Introduce Vocabulary: Amigo (Baylor)

From FreeReading

What to Do

Prepare

Select three Tier Two vocabulary words to teach your students. A list of suggested words appears below. Write the vocabulary words on the board or on chart paper.

Model/Instruct

1. Introduce the story.

Today we are going to read a story entitled Amigo.

2. Introduce the three vocabulary words you have chosen.

Before we read the story, I want to introduce some new words that we will come across. Please repeat each word after I say it.

3. Read the story.

Let’s read the story. Make sure to listen for today’s vocabulary words and to think about how they are used in the story. If you hear a vocabulary word while I am reading, raise your hand.

4. Define key vocabulary words. See definitions below.

Let’s think about our vocabulary words. The word ______________ means ____________. Does anyone remember how this word was used in the text?

Call on students to answer the question. Then refer to the text to show how the word was used in context. Repeat this process for each vocabulary word.

Practice

Now let’s practice what we’ve learned.

bold

Bold means confident and unafraid. What’s the word?

The bold little squirrel took a nut right out of my hand. It’s good for you to be bold as long as you keep yourself safe, too.

I’m going to name some actions. If you think the action shows someone being confident and unafraid, say bold. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Singing in front of a large audience
• Sitting in the corner not wanting to talk to anyone
• Telling an adult who littered that he should use the garbage can instead
• Trying to become president
• Sleeping

content

Content means quietly happy. What's the word?

I enjoyed my vacation and felt content the whole time. Are you content with where you’re sitting, or would you rather move?

I’m going to name some words. If you think the word means quietly happy, say content. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Satisfied
• Pleased
• Relaxed
• Worried
• Upset

pleasant

Pleasant means enjoyable and nice. What’s the word?

Today was a pleasant day, with no wind or rain. You should be pleasant to people you meet.

I’m going to name some actions. If you think the action is nice, say pleasant. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Spitting
• Dropping chewed gum on the sidewalk
• Keeping your area neat
• Smiling
• Using an indoor voice

seek

Seek means to try to find something. What’s the word?

I will leave home and seek my fortune. Do you ever play hide-and-seek?

I’m going to name some actions. If you think the action is the same as trying to find something, say seek. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Looking for a lost glove
• Trying to figure out what you’ll do for a job
• Having questions and reading to learn the answers
• Watching TV
• Playing video games

wise

Wise means knowing a lot because of lots of experience. What’s the word?

A person who has lived through a lot will be wise. Who is more wise, you or someone who is sixty years old?

I’m going to name some actions. If you think the action shows that someone is smart because of experience, say wise. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• Knowing the best way to change a tire
• Playing in the street
• Playing with electricity
• Starting fires with matches
• Looking both ways before crossing the street

tame

Tame means trained and not wild. What’s the word?

We’ve left food for that deer so often that it’s becoming tame. Dogs and cats are tame, but wolves and lions are wild.

I’m going to name some animals. If you think the animal is not wild, say tame. Otherwise, stay quiet. Ready?

• A giraffe in Africa
• A parrot in a cage
• A parrot in the jungle
• A pet rat
• A kitten

Adjust

For Advanced Students:

If time permits, have students create more examples for the vocabulary words.

For Struggling Students:

If time permits, have students record the words on a Vocabulary Discovery Chart or in a Word Journal.

For ELL Students:

In order to help ELL students learn the words, it may be helpful to use realia and/or to teach cognates.

Related activities

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