TLED 408: Vocabulary Activity Assignment

For this assignment you will develop activities to introduce, teach, and reinforce vocabulary for
your unit plan for a specific grade level, discipline, and both content and literacy standards.
Using your knowledge of vocabulary activities and their impact on vocabulary knowledge and
student independence, clearly outline the activities you will use within your unit. Upon
completing the unit, students should be independent users of the vocabulary words.

Grade Level, Content Area, and Theme: This activity is for 3rd graders, the content is science,
and the theme is the environment.

Standards/Learning Objectives: 3.10 The student will investigate and understand that natural
events and human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include: b) the
effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat;

Vocabulary Words and Rationale:

1. Environment- The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives

or operates.
2. Habitat- The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
3. Keystone Species- A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend,
such that it if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.
4. Investigate- Carry out research or study into a subject to discover the facts or
information.
5. Organism- An individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
6. Air Quality- The degree to which the air is pollution-free
7. Human Impact- Changes to environments and ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural
resources caused directly or indirectly by humans.
8. Extinction- The state or process of a species, family, or larger group being or becoming
extinct.
9. Endangered Species- A species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction.
10. Pollution- The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing
that has harmful or poisonous effects.
11. Contamination- The presence of unwanted harmful substances in the natural
environment.
12. Solution- A means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.

I decided to choose these specific words because they relate to the key concepts of the unit.
This unit covers the different environments, key stone species, and human impacts to both which
is an important thing to learn and be aware of because it affects everyone. Some of the terms
above may be recognizable to 3rd graders which is good because that means they have some sort
of prior knowledge about the topic. With having prior knowledge, I can further explain certain
things like how certain habitats are becoming destroyed and why they are necessary to preserve.
Introducing Vocabulary Activity: In-Class Presentation

• Activity Overview & Rationale: To introduce the vocabulary I will use the in-class
presentation activity. The smartboard would be used for this activity along with the
anchor text. The list of vocabulary words will be up on the board and I will have each
student read a word and say their definition of it, doesn’t have to be correct. I want the
students to become familiar with the terms and begin thinking about what they mean
alone and in relation to one another. After going through the list on the smartboard, I will
have the students read a few pages from the anchor text and observe and write how the
words are being used and see if they had the right ideas for their definitions.
o Rationale- I chose this activity because it gives the students a chance to get
familiar with the words and test themselves to see what they know, it also ignites
their prior knowledge.
• Materials:
o Smartboard
o Anchor text
o Pencils
o Paper

Sample

The words would appear on the smartboard and for each word I would call on a student
and give them the chance to think about what it means and share their definition with the
class.

Organism
Pollution
Habitat
Environment
Keystone Species
Investigate

• Instructional Steps: Outline the specific instructional steps for this activity.
1. Welcome the students and inform them that we will be starting a new unit
 2. Tell them that the unit is about the environment and the impacts humans have
on it and on animals.
3. Introduce the new vocabulary with the in-class presentation activity,
4. Be sure that each student has a chance to read a vocab word and give their
definition.
5. Have the students read a few pages from the anchor text
6. They will see if their definitions were right or close to being right by using the
context clues in the story.
7. Repeat the in-class presentation activity with the new definitions (if they
changed)
8. Make sure each student is clear on what each word means and has a working
definition.
• Differentiation: Identify how you would differentiate within this activity.
o I would differentiate this activity by providing struggling readers or ESL’s with
more time with the terms, meaning give them to them before the in-class activity
and after to ensure they understand each word.

Teaching Vocabulary Activity: Knowledge Rating

• Activity Overview & Rationale: To teach the necessary vocab for this unit I will use the
knowledge rating concept because it gives me the chance to see which words students are
familiar with. The rationale for this activity connects to the idea of using their prior
knowledge and making connections about things that have learned previously about the
environment and what they have learned in other classes.
• Materials:
o Chart of terms
o Pencils/ Pens
o Individual work time
• Instructional Steps:
o Give each student a rating chart of the vocabulary terms
o Explain that they are to fill out the chart according to the headings using the terms
discussed earlier.
o Give them time to figure out the words they don’t know.
o Go over the charts as a group

Sample
Vocabulary I have seen this I know this I don’t know
Definition
Word word before word this word
Habitat
Contamination
Pollution
Keystone
Species
Investigate
 • Differentiation: I will differentiate this activity by giving struggling readers or ESL’s the
chart ahead of time to give them more time with the terms and make deeper connections.

Reinforcing Vocabulary Activity: Four Square

• Activity Overview & Rationale: To reinforce the new vocab words, the students will
create a four-square using at least 4 words they need more practice with. This activity is
helpful to the students because they will become more independent learners by defining
the word and making their own cues or drawings to help learn the meaning.
• Materials:
o Four square chart
o Pencils/ Pens
o List of terms

Sample Four-Square
Term Definition in students own words

1. Habitat 1. A place where something lives

2. Pollution 2. Making something dirty that used to be clean
3. Human impact 3. How people affect things

Synonym / antonym Drawing or cue to help remember

1. Home 1. (A picture of a house)

2. Clean-up 2. (A picture of a broom and dust pan or
3. Human effects cleaning supplies)
3. (A picture or a person littering)

For my sample, each term is numbered in each square so #1 is habitat in each of the
squares to make it easy to understand.
 • Instructional Steps:
o After the other 2 activities are completed and students are more familiar with the
terms, the four-square will be completed
o I will provide the four-square charts
o They will decide which terms they want to focus on, preferably ones they need
deeper understanding on.
o They will then complete each square for the terms they chose.
o They should do at least 3 words.
• Differentiation: I will differentiate this activity by giving the four-square charts to
struggling readers and ESL’s early and explain what is expected and explain they can use
pictures to explain the terms also.

Format: This assignment can be completed using the bold headings above. There should be no
grammatical or spelling errors. It should be a typed word document written in 12 point font,
saved and submitted as TLED 408.lastname.firstname.vocabulary.

Vocabulary Activity Assignment Rubric

Points Possible
Grade Level, The student specifies the grade level, content area, and
Content Area, theme the unit will cover. The precise learning objectives
Theme, and that will be addressed by the unit are identified for both
Standards literacy and the discipline. .5

Vocabulary The student lists 10-15 vocabulary words and their

Words and definitions. The student clearly explains the rationale for 1
Rationale choosing these words.
Introducing The student provides a clear overview and rationale for
Vocabulary using this activity. The student clearly outlines the
Activity materials and provides a completed sample. The student 1
outlines all of the steps for the activity. The student clearly
explains differentiation options for this activity.
Teaching The student provides a clear description of the materials
Vocabulary used in this activity. The student creates all of the materials 1
Activity needed for the students to successfully complete the
activity.
Reinforcing The student outlines all of the instructional steps for the
Vocabulary comprehension activity. There is a clear beginning, middle 1
Activity and end to the activity.
 Format The assignment is presented using the bold headings
provided. There are no formatting or spelling errors. It is
.5
written in 12pt black font.

Total _____/5
Points
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