6th Grade Vocabulary Skills

Katie Skaggs

Abstract Overview of the Unit

My students will be learning some basic vocabulary skills that are appropriate for their age level. To successfully complete this lesson with them over a total of 4 days, we will be doing different activities each day to help improve their knowledge on these skills. Monday-Wednesday we will observe a webquest, we will incorporate visual learning by making posters, and we will write a blog. Thursday the students will all participate in a game of Bingo as their reward for success. Because I will be walking around and observing everyone (not just listening to the answers of the winners) the Bingo game will also work as my way of examining how much they’ve learned over the previous 3 days.

Day 1:

Monday – Synonyms and Antonms – Observing a Webquest

A- Analyze the Learner

24 students total; 14 girls and 10 boys, all 6th grade language arts students at a normal learning level according to their age.

S- State the Objective

My 6th grade students will learn the basics about synonyms and antonyms during a 55 minute time span with 100% accuracy by being placed into small groups, observing a Webquest provided by me, and following the process given within the Webquest until they finish the lesson.

S- Select Methods, Media, & Materials

Since we’ll be observing a Webquest the students will need access to one computer per group; we will be in the computer lab.

They will then observe complete the following Webquest: Synonym and Antonym Webquest

U- Utilize Media & Materials

We will use Webquest for this day’s lesson because it gives the students a chance to interact with other classmates. While doing so they will be discussing ideas and helping each other during their completion of the Webquest lesson, all while becoming more familiar with more complex words that will come out of this synonym and antonym review.

R- Required Learner Participation

The students will be required to stay in their groups and participate in the development of their final assignment; this process will take a total of 55 minutes.

30 minutes to complete the Webquest assignment

25 minutes to discuss each group’s results (6 groups of 4 people, about 4 minutes per group to share results).

E- Evaluate

The students will be evaluated in 3 ways:

I will make sure each group completed the assignment

I will look for the amount of creativity amongst each group

I will also look at how well each group organized their assignment

Overall, this will be graded simply with participation points

Day 2:

Tuesday – Prefixes and Suffixes – Visual Learning (Creating a poster)

A- Analyze the Learner

24 students total; 14 girls and 10 boys, all 6th grade language arts students at a normal learning level according to their age.

S- State the Objective

My 6th grade students will learn about the basic prefixes and suffixes during a 50 minute time span with 100% accuracy by being placed into small groups, given the appropriate prefixes and suffixes, and creating a poster in T-chart form using at least 6 words for the prefix side and 6 words for the suffix side which will form their new words and complete the required assignment.

S- Select Methods, Media, & Materials

Since they will simply be creating a poster, I will provide them with poster board and markers to do so.

I will also provide them with the examples needed to develop their new words that can only be done with prefixes and suffixes.

U- Utilize Media and Materials

We will physically create our own poster for this day’s lesson because it gives the students a chance to work together while adding each of their own, unique touches to an educational tool that we will be able to hang up in the classroom and refer back to them as needed. They will also be able to discuss ideas together that will help them to discover the new meanings that come along with each new word.

R- Required Learner Participation

The students will be required to stay in their groups and participate in the development of their posters; this process will take a total of 50 minutes.

30 minutes to complete the poster assignment

20 minutes to hang the posters on our wall, followed by very short discussions about each poster.

E- Evaluate

The students will be evaluated in 3 ways:

I will make sure each group completed the assignment as directed

I will look for the amount of creativity amongst each group

I will also look at how well each group organized their words within their T-chart poster

Overall, this will be graded simply with participation points

Day 3:

Wednesday – Homophones and Idioms – Blogging

A- Analyze the Learner

24 students total; 14 girls and 10 boys, all 6th grade language arts students at a normal learning level according to their age.

S- State the Objective

My 6th grade students will learn some homophones and idioms during a 50 minute time span with 100% accuracy by observing a digital photo story followed by creating their own blog which will contain a fictional story that they fill with as many homophones and idioms as they can remember from the photo story.

S- Select Methods, Media, & Materials

Since the students will have to watch a digital photo story and follow that with the development of an online blog, we will be in the computer lab.

I will provide them the photo story that they need to watch, which is the following: Digital Photo Story

I will also provide for them with the site they need to create their blog on and the information they need to create an account to do so: Blogging Site

U- Utilize Media and Materials

We will observe a digital photo story that contains numerous homophones and idioms so that the students can hear them and see them. We will then use blogging to demonstrate our knowledge on those words because that will give the students a chance to use critical thinking and creativity as they form their fictional story.

R- Required Learner Participation

The students will be required to watch the digital photo story only two times through, so they will also need to pay very close attention. This is appropriate for an acceptable development of their blog which must have many homophones and idioms throughout the story; this process will take a total of 50 minutes.

5 minutes to watch the digital photo story

25 minutes to complete their blog

20 minutes for me to walk around and read each students blog

E- Evaulate

The students will be evaluated in 2 ways:

I will look at how well they use their chosen homophones and idioms in their blog

I will also look for the amount of creativity amongst each student’s blog

Overall, this will be graded simply with participation points

Day 4:

Thursday – play BINGO for a complete review and an overall evaluation

A- Analyze the Learner

24 students total; 14 girls and 10 boys, all 6th grade language arts students at a normal learning level according to their age.

S- State the Objective

My 6th grade students will learn their synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, homophones, and idioms with100% accuracy by participating in a game of old-fashioned bingo which will take place for 60 minutes of Thursday’s class.

S- Select Methods, Media, & Materials

Since the students will be playing bingo with the memory of our lessons the past 3 days, we will be playing in the classroom with regular bingo game boards (dry-erase style that they fill in at random with the terms we have been studying) and game chips.

U- Utilize Media and Materials

We will play bingo as an overall review and as my way of assessing them on how well they learned the previous 3 days. This will help to trigger their memory as they continuously hear me giving them words and definitions, which will continue to expand their knowledge on all of the terms. It will also give the students a chance to use critical thinking when putting two-and-two together while filling in their bingo board.

R- Required Learner Participation

The students will simply be required to participate in the bingo game. This is appropriate for their total average participation points for the week; this process will take a total of 60 minutes since we will be playing the for an hour at the end of our school day on Thursday.

E- Evaluate

The students will be evaluated in 3 main ways:

I will look at how well they participate during the game

I will walk around and look at each students board to see what they believe is correct

And, overall, I will consider their participation, skills, creativity, and knowledge stated for all 4 days worth of information

* This evaluation is the final and total evaluation of the entire week.