Rate a Word
From FreeReading
| Activity Type: Introduce |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: 2, 3 |
| Group Size: Small Group, Large Group, Whole Class |
| Length: 5 minutes |
| Materials: Vocab words on Index Cards |
| Goal: To determine students knowledge of new vocabulary words |
| Items: |
What to do
- Have cards with 3 or 4 new vocabulary words from a story students will either read or listen to.
- Explain to students that you are trying to determine what they already know about the new words in the story. In order to do that, you want students to show you 1 finger, if they already know the word so well that they can explain it to a friend; 2 fingers if they have heard the word, but don't know exactly what it means; or 3 fingers if they have never heard the word.
- SHOW students one word (don't read it to them). Ask them to give you their rating—1, 2, or 3.
- If a student shows a "1," have him/her tell the group what the word means & give an example of it. If everyone gives a "2" or "3" explain the word in student friendly language.
- Do this everyday before reading the story—you should start seeing more "1s."
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About this activity
I use this when I do Guided Reading groups. It's a quick way to see what the kids already know & what I still need to teach. Also effective in a large group because EVERYONE has to participate.