Searching ......
Loopy is a vocabulary game which is good for helping students to learn the meaning of key academic vocabulary words. Loopy allows multiple opportunities for students to reuse vocabulary and to understand the difference in meaning between words that may be quite similar. Usually the vocabulary selected is related to the current unit of work being studied.
The teacher prepares a set of loopy game cards, enough for everyone in each group to receive one card each. Each card is split into two parts. In the first section the teacher should write “Who has …. (Insert the chosen vocabulary word)?” In the second section write a definition for one of the other vocabulary words that you are using in the game. (Every vocabulary word used in the game needs a matching definition written on one of the other paying cards.) One of the cards created should be marked as the starting card. Also mark the finish card, the vocabulary word on the finish card will match the definition written on the starting card.
To Play Deal out the cards between the players. The person who has the “Start” loopy card begins by reading the vocabulary word on that card aloud e.g. Who has endangered? They then place the card in the middle. The person who has the Loopy card that has the matching definition calls out “loopy” and then reads aloud the matching definition on their card and places it in the middle on top of the start card. E.g. I have a species that is at risk of dying out. They then read aloud the first section on their card. E.g. Who has eradicate? The game keeps going until the card with “Finish” written on it, is placed in the middle.
Watch this short video to see Loopy being played by a year 7–8 science class
Teaching and learning sequence examples:
Primary level:
These exercises cover a range of activities which usually require students to match up two or three items, usually vocabulary words with their correct definition and/or with an illustration. A variation may also be used to match concepts with a matching diagram/definition or a topic sentence with supporting detail, etc.
Give a copy to each student to match up. The students then discuss their choices with a partner. The teacher listens in on the discussions and follows up with a whole class discussion focusing on areas of uncertainty.
Watch these short videos to see matching exercises being used in a primary context and in a secondary context
Primary
Secondary
Teaching and learning sequence planning examples:
Secondary level:
A vocabulary jumble is usually used at the start of a new topic or as a pre-reading activity. It is a great way to get students to focus explicitly on key words and to work at their own level, while also cooperatively working together to find a meaning. Words are considered individually, in the group and then in the whole class, providing many opportunities to hear the words and their meanings and to reuse the vocabulary.
The teacher displays a list of 15 to 20 key words from a text/topic to the class. The students then have one minute to write down as many words as they can. The teacher then covers up the words and gives the students another minute to write the words and spell them, from memory. The students then check their words against the full list and then ask other members of the group for word meanings they don't know. Dictionaries can be used as well at this stage. Lastly, have a whole class discussion of words that were unknown or not fully known.
Watch this video to see vocabulary jumble being used in a year 11 English class
Teaching and learning sequence planning example:
Walking words is a collaborative group activity similar to the jigsaw activity, which helps students to know the meaning of new content vocabulary. Each group predicts and writes the meanings of two or three new topic-specific words. Half the members of each group then ‘walk the words’ to a new group in order to share their words and meanings. They also listen to the other members of the new group. Two new students from each group then ‘walk the words’ on to the next group… and so on for four or five changes. This strategy helps ELLs to use their prior knowledge and context to predict the meaning of a new word. Students are actively involved and using their metacognitive processes which assists in word retention.
Watch this video to see a year 7–8 science class using the walking words activity
Word clusters/maps (semantic mindmaps) are a form of mind mapping.
Relationships between words can be illustrated through word maps. Create word maps by writing the focus word in a central circle and then asking the students to brainstorm related words. Link these brainstormed words to the focus word as in an elementary mind map. This is best completed in pairs or small groups to increase the students’ use of English. The word maps could be:
Word maps help students to make connections between their prior knowledge and the new words. They show conceptual relationships between words. By showing these relationships students can modify their existing framework of knowledge (schema) and more effectively construct meaning when they meet the words in the text.
Watch these short videos to see word clusters/maps and mind mapping being used in the classroom
Year 9 English
Year 12 English
Anticipatory reading guides are pre-reading activities which help students to connect their personal knowledge and experience and think about the ideas they will be reading. They also require the students to make predictions about the text.
The teacher prepares the guide by writing about six statements based on the main messages of the text that will be read. The students independently decide if they agree or disagree with each statement and then share their choice with a partner. After reading they revisit the guide and decide whether the text agreed or disagreed with each statement and they write in evidence from the text. Next they discuss their choices as a class/group.
Watch this video to see anticipatory reading guide activities being used in a year 10 science class
Please note that in order to view this video you either need a web browser that supports HTML5 video or to ensure both JavaScript and Flash are enabled for your browser. Alternatively you can use the download link below to view the video in your player of choice
Rationale: students gain access to text through academic, text-based dialogue and collaboration. It helps students to synthesise their understandings in a visual form with close reference to the text.
Students are given time to think individually about how to represent on a collaborative poster the spirit of a text read by the team.
In small groups the students share their ideas and reach a consensus. They are given a time limit (20–30 minutes) to work collaboratively on a poster to represent the big ideas of the text.
They must:
Alternatively students may reach consensus on ONE main idea, and then an image for each significant supporting detail of the text.
Students then share their posters and self-assess them using a rubric.
Watch this video to see students making a collaborative poster in a year 10 social studies class
Co-operative reading is based on Palincsar and Brown's (1986) research into reciprocal teaching. Students work in groups of four. Each student is given a different strategy that they are responsible for leading/answering during the discussion time which follows the reading of the text. These roles are summarising, question generating, clarifying, and predicting.
Reciprocal teaching aids students to construct meaning from text as well as a providing a means of monitoring their reading to ensure that they are, in fact, understanding what they read. It also scaffolds their use of the reading strategies.
Watch this short video to see cooperative reading/reciprocal teaching in a year 12 english classroom
Using differentiated texts is when a teacher uses different texts with different groups of students rather than the same text with the whole class, while still maintaining the same curriculum learning outcomes. The text choice is based upon the student’s level of English or their first language. Effective differentiation is only possible with good assessment knowledge.
Some of the texts used may be bilingual texts in order to support the student’s first language. The use of bilingual texts helps students to make connections to their own prior learning and experience, as well as supporting their first language.
Advice on text selection can be found on Literacy Online and also in The English Language Learning Progressions. Differentiated texts are a form of differentiated instruction.
Watch this video to see an example of differentiated texts being used in a year 5–6 visual arts class
« Previous Next » 1... 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 ...1214
