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Sarah Plain and Tall Lesson Plan

Teaching Vocabulary Strategies Using Novel Study

Dec 10, 2008 Debbie DeSpirt

Teach vocabulary strategies during a novel study of Sarah, Plain, and Tall. Students will build on their vocabulary base to assist in reading comprehension.

Reading Sarah, Plain, and Tall integrates with the pioneers/early settlers, a social study unit. Reading of the novel will introduce vocabulary that will assist students in reading comprehension of the novel and social studies unit. It is best to try a variety of vocabulary strategies to keep students engaged in learning new words.

Making Sentences

Teacher finds a variety of unfamiliar words in the novel Sarah, Plain, and Tall. It is best to work with no more than 3 chapters at a time. For example, feisty, heartstones, rascal, dusk, and energetic are a few sample vocabulary words from Chapter 1 of the novel.

Teacher puts students in groups of 4 and each group must write sentences using the words. One sentence may use more than one vocabulary word at a time. Students will work as a team deciding if their sentence with the unfamiliar vocabulary make sense. Students will need to activate prior knowledge and try and decipher the word with any previous learned strategies.

Once the groups have completed the activity, the teacher will highlight the sentence in the text. She will exchange the new vocabulary word to demonstrate if the word makes sense in the text. If it does, the sentence the group wrote should make sense..

Teacher should roam the classroom and have the group or groups that have correctly defined the word to present last for the teacher to reinforce the vocabulary word.

Multiple Choice Vocabulary

Teacher photocopies an assortment of sentences from Sarah, Plain, and Tall with the desired vocabulary to be taught. Teacher will write the sentence and highlight the new vocabulary word. Students are to decide which of the four words is the best synonym for the highlighted vocabulary. Sample highlights a vocabulary word from Chapter 1, the word is important for students to understand.

Sample

I've place an advertisement in the paper.

advertisement means;

notice

poster

flyer

news story

Vocabulary Sketch

Students are given new vocabulary words for the first chapter of Sarah, Plain, and Tall. Students will draw a picture related to the new vocabulary word.

Sample

Carriage; students draw a picture of a carriage, spell the word and write a sentence with the new words.

Teacher may choose the best vocabulary to display on the wall during the novel study and social studies unit. Vocabulary sketch excites primary students because they are able to use their pencils for thinking.

It is important to teach vocabulary for each chapter for students to be successful in reading comprehension. Teaching vocabulary in Sarah, Plain, and Tall assists with reading comprehension and introduce words for the social studies unit on pioneers.

The copyright of the article Sarah Plain and Tall Lesson Plan in Primary School is owned by Debbie DeSpirt. Permission to republish Sarah Plain and Tall Lesson Plan in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Vocabulary Strategies for Sarah, Plain, and Tall