Introduce vocabulary: Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Aardema, 1992)

From FreeReading

Activity Type: Introduce

Activity Form: Standard

Grade: K, 1

Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class

Length: 30 minutes

Materials: Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, Verna Aardema

Goal: Given a word, the student can say its meaning

Items: browse, pierced, slender, tend

What to do

1. If more than three words are listed below, choose three. (It's tough for students to take in more than three new words in one go.) Write the three words on sentence strips (so they can easily be displayed after the lesson).
2. I'm going to read a new book to you today. It's called Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. It uses some words you might not know, so I'm going to tell you the words now. Then, when I read the story, I want you to raise your hand when you hear the word. Okay?
3. Tell students the three words and their meanings. Have them repeat the words back to you.
4. Remember, when you hear any of our three words, raise your hand. Ready?
5. Read the story. Praise students who correctly identify the words as you read. Repeat each word's meaning as you encounter it.
6. When you finish reading, go through the three words giving the complete sequence below for each word. You can give the examples/non-examples either to the whole group or to individual students. Feel free to add your own examples and non-examples, particularly if students seem unclear.
7. Optionally, read the story again.
8. Students need to encounter a word multiple times before learning it. So:
   • Try to find opportunities to use the three words during other activities in the next 24 hours.
   • Ask students to use the word themselves and praise them strongly when they do.
   • Be particularly excited about usage in contexts different from that in the book you read, since students often have difficulty dissociating a word and the specific context in which they first came across it.

browse

• Browse means to look in a place, like a store. What's the word?
• My dad browsed the grocery store for hot dogs. When you try to find a book, you browse the bookshelf.
• I'm going to name some things. If you might look in a store for the thing, say browse. Otherwise, keep quiet. Ready?
  • A can of tomatoes
  • A banana
  • A clown
  • Bread
  • A stop sign

pierced

• Pierced mans to make a hole in something. What's the word?
• The sharp needle pierced her blouse. If you push a pin through a piece of paper, you've pierced the paper.
• I'm going to name some things. If the item can make a hole in your skin, say pierce. Otherwise, keep quiet. Ready?
  • A mosquito
  • A mouse with sharp teeth
  • A shoe
  • An apple
  • A stapler

slender

• Slender means thin or skinny. What's the word?
• Those pants don't fit me, because I'm not that slender. If you can break a stick, it's probably slender, not thick.
• I'm going to name some items. If you think this item is thin or skinny, say slender. Otherwise, just stay quiet. Ready?
  • A drinking straw
  • A big, old tree
  • A pencil
  • A shoe string
  • A school bus

tend

• Tend means to take care of something. What's the word?
• The old woman tends to her garden every morning. If you tend to your school work, you will get good grades.
• I will name some jobs. If you take care of the thing, say tend. Otherwise, just stay quiet. Ready?
  • Keeping your room clean
  • Turning off the TV when you're done watching it
  • Cleaning the whole school
  • Washing the windows
  • Putting gas in the car