SynonymsandAntonymsLessonPlan

MorganHash

SubjectArea:LanguageArts

GradeLevel:3rdGrade

LessonPlanElements

Objectives:

• Thestudentwillbeabletounderstandthemeaningofsynonymandantonym.

• Thestudentwillbeabletochoosesynonymsorantonymsforagivenwordthatwasfoundinatextordetermineifapairofwordsaresynonymsorantonyms.

VASOL’S:

• SOL3.4–Thestudentwillexpandvocabularywhenreading(b)useknowledgeofroots,affixes,synonyms,andantonyms.

ACEIStandardsAddressedandDemonstratedThroughLessonArtifacts:

• ACEI1.0Development,Learning,andMotivation-Candidatesknow,

understand,andusethemajorconcepts,principles,theories,andresearch

relatedtodevelopmentofchildrenandyoungadolescentstoconstruct

learningopportunitiesthatsupportindividualstudents’development,

acquisitionofknowledge,andmotivation:

o WiththeactivitiesIincorporatedintomysynonymsandantonymsformallessonplan,IwasabletomeetthecriteriaofACEI1.0.Istartedthelessonwithagamewherestudentsswitchedfromonesideofthecarpettotheotherbasedonwhatstatementtheyagreedwith.Thestatementsusedwereoppositestatements,suchas"Ihaveapet"or"Idonothaveapet."WiththisactivityIwasabletoactivatestudentspriorknowledgeofthewords"same"and"opposite"andcomparethemtothemeaningof"synonym"and"antonym."Studentswereabletorelatetwothingsbeingthesametosynonymshavingthesamemeaning.Theywerealsoabletorelatetwothingsbeingoppositetoantonymshavingoppositemeaning.AnotherwayImetthisstandardwasusingapre-assessmentasawaytoplaninstructionthatmeteachlearner’sneeds.Afterconductingthepre-assessment,Iformedalessonbasedonthedata.Finally,withthegamesandactivitiesIincorporatedinthislessonIwasabletodemonstratemyknowledgeofthecharacteristicsoftheagegroupsofthestudentsinmyclass.Ichosetheactivitiesbasedonmyknowledgeofwhatwouldengagethestudents.

• ACEI2.1Reading,Writing,andOralLanguage-Candidatesdemonstrate

ahighlevelofcompetenceinuseofEnglishlanguageartsandthey

know,understand,anduseconceptsfromreading,languageandchild

development,toteachreading,writing,speaking,viewing,listening,

andthinkingskillsandtohelpstudentssuccessfullyapplytheir

developingskillstomanydifferentsituations,materialsandideas:

o Throughoutthislessonplan,ImetthecriteriaofACEI2.1inmultipleways.Tostartwith,Ireferencedthegradelevelstandardsoflearningtodesignmyobjectives.Inthislessonplan,Ifirstintroducedtheconceptsofsynonymsandantonymstostudents.TointroducethetwoconceptsIusedasideswitchingactivity,whichallowedmetoencourageactiveengagementinliteracyinstruction.Wethenreadasmallparagraphsothatwecouldusewordsfromourreadingtoexpandourvocabulary.Iwasabletoincorporatetheactofreadingwithinthislessonwiththeuseofthepassagethestudentsusedtoidentifywords.Thisalsohelpedtointegratereadingwiththeinstructionoflanguagearts.Afterreadingtheparagraph,Iusedwebstohavethemfindsynonymsofthreewordsandantonymsofthreewordsthatwereseeninourpassage.Theuseofthesewebswasadaptedfromtheconceptofsaidwebs.ThiswasanotherwayinwhichImetthisstandard,becauseIusedthestrategytoengagestudentsinlearning.

