Issue 67: Nov 02, 2009 Connections Newsletter

Activating Strategy - Wordsplash

Brenda Hill
Nov 02, 2009

A Wordsplash is used as an Activating Strategy to build relationships between words and key concepts that will be taught in the lesson. The use of a Wordsplash requires students to bridge the knowledge they already know about the word as it relates to a new topic or concept.

How is the Wordsplash used?

The Wordsplash is an Activating Strategy that is often misunderstood. Many times teachers will provide the topic/concept for the students and have them brainstorm and list words about the topic they already know. This is an acceptable Activating Strategy but when used this way it is not a Wordsplash but a brainstorming activity. When using the Wordsplash as an Activating Strategy, the topic and vocabulary words are provided by the teacher. These vocabulary words - some familiar but most new - are provided by the teacher in an attempt to have students make connections and establish a relationship between each of the words to the new topic or concept. Because the lesson has not been taught students use the new vocabulary words to make prediction statements about how each word is related to the topic, Opportunities are provided during the lesson for students to reflect on their prediction statements for accuracy and make any needed revisions. There are adaptations that can be made to the Wordsplash to make it age appropriate. For example, with primary students the Wordsplash may exclusively use pictures or may use pictures and words. A Picturesplash used with younger students may be completed together as part of a classroom discussion.

Wordsplash Example:
The following is an example of a Wordsplash a teacher might use with students when beginning a unit on weather:



Uses of the Wordsplash:

• To activate a unit or lesson - Acquisition or Extending Thinking
• Prior to a field trip
• Prior to watching a video or listening to a guest speaker
• Student generated Wordsplash at the end of a lesson or unit. Students create their own Wordsplash deciding on key vocabulary and completing statements showing relationships between the vocabulary words and the topic. When used in this manner the Wordsplash has now become a summarizing strategy instead of a predicting activity.

For more activating strategies see Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons.

Readers Theater

Jennifer Partrick
Nov 02, 2009

Readers Theater is a wonderful way to help create fluent and enthusiastic readers. Readers Theater scripts can be found at all different levels to support readers along the reading continuum. Students enjoy acting out the story. Acting out the story brings the characters to life and supports comprehension. Players also have the opportunity to give their characters depth and personality by adding mannerisms they think the character possesses which supports reading between the lines or using context clues. Students should also be encouraged to create scripts from well loved stories that they can act out for their classmates. This gives them the opportunity to add other things they think the characters would say or do. As students practice their lines they are working on fluency which is a critical component of comprehension. Students practice which words or phrases need more emphasis whic h will support them as they read for themselves. If classroom teachers embrace Readers Theater, they can adapt scripts and assign scripts to fit all levels of readers to that all students are immersed in reading. Because students must practice reading their lines, this gives all levels of readers the time to perfect what they read. Here is an example of a script that could be used for all levels of readers. More proficient readers can read the narrator's part with more lines and less proficient readers can read characters with fewer lines. Doing this supports all readers without fear of intimidation.

Jack and Jill (Script by Jennifer Partrick)

Characters: Narrator, Mom, Jack, Jill

Narrator: Once upon a time in a land very far away lived a pair of twins, Jack and Jill, who lived with their mother in a little house next a big hill.

Mom: (in her kitchen, calling to her children) Jack! Jill! Come here, I need you to help me!

Narrator: Jack and Jill run into the kitchen together.

Mom: Would the two of you go up the hill and fetch some water for me? I need to wash some clothes.

Jill: Sure Mom, we can do that.

Jack: I'll go get the pail.

Narrator: Jack goes to get the pail.

Mom: You are your brother are the best children in the whole world.

Jill: Thanks mom!

Jack: I have the pail. Let's go Jill.

Narrator: So Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

Jill: I'm tired. It's so hot today and rain has made the walk slippery.

Jack: Whoa!! I almost fell!

Narrator: Jack and Jill finally made it up the hill and Jack placed the pail on the rope and lowered it into the well.

Jill: (looking down in the well) It sure is dark down there!

Jack: (pulling up the pail full of water) This is a heavy pail.

Jill: You better be careful going down that hi ll.

Narrator: So Jack and Jill went back down the hill, but about halfway down.

Jack: Oh no! I'm falling and I can't stop myself! Help!

Jill: Oh no! Help!

Narrator: Jack fell down and broke his crown (head) and Jill came tumbling after.

Jack: Oh no! My head! It hurts!

Jill: Let me help you up. Lean on me and we'll walk home together.

Jack: Ow! Ow! I don't feel so good!

Jill: It will be alright.

Narrator: So up Jack got and home did trot as fast as he was able.

Mom: Goodness me! What happened to Jack?

Jill: He slipped on the hill and fell. He bumped his head on the pail.

Mom: Let me look at that! It needs a little vinegar on some brown paper. I'll just bandage that to his head.

Narrator: So Jack's mom mended his head and put him to bed with vinegar and brown paper.

Mom: Well, I guess I won't be washing any clothes today. Jill, why don't you sit with y! our brot her. Read to him until he falls asleep.

Narrator: And that's what Jill did. She read to Jack until he fell asleep and their mom baked an apple pie to help Jack feel better.

Other reading and fluency resources for primary students such as this can be found in Learning to Read.

Wordless Books: A Teacher’s Tool for Comprehension and Fluency

Carol Brewer
Nov 02, 2009

Wordless books are books with pictures and no words. They can be used in various ways to improve learning. One use is for teaching comprehension. You can "think aloud" while showing the pictures. This "think aloud" can be focused on one of the comprehension strategies. For example, "The Snowman" by Raymond Briggs (1978) is a sequence of events to build a snowman. You can use this wordless book to teach the sequence of events. You can model the order of events to build the snowman. The events can be written on a sequence graphic organizer, and you can then model how to write a sequence summary from the graphic organizer. Each group of students can then be given another wordless book for them to apply what has been modeled.

The lesson could look like this:

Lesson Essential Question: How do I use pictures to strengthen the understanding of sequencing?
Assessment Prompt: wordless books
Assessment Prompt: events
Assessment Prompt: sequence of events

Activating Strategy: Teacher gives pairs of students "sequence cards" to put in order. Students explain their sequence to another pair of students.

Teaching Strategies:
Graphic Organizer: Tri-fold Sequence Foldable with Beginning, Middle, End

Use the wordless book "The Snowman" to model a sequence of events using pictures. Use "think aloud" to make the connection from the wordless book to comprehension.

AP#1: Students write a description of wordless books on a sticky note and share with their partner.
Give partners another wordless book to apply what has been taught. Students look through the book and identify the events.

AP#2: Partners write the events on the back of their Sequence Foldable
Show students how to use their list of events to determine the most important event that happened in the beginning, middle, and end.

AP#3: Partners apply what has been modeled and write or draw the events on their Sequence Foldable.
Assignment: Students use their foldable to write the words for their wordless book. They share their books with the class or another pair/group of students.

Summarizing Strategy: 3-2-1. Students write 3 things about Sequencing, 2 strengths of using Wordless Books, and 1 thing they learning from the lesson.

Another way to use Wordless Books is for fluency. Think of the power behind having students tell the story using the pictures. By making the proper connections, students will have a better understanding of how fluency "feels". It is suggested that you write what students say as they tell the story from the pictures. Then, students can reread what you wrote to strengthen fluency. Another suggestion is for students to write the text for the pictures. Student writing is a great tool for fluency. Then reread the text to a lower grade level student to build confidence with reading.

Additional Fluency activities can be found in the Comprehensive Literacy book.