Lessons & Units :: Vocabulary in Context 2nd Grade Unit

Lesson 4: Dictionary

Lesson Plan

The Mitten | 800L

The Mitten
Learning Goal
Use a dictionary to find the meaning of unknown words in a text.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: The Mitten by Jan Brett, dictionary

  • Teacher Modeling

    will explain that sometimes when I am reading and I don’t know what a word means, I use the dictionary to look up the meaning of the word. I will explain and model how to use the dictionary, including alphabetical order and guide words at the top of each page. I will read The Mitten by Jan Brett and stop at page 7 to discuss the word “burrowed.” I will explain that this word is a verb because it is an action word and I will model how to look it up in the dictionary. I will point out that there may be more than one definition, but I need the definition that is a verb. I will read the definition out loud and then reread the sentence in the book, explaining that I now understand what is happening in the story. I will repeat this for the verb “jostled” on page 11.

    TIP: Create guidelines for students to refer to when choosing the most appropriate dictionary definition for given words. For example: Make sure you found and read all the entries for the word. Choose the dictionary meaning that best matches the part of speech and context in which the word is used. Reread the sentence in the text and decide if the definition makes sense in context.

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I find the meaning of the word "burrowed"? Students should respond that you used a dictionary by looking up the word "burrowed" alphabetically, choosing the correct definition based on its use in the sentence and reading the definition.

  • Guided Practice

    will work together to use the dictionary to find the meaning of “commotion” (noun) on page 13 and “badger” (noun) on page 15. We will discuss how we used the guide words and alphabetical order of the words to locate these words in the dictionary.

  • Independent Practice

    will listen as I read the rest of the story. You will use a dictionary to find the meaning of “muzzle” (noun) on page 18, “scattered” (verb) on page 24, and “silhouetted” (verb) on page 26. You will identify the guide words on the page where you found each word and write down the correct definition to match the part of speech in the text. (Student Independent Practice is provided in Teacher and Student Materials below.)

Build Student Vocabulary commotion

Tier 2 Word: commotion
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story “As soon as the hedgehog disappeared into the mitten, a big owl, attracted by the commotion, swooped down.”
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) A commotion is noisy excitement, disorder, and confusion. The owl swooped down because he was attracted by the commotion inside the mitten. He swooped down because there was a lot of noise, excitement, disorder, and confusion coming from the mitten.
Students repeat the word Say the word commotion with me: commotion
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts There was a commotion when the fire alarm rang. There was a commotion at the baseball game when the home team won.
Students provide examples Have you ever seen a commotion? Start by saying, “I saw a commotion when __________________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? commotion
Additional Vocabulary Words grumbled, swelled

Build Student Background Knowledge

Before reading The Mitten, introduce the story by explaining that it is a tale from the Ukraine. Point to the Ukraine on a map, and explain that the Ukraine was once a part of Russia, which borders it. In the Ukraine, the people speak Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, and Polish. Show on the map how those nations surround the Ukraine. Explain that one amazing fact about the Ukraine is that nearly 100% of the people who live there know how to read and write. When reading the story, point out the boy's unique Ukrainian clothing.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

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User Comments

This is an awesome resource! This lesson is addresses the standard clearly and simplistically. I also love the way that it provided instructions on how to teach the same lesson to Tier 2 students! Fantastic!
Thank you!

Submitted by barnes.kimberly on 2/11/16