• ACEI3.1IntegratingandApplyingKnowledgeforInstruction-

Candidatesplanandimplementinstructionbasedonknowledgeof

students,learningtheory,subjectmatter,curriculargoals,and

community: o IwasabletomeetthestandardsinACEI3.1throughthewayI

developedandimplementedthislesson.FirstIbeganwiththeVirginiaStandardsofLearning,whichIusedtodeterminetheskillsthatneededtobetaught.Ialsousedthisknowledgetomakeobjectivesformystudentsthatwerecohesivetothestandards,aswellasappropriateformystudents.Thislessonplanwasdoneinasequentialandlogicalorder,toensurethatstudentswereabletofollowtheinstruction.Ifirststartedwithsynonymsanddidamodel,guidedpractice,andanindependentpracticeactivity.ThenIfollowedthissameorderwithantonyms.Iensuredthateachofthesewasconnecteddirectlytotheobjectivestoensurethatstudentswereabletomeettheobjectives.Overall,IfeelImetthisstandardwiththisartifactbecauseIplannedandconductedalessonthatwasveryconducivetolearning.Thestudentswereabletodisplaytheirknowledgeofsynonymsandantonymsthroughtheirindependentworkonwordwebsandduringthecooperativelearningactivity.Ihaveevidenceofthis,becausemystudentsscoredmuchhigheronthepost-assessmentthanthepre-assessment.AsidefromthescoresIrecorded,theobservationsmadeduringthelessonalsodisplayedthatthestudentsweremakingimprovements.

• ACEI3.5CommunicationtoFosterCollaboration-Candidatesusetheir

knowledgeandunderstandingofeffectiveverbal,nonverbal,andmedia

communicationtechniquestofosteractiveinquiry,collaboration,and

supportiveinteractionintheelementaryclassroom: o WiththeactivitiesIusedinthesynonymsandantonymslessonplanI

conductedwithathirdgradeclass,Iwasabletomeetthestandardsof

ACEI3.5.Duringthislesson,IusedmultipleactivitiesthatfosteredverbalcommunicationbetweenthestudentsandI.Forexample,atthebeginningofthelessonthestudentsplayedagametolearnaboutsynonymsandantonyms.Thisgameencouragedpositivecommunicationbetweenthestudentsandtheteachertohelpimprovethestudents'learning.Studentshadtocommunicatewiththeteacherandotherstudentstograsptheconcepts.Studentsalsohadtheopportunitytoparticipateinacooperativelearningactivity.Thiswasanotherwayforthestudentstouseverbalcommunicationtoimprovetheirlearning.Duringthisactivity,studentshadtocollaboratethroughcommunicatingtofinishtheactivity.Iwasalsoabletofosteranenvironmentwherestudentscouldexperiencesupportiveinteractionswiththeirclassmates.Studentsworkedtogethertoreachacommongoal.

• ACEI4AssessmentforInstruction-Candidatesknow,understand,and

useformalandinformalassessmentstrategiestoplan,evaluateand

strengtheninstructionthatwillpromotecontinuousintellectual,social,

emotional,andphysicaldevelopmentofeachelementarystudent: o Withthislesson,IfirstbegantomeetthestandardsofACEI4withmy

pre-assessment.Aweekbeforeteachingthelesson,Igavemystudentsapre-assessmentonsynonymsandantonymstocollectdataonmystudents’knowledgeabouttheseconcepts.Ithenusedthedatacollectedfromthepre-assessmenttoplanmyinstructionanddeveloptheexpectationsIwantedmystudentstomeet.NextIusedstrategiestohelpmystudentsmeettheobjectiveslistedinmylesson,whichhelpedtopreparethemtofortheSOLs.Afterteachingthelesson,Igaveapost-assessmenttomystudentstoassesswhetherornottheyhadmettheobjective.Thepost-assessmentwasareflectionofthecontentmystudentshadstudiedwithinthelesson.Thepost-assessmentwasalsobasedonmyobjectivesandcouldbeeasilycomparedtothepre-assessment.Aftercollectingallofthestudents’work,Irecordedthescorestoshowmystudents’achievementonthepost-assessment.Finally,Icomparedthescoresfromthepre-assessmentmystudentstookbeforethislesson,tothepost-assessmenttheytookattheconclusionofthelesson.Bycomparingthisdata,Iwasabletodocumentthelearninggainsthatmystudentsmadethroughoutthelesson.Thisalsoallowedmetoseewhichstudentsneededremediationontheconcepts,whichcouldguidefutureinstruction.

Materials:

• Whiteboard• Dry-erasemarkers

Artifacts:

• AppendixA:Pre-assessment• AppendixB:Paragraph

• AppendixC:IndependentPracticeforSynonymsandAntonyms• AppendixD:“Ihave...Whohas”Game• AppendixE:ChecklistforGame• AppendixF:“BattyforSynonymsandAntonyms”Worksheet• AppendixG:SynonymWordWebExamples• AppendixH:AntonymWordWebExamples• AppendixI:Checklist• AppendixJ:PicturesfromLesson

LessonPlanandAnalysis:

Pre-Assessment:

Studentsweregiventhepre-assessmentworksheet(appendixA).Theworksheetaskedthestudentstopickoutthesynonymforasetofwords,pickoutanantonymforasetofwords,andfinallydeterminewhethereachpairofwordswereasynonymorantonym.Tobeabletoobtainthecorrectanswer,studentshadtobeawareofthemeaningofsynonymandantonym.Thefirsttwosectionsoftheworksheetwerematching.ThesecondsectionsimplyhadstudentsputanAintheblankforantonymsandanSintheblankforsynonyms.Studentsreceivedonepointforeachanswertheygotcorrectforapossibletotalof16points.

