a small group setting during guided reading.
Scaffolding
o Indicator- This will be evident during the mini lesson and guided reading when
the teacher helps students to understand the skill being taught.
ADAPTATIONS (Exceptionality*)
Students with fine motor difficulties will be given assistance when working with an iPad
during the mini lesson.
Students that are English language learners will be given assistance from other ELL’s.
DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION
Struggling Students
Struggling students will go to the MyOn center during center work. This will allow them to read
a book on their level. The students can also have the book read to them through MyOn. When
working on the MyOn activity, students will have to match the definition to the new word as
opposed to having them write the new definition down. This will allow students to worry less
about spelling and instead focus more on the skill.
Average Students
Average students will go the the MyOn center during center work to allow for a properly leveled
book to be available to read and to be read to them. When working on the MyOn activity
students will have to write the definition of the new vocabulary words. In addition, students will
be asked to write down any new vocabulary words they learn within their own independent
reading.
Advanced Students
Advanced students will be asked to write down any new vocabulary words they learn within
their own independent reading. In addition, students will be given the context clues worksheet to
complete.
ASSESSMENT (artifacts* and assessment [formal & informal]*)
Informal: The teacher will assess student knowledge through the Nearpod presentation. The
teacher will look for whether or not the students are able to complete the tasks asked of them
throughout the Nearpod presentation. In addition, the teacher will also observe how many new
words students are able to define within their own independent reading books.
Formal: The teacher will assess the center groups through differentiated assessments. Groups 1-3
will be assessed on their completed MyOn activities. Students in these groups will have to
correctly define at least 4 out of 5 new vocabulary words. Students in Groups 4-5 will be
assessed based on the Context Clues Worksheet. Students in these groups will have to correctly
define at least 4 out of 5 new vocabulary words.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Students will practice the new skill independently through the week’s homework assignments as
well as the lessons to follow during the week.
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES: DIRECT TEACHER INTERVENTION AND
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT
Direct Teacher Intervention
The student under direct intervention with the teacher will do a re-read of the guided reading text
with the teacher and will go over where to find if the author defined an unknown word.
Academic Enrichment
The student will complete the Context Clues Worksheet and will also write down new vocabulary
words and their meanings based from their independent reading books.
