Anywho, to keep my mind sane, I have been focusing on vocabulary development. (Everybody does this, right?) Our students in 3rd grade struggle so much with vocabulary. Especially when asked to choose the correct definition of a word based on a sentence. We have tried many approaches over the years because the basal readers don't do enough for the kiddos.
Needless to say, vocabulary development is a huge focus this year!
In our latest unit, Owen, I have changed up our vocabulary. It looks good so far! We have a vocabulary focus for our Reading Interactive Notebooks. Students will generate their own definitions after we study the words and pictures. We also have a homograph worksheet. The students will read a sentence and then pick the correct definition for the sentence.
Do you know the story of Owen?
Owen by Kevin Henkes~ The story of a carefree mouse who loves his blanket. When his parents tell him he can't take Fuzzy with him when he begins school, Owen is inconsolable. Luckily, his mom comes up with a great plan.
You can purchase this unit by clicking on the pic above.
This unit includes~
Vocabualry Cards
Favorite Things Tally Chart and Graph
Vocabulary for Reading Interactive Notebook
Story Map
Sequencing
Venn Diagram of Owen's Blanket and My Special Thing
Homograph Worksheet
Journal Entry Question
I love this story so much. It reminds me of a special girl. Jaden and her grandpa would walk her brother to my third grade classroom every morning. She was a sleepy 2 year old who always had her blanket. Years later, she was in my third grade classroom. I told her how I remembered her walking with her blanket. She confided in me that she carried her blankie every day~ in her backpack! Too cute =)
Good luck to everyone for the upcoming school year!
~lisa
No comments:
Post a Comment