Aftercollectingthedatafromthepre-assessment,Imadethischarttoshowthenumberofstudentswitheachscore.Somestudentsdidwellonthispre-assessment,butabouthalfofthestudentsthatturnedthepre-assessmentinscoredbelow70%.Withonlythreestudentsgettingallthequestionscorrect,Ifeelthateventhestudentsthatscoredhigheronthepre-assessmentstillneedareview.Whengivingtheassessment,Ialsoencounteredmanystudentsaskingmewhata

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NumberofStudentswithEachScore

NumberofCorrectAnsers(Outof16)

Pre-Assessment

synonymorwhatanantonymwas.Thenwithoutmetellingthem,theywereabletogetmostoftheanswerscorrect.Thisleadsmetobelievethateventhehigheststudentsmayhavemadecorrectguesses. NarrativeDescription:(45minutestotal)

Introduction:ClassDiscussion(10–15minutes) Thestudentsandteacherwillhaveadiscussionaboutwhatsynonymsandantonymsare.Tobegin,thestudentswilldoanactivityonthingstheylikeandgotoeithersideoftheclassroombasedontheiranswertothequestion.Theteacherwillthencomparethetwosidesofthecarpet. Teacher:Todaywearegoingtostartwithagame.Forthisgametowork

Ineedeveryonetostayatalevel1.First,Iwillaskaquestion.Basedon

youranswertothequestionyouwillgotoeithersideofthecarpet.For

example,ImaysayIlikeicecreamorIdon’tlikeicecream.Ifyoulike

icecreamyouwillgototherightsideofthecarpetandifyoudon’tlike

icecreamyouwillgototheotherside.So,everybodystandup!Ifyou

liketodohomeworkgototherightsideofthecarpetandifyoudon’t

liketodohomeworkgototheleftsideofthecarpet.Remembertostay

atalevel1!

*Waitforstudentstochoosetheirside*

Teacher:Okay,soifIamoveronthissideofthecarpetandknowall

thesefriendsliketodohomework,Iknowtheyareallthesame.So

whatifIcometotheothersideofthecarpetandallmyfriendsdon’t

liketodohomework?Arethesefriendsthesameordifferentfromthe

othersideofthecarpet? StudentA:Theyaredifferent. Teacher:Great!Let’stryanotherone.Ifyoulikereadingaloudgotothe

rightsideorifyoulikereadingsilentlygototheleftsideofthecarpet.

NowifIcomeovertomyfriendswholikereadingaloud,Iknowthey

areallgoingtobethesameright?Sotheyaremysynonyms.ThenifI

comparethemtomyfriendswholiketoreadsilently,Iknowtheyare

myantonyms.ThesefriendspickedtheOPPOSITEchoicefromthose

whochosethattheyliketoreadaloud!Sonowwearegoingtodo

anotherandseeifyouguyscantellmewhoaremySYNONYMSandwho

aremyANTONYMS.So,ifyouhaveapetgototherightsideofthecarpet

andifyoudon’thaveapet,gototheleftside.

*Allowstudentstimetomovetotheirsideofthecarpet*

Teacher:OkaysoifIcomeovertotherightsidewhereeveryonehasa

pet,thesearemywhat?

Student:Synonyms!! Teacher:Howdoweknowtheyaremysynonyms?

Student:Becausetheyarethesame. Teacher:Exactly!Weknowthatsynonymsarethesame!

Whataboutmyfriendsoverontheothersideofthecarpet,whatare

theywhencomparedwiththesynonyms? Student:Antonyms!

Teacher:Yes!Andhowdoweknowthatthesearetheantonyms?

Student:Becausetheyareopposite! Teacher:GreatJob,synonymsarewordsthatmeanthesameand

antonymsarewordsthathaveoppositemeanings.

