Introduce Vocabulary: The Keeping Quilt (Polacco)

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 Keeping Quilt.

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.

artificial

Artificial means something that is fake, made by man, or not natural. What’s the word?

Artificial flowers never die. Do you like real maple syrup or the artificial kind?

I’m going to name some things. If you think the thing is not real, say artificial. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Fake chocolate
• A man-made diamond
• False teeth
• Genuine gold
• An actual antique carriage

poverty

Poverty means extreme poorness. What’s the word?

It’s sad to see children living in poverty. Have you seen a part of town where there’s lots of poverty?

I’m going to name some things. If you think the thing might cause people to be very poor, say poverty. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Not having an education
• Not knowing how to find a job
• Being sick
• Making lots of money
• Having a safe home

wealth

Wealth means lots of money and things you can buy. What’s the word?

It’s nice to have wealth, but good health is even more important. Compared to many people in the world, you enjoy wealth.

I’m going to name some things. If you think having the thing shows that you have a lot of money, say wealth. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Five cars
• Clothes with holes in them
• Expensive food
• A huge, fancy house
• Only one toy

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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