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Carl the Complainer Vocabulary Activities

Page history last edited by Sarah Cottingham 12 years ago

Carl the Complainer Vocabulary Activities

Suggested for 2nd Grade


 

 

 

Why do we teach vocabulary?

Introduction to vocabulary is an integral part toward cognition of not only a text for content area understanding, but also for recreational reading as well. While the main goal maybe for students to learn what they need to know to grasp the story in terms of how it relates to what we are teaching in the school hours, the understanding does not end there. The students will take these new words learned in that one story and apply them towards other aspects of their lives. If we as instructors can introduce these students to even a handful of new words with each lesson, we are enhancing their chance for success in future readings as well as their education beyond our class walls.

 

Thankfully, we have the six steps that Marzano has recommended to help assist with teaching vocabulary to help ease the stresses to the teacher and make the process more memorable to the student. To learn more about Marzano and the six recommended steps read this pdf. marzano_mong.pdf

 

How can you use these activities in your own classroom?

The following activities will assist all students at different age and ability levels grasp the main concept of the vocabulary not only in this book, but vocabulary that is associated with the main ideas. Combining a variety of these strategies and materials will keep the process of introduction and mastery fresh for both the student and instructor. These are only starting points- all activities can be adapted to suit the needs of your particular classroom and the specific demands of your diverse classroom.


 

  • Step 1: Explain

Provide a definition of the new word in a way that students will understand. 

 

Activity:      Create a toondoo with the definition as well as examples of the definition. Being able to show the student the context the word would be used it is a helpful way for them to make the cognitive connection. Creating your own toondoo is possible at http://www.toondoo.com

 

Activity:     Powerpoint for Brainstorming definition:

Brainstorming.pdf


 

  • Step 2: Restate

Ask students to explain the new word in their own way with their own words.

 

Activity:     Have students sit in a circle in the classroom. The objective of this game is to have students describe the word, what the word would be used for, when we would see or use this word, or any other idea you see fit. Toss the ball of yarn to the first student and ask them to give a synonym to the word you are working on, or definition, description, etc. Once they have done that, have them hold a section of the yarn and then toss the ball to the next student. At the end, we will have many words associated with the vocabulary word and will have the visual of the connections we have made. To undo the web, go backwards with a new vocabulary word. To enhance this activity, assign a student (or yourself) to be the record keeper of what has been said. The ideas can be categorized and then used as a study guide in the future.


 

  • Step 3: Show

Ask students to demonstrate what the term means through a visual.

 

Activity:    Students can create their own cartoon using http://www.toondoo.com/ or cartoon panel paper, stickers, markers, other resources that the teacher provides.

 

Activity:    Students will demonstrate the definition of a word of their choosing. They will each have on 8X11 sheet of paper to convey their message either through collage, painting, or drawing. They may also choose to write a poem, act out a skit, or use another medium with approval from the instructor.


 

  • Step 4: Discuss

Create a class discussion about the words in ways that will build on their knowledge of the word. Having students record these thoughts in their own word journal is a good tool for further reflection and development.

 

Activity:     Challenge students to write a story using all of the vocabulary words in their word journals. Allow them to explore the definitions and create scenarios that are fictitious.

 

Activity:     Students will create a continued story with each member of a group (predetermined by the instructor) working on the next sentence. The goal is to use all of the vocabulary words on the list. They will each get a copy of the story to include in their personal word journals.

 

Activity:      Carl fill in the word.pdf 

This activity is a fill in the word sheet based on what makes sense to the student. This will help them to work on their vocabulary and become familiar in the ways we use these words in our sentences.


 

  • Step 5: Refine and Reflect

Ask students to go back to their journals and think about what they have written for the vocabulary words. Is there anything they would change or add to their entry? 

 

Activity:     Each group will share their story with the class. We will bind copies of the stories for the classroom library. As groups are presenting their stories, students will be encouraged to add to their word journal with any points that stand out to them, that they would like to research more about, connections made, etc.

 


 

  • Step 6: Apply in Learning Games

Playing games with the students will help them to master the vocabulary words as well as build a confidence to use these words in their future writings and discussions.

 

Activity:         Carl the Complainer.pdf  

This is a crossword that uses all three tiers of the vocabulary words. 

 

Activity:     carl-the-complainer-flash-cards[1]

This is a link to a website where you are able to make your own flashcards and games based on the vocabulary that you are trying to teach your students. You are also able to change the languages of the cards making it ideal for the ESL/ELL students in your classroom. This is the first page of the site which you will need to download following the link. You will need to use your browsers back button to return to this page. This can be turned into a game of Jeopardy!, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, or even vocabulary baseball with the three tiers representing the base that the student would advance to. These can also be printed one sided to make a memory match game. I would suggest placing either corresponding dots or having an answer key available for students to self-assess their guesses.


 

 

 

Activity:     Carl Scramble.pdf

This activity is a word scramble where the student is able to work on the correct spelling of the words they are learning. The teacher is able to give definitions at their own discretion which can be helpful for lower ability students. For more of a challenge, do not give the definitions and see if the students are able to figure out the words on their own. 

 

Activity:     Carl the Complainer word match.pdf

This last activity is a word match game where the students needs to determine what word works in the sentence that is provided. These are all games that are available on spellingcity.com. More information and different games can be made from the vocabulary list that you provide. It is a great tool for the classroom during computer stations or even Daily 5 Language Arts.

 

Activity:     Carl Puzzle.pdf

The above PDF is a two page word/definition and cover of the book. I would print these out as duplex (front and back), laminate the sheet and then cut it into pieces to create a puzzle. Students can complete the puzzle either using the cover picture of the book or by trying to piece together the definitions on the back. Either way, you could have them assemble it on a piece of cardboard to flip once they have finished to see if they are correct.

 


 

 

 

Links:

Carl the Complainer

Carl the Complainer Vocabulary

Links to Literature

http://www.spellingcity.com/

Carl the Complainer Lesson Plans

FrontPage

 

Reference:

Marzano, R.J. (2004). Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

 

Comments (3)

Sue Cook said

at 1:17 pm on Feb 27, 2012

So far so good! I like your statement of purpose and how you've detailed Marzano's steps. All your links and attachments work.

Sue Cook said

at 2:40 pm on Feb 28, 2012

NICE WORK! I really like how you used Marzano's steps to outline your activities. It makes a LOT of sense when I see it like this. I also like that you added the spelling city web address and your attention to ELL/ESL learners. This is such a complete page; lots of choices for a teacher to pick from. There are only two things you might want to look at:

In Step 1, the first activity talks about using toondoo but there isn’t a link for it until you get down to Step 3.

The resolution for the cover of the book for the Carl Puzzle is not good; the picture is pretty fuzzy. If you use an image off the internet pick one with a high ‘dimension’ number; it will give you better resolution. Also, you’ll maintain resolution quality if you click on the internet image, save it to your computer and then use that file for your document (if you only copy and paste the pic off the internet it will more than likely be fuzzy). WARNING: be sure you have updated virus protection if you troll internet images – they like to hide within!

I opened all your docs and links and they all work!

Sarah Bull said

at 2:52 pm on Mar 5, 2012

This page looks wonderful. You have a nice layout. I love your intro on why we teach vocabulary and how we can use it in the classroom.

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