When In Doubt, Act It Out!

VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION

It’s really not so bad…

This past school year was the first time I needed to have bi-weekly vocabulary quizzes. When I found this out, I immediately thought about how I learned new words when I was in school. It was SO BORING. One day we had to find the word in the dictionary and write the definition, then the next day we had to use the vocabulary word in a sentence, and after that we had to write a paragraph (free-write) using all of the words. This was the routine for like 4 straight years. Honestly, it was excruciating. I always wanted to do well on the tests, so I always did the work to the best of my ability. But, I found no pleasure in what I was doing. I did like the idea of a free-write, but the whole point of a free-write is writing about whatever we wanted. SOOOO….why did I have to use certain words in my free-write…that bothered me…a lot. It felt very restricting. I am not trying to say that using new words in a sentence is something that should be eliminated, but something else needs to be added to make learning these new words a little more engaging. When I learned it, it wasn’t fun…it was torture. 

As teachers, a big part of our job is getting to know each student that walks in your room. What are their strengths? What are their areas of need? However, you also want to think about your class as a whole. What do they all like to do? What’s something they all would complain about? You have to be innovative and make sure you are meeting their needs. It’s not about you, it’s about the students and what will lead them to be successful. I hate hearing teachers complain that they have to change things up. Teaching is about being flexible. What you do this year, may be drastically different than what you did last year. I consider this the fun part of the job. It’s fun to change things up. I don’t think it would be fun to do the same thing day in and day out.

CHANGE OF PLANS

Although I knew I couldn’t teach vocabulary the way my teachers did way back when, unfortunately, I started off doing something very similar. I really don’t have a good reason why other than I was overwhelmed with being in a new school learning new curriculum for the third year straight.

Monday night my students had a worksheet to fill in the blank and complete a crossword. On Tuesday night, my students had to complete a word sort. On Wednesday night, they used each word in a sentence. Finally, on Thursday night they had to write a vocabulary story. I refused to call it a free-write because it wasn’t. They had to use ALL of the vocabulary words in their story. Friday was quiz day.

Since it was bi-weekly, my students were fine with it for a little while. Come December, it was clear they were tired of the same routine.

Time to change things up…

I started to think about my class as a whole…

·      Full of energy

·      Love hands on activities

·      Love to get up and move around

·      They enjoy a good challenge

GOT IT!

WHEN IN DOUBT, ACT IT OUT

I decided that on the day before the quiz, why don’t a make up a game similar to charades using the vocabulary words? This allows the kids to SHOW their word rather than write about it.

Each vocabulary list had 8 words, so I made groups of 4 and each group got 2 words. I usually picked sticks to determine groups. Sometimes, I did let them form the groups.

·      OVERVIEW OF THE GAME

o   The class was given 8 minutes to prepare their act (4 minutes for each word).

o   I have the vocabulary list with definitions displayed on the board.

o   I go around to each group and show them the 2 words they will be acting out.

§  This is usually a random selection.

§  I may choose the words if one group stands out as one who made need an easier word, or one that would bring more of a challenge for them.

o   They can talk while preparing for the sketch.

o   It’s their choice how they demonstrate their word, as long as they are not spelling it out to the rest of the class.

o   They cannot use any material other than their bodies (no writing, no paper, no books, no nothing).

o   When time is up, we get in a big circle around the classroom.

o   I choose a group to go (sometimes they perform both words right way, other times, I decide to have the present one at a time).

o   Even though they were able to talk during their practice session, they cannot talk at all during the actual presentation.

§  NOTE: Remind the students to do a few run-throughs where they don’t talk during the practice session so they are well prepared for the presentation.

o   AFTER the group performs their word, the rest of the students will raise their hand if they think they know the word that group acted out. If they go it right, we move on. If not, others get to guess.

§  It’s your decision if you want to keep the word list on the board during this time. It all really depends on the needs of your students.

o   The last word

§  When it’s time for the 8^th word, the students will know which one it is. Therefore, in order to keep things interesting, I will sometimes give one group a repeated word. This keeps the students’ attention and allows that group to feel like they were given equal recognition for their sketch.

What’s the purpose?

The purpose is very simple. - the students have a blast. They get to get up, move around, and work together. They enjoy putting on a show and making their fellow peers guess at something they created. It gives the students ownership. It also allows the students to remember the definition of each word with more ease. When they take the quiz Friday, they can think back to the act it out session and how that word was presented in class.

Our job as teachers is to find ways to make learning fun – we need to be innovative, flexible, and most of all, understanding of each student’s needs. It’s the teacher’s job to get each student motivated and engaged. If your typical plan isn’t working, you NEED to change things up.