Instructional Strategy

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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Collaborative Vocabulary Exploration

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Type:

Acquire Vocabulary
30-40

Minutes

When:

After reading

Materials:

Collaborative Vocabulary Exploration graphic organizer, drawing supplies, poster paper, whiteboard or display, writing utensil
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Description

Wooden letter tiles spelling words on wood background, scattered tiles around.
© Piotrekswat— iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
The Collaborative Vocabulary Exploration strategy allows students to actively engage in vocabulary acquisition by identifying and sharing new words from recent lessons, reading materials, or subject-specific content. The strategy aims to reinforce word learning through collaborative sharing and creative expression, fostering deeper understanding and retention of vocabulary. Students benefit by improving their vocabulary, communication abilities, and collaboration skills, leading to a more engaging and effective learning environment.
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Procedure

1
Begin by asking students to identify three or four new words that they find important or intriguing. These words should relate to recent lessons, reading materials, or subject-specific content.
2
Distribute the Collaborative Vocabulary Exploration graphic organizer. Demonstrate its use through a think-aloud, guiding students on how to complete it with their chosen words. Instruct them to include the word’s definition, use it in a sentence, and list any synonyms or antonyms. Emphasize that this structured approach will help organize their thoughts and prepare them for sharing.
3
Invite students to complete their graphic organizers.
4
Pair students with a classmate to share and discuss their words. Encourage them to explain why they chose each word and how these words are relevant to their studies or daily lives.
5
After the partner discussion, ask each student to select one word from their list. Provide materials for them to create a poster that includes the word, its definition, an example sentence, and relevant illustrations or diagrams to clarify its meaning. Emphasize that these posters will be displayed in the classroom as a reference tool, so they should include clear, informative details to help their classmates understand and remember the word.
6
Once the posters are completed, invite students to present their posters to the class. Encourage them to explain the meaning of the word, where they came across it, and why it’s significant.
7
Facilitate a brief reflection session for students to discuss what they learned from their peers’ presentations and how this activity has expanded their vocabulary.
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Differentiation

Sentence Starters: Provide a structured way for students to articulate their thoughts during discussions and presentations through the use of sentence starters. These can help students frame their explanations of new words, making it easier to describe definitions, usage, and relevance effectively.
In our recent lesson/readings, this word stood out due to…
This word relates to our studies because…
Understanding this word helps in…
To illustrate this word, I included…
This word is significant because…
One new thing I learned from my classmate’s poster was…
This activity expanded my vocabulary by…
Question Complexity: Introduce more complex, open-ended questions during the discussion to encourage deeper thinking and analysis, helping students develop critical thinking skills and a more nuanced understanding of the vocabulary. For instance, after students share their selected words, you might ask:
How might your understanding of this word change if it were used in a different context?
What could be added to this poster to make the explanation clearer?
How could the example sentence be improved to better reflect the word’s meaning?
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Variations

Digital and Artistic Creation: Instead of a standard poster, allow students to choose any form of visual media to represent their word, such as a painting, collage, digital artwork, multimedia presentations, or digital stories about their chosen word.
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