Introduce Vocabulary: The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School (Sierra)

From FreeReading

What to Do

Prepare

Select three Tier Two vocabulary words to teach your students. A list of suggested words appears below. Write the vocabulary words on the board or on chart paper.

Model/Instruct

1. Introduce the story.

Today we are going to read a story entitled The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School.

2. Introduce the three vocabulary words you have chosen.

Before we read the story, I want to introduce some new words that we will come across. Please repeat each word after I say it.

3. Read the story.

Let’s read the story. Make sure to listen for today’s vocabulary words and to think about how they are used in the story. If you hear a vocabulary word while I am reading, raise your hand.

4. Define key vocabulary words. See definitions below.

Let’s think about our vocabulary words. The word ______________ means ____________. Does anyone remember how this word was used in the text?

Call on students to answer the question. Then refer to the text to show how the word was used in context. Repeat this process for each vocabulary word.

Practice

Now let’s practice what we’ve learned.

brag

Brag means to talk a lot about yourself and how good you are. What’s the word?

The boy bragged so much about his money that the other kids got tired of having him around. Remember you don’t have to brag to have friends; it’s better to be interested in others than to try to make them interested in you.

I’m going to name some things. If you think someone might talk a lot about how great it is to have the things, say brag. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Teeth
• A swimming pool at home
• A used bike
• Several fancy motorcycles
• Lots of money

incorporate

Incorporate means to include something within something else. What’s the word?

The man decided to add orange trim to his home and incorporate an autumn feel. When you draw the forest picture, be sure to incorporate several types of animals in the drawing.

I’m going to name some things. If you think the thing was added to something else, say incorporate. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Planting daisies in a flower garden full of tulips
• Including whole wheat buns with the meal
• Putting jelly in a peanut butter sandwich
• Starting a new poem
• Beginning a new book

ingest

Ingest means to eat or swallow something. What’s the word?

We had to take our dog to the vet after she ingested some garbage. Never ingest something if you’re not sure what it is.

I’m going to name some items. If you think it would be safe to swallow the thing, say ingest. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Marbles
• A pill you find on the ground
• Strawberries
• Soda
• Mints

precisely

Precisely means exactly. What’s the word?

There are precisely 34 petals on every daisy. You have precisely one minute to get your boots on and get in the car.

I’m going to name some items. If you know exactly how many of each item there are, say precisely. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• M&Ms in a bag
• People who live in your house
• Continents on earth
• Stars in the sky
• Fingers on your hands

Adjust

For Advanced Students:

If time permits, have students create more examples for the vocabulary words.

For Struggling Students:

If time permits, have students record the words on a Vocabulary Discovery Chart or in a Word Journal.

For ELL Students:

In order to help ELL students learn the words, it may be helpful to use realia and/or to teach cognates.

Related activities

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