InstructionandActivities:(30minutes)SynonymsMini-Lesson(10minutes)

Teachershouldhavestudentsfindaseatonthecarpetbeforebeginningalessononsynonyms. Teacher:Nowwearegoingtotalkalittlebitaboutsynonyms.Whatare

synonyms?

Student:Synonymmeansthesame! Teacher:Right,soifIsaidtwowordsweresynonyms,whatwouldI

meanbythat?

Student:Thatthetwowordsarethesame. Teacher:Close,whenwearetalkingaboutsynonyms,wearetalking

abouttwowordsthatmeanthesamethingorclosetothesamething.

*Teachershouldwritethisdefinitionontheboard*

Studentswillbegiventhefollowingparagraph.“Johnnygotapuppyforhis birthdaylastyear.ThispresentmadeJohnnysohappy,becausewhenJohnny askedwherehispresentswere,hismomsaidtherewerenone.Johnny’s momsaidthatheonlygotapuppybecausehehadbeensonice.Whenhegot hispuppy,itwasverysmall.Nowthathispuppyisolder,hispuppyhas gottenbigandhisbarkshavegottenquiteloud.”Theparagraphwillbegiven tothestudents(AppendixB)aswellaswrittenontheboard.

• Model:Aftertheparagraphhasbeenreadaloud,theteacherwillpointoutthewordsmall.

Teacher:IntheparagraphaboutJohnny’spuppy,Ireadthatthepuppy

wasverysmall.Whenwereaditisimportanttoknowotherwordsthat

alsomeansmall.Wesaidthatsynonymsarewordsthatmeanthe

sameorhavesimilarmeanings.So,ifIwanttofindwordsthatmeanthe

samethingassmallIwillbelookingforthesynonyms.

Theteacherwillwritethewordsmallontheboardanddiscussthepossible synonymsfortheword.Thisformatwillbedoneasaweb.So,smallwillbein themiddleandthesynonymswillbedrawfromthemiddle.

Teacher:IhavethewordsmallandIamtryingtousesomesynonymsof

thisword.SoIamlookingforwordsthatmeanthesamething.Iknow

thattinyhasasimilarmeaningtosmall.Ialsoknowthewordslittleand

teenyhaveasimilarmeaningsoIwillwriteallofthesewordsup

comingoffofmyoriginalword.

• GuidedPractice:Nexttheteacherwillwriteupanotherwordfromtheparagraphandhavestudentsgivesynonymsfortheword.Theteacherwillwriteuphappy.

Teacher:NowIamgoingtogobacktomyparagraph.Iseetheword

happy.IamwonderingwhatotherwordsIcoulduseinsteadofhappy

thatwillstillmeanthesamething.IfIhavethewordhappyandIam

lookingforsynonymsoftheword,Iamlookingforwordsthatarethe

sameordifferent?

Students:Thesame! Teacher:Yes!Sowhataresomesynonymsorwordsthathavesameor

similarmeaningtothewordhappy.

StudentA:Glad! StudentB:Joyful! StudentC:Excited! Teacher:Exciteddoesnotnecessarilymeanthesamethingashappy,

butthewordsdohavesimilarmeaningssowecanuseit!

*Ifstudentscannotthinkofwordsontheirown,theteacherwillsayvarious wordsandaskiftheyaresynonyms.Sotheteachermaysaywordssuchastall, none,mad,joyful,excitedandglad.Studentswillhavetodeterminethatonly thelastthreearesynonyms.*

• IndependentPractice:Forindependentpractice,studentswillbegivenaworksheetwithawordinthemiddle.Thewordwillbefromtheparagraphtheyread.Ontheworksheettheywillalsohaveawordbankofwordstheycanusetofillinthebubbles.Thesewordswillincludesynonyms,antonyms,andrandomwords.Studentswillbeinstructedtofindthesynonymsofthewordinthemiddletofillintheweb.Studentswillalsobegivenachoicetoaddbubblesandwordsthattheycomeupwithontheirowntothesynonymwebiftheyfinishearly.Theteacherwillhandoutthesepapersandgivestudentstheinstructions.

Teacher:Ineedyoutocompletethisworksheetliketheonesthatwe

justdidtogether.Asyousee,thewordinthemiddleisnice.Thisis

anotherwordfromourparagraphthatIwanttofindsynonymsfor.You

haveawordbanktochooseyourwordsfrom,ifyoufinishearlyand

wouldlikeyoumayaddmorebubbleswