Introduce vocabulary: Countdown to Kindergarten (McGhee, 2002)

From FreeReading

Activity Type: Introduce

Activity Form: Standard

Grade: K, 1

Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class

Length: 30 minutes

Materials: Countdown to Kindergarten, Alison McGhee

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

Items: allow, doomed

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 Countdown to Kindergarten. 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.

allow

• Allow means to let something happen. What's the word?
• The teacher will allow us to draw while she reads. If you clean your room, you are allowed to go outside to play.
• I'm going to name some things to do. If you can do this thing in your classroom, say allow. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?
  • Read
  • Play drums
  • Help another student
  • Clean up your desk
  • Roller skate

doomed

• Doomed means to be in bad trouble, with no hope. What's the word?
• The child felt doomed when the dog ate his homework. You won't be doomed because your parents or teacher will always help you.
• I'm going to name some animals. If you think it is in big trouble, say doomed. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?
  • A fish on a hook
  • A fly with a swatter coming down on it
  • A bird in a tree
  • A pig in the mud
  • A cow in the field

(You can help FreeReading by adding more vocabulary from this book or by adding another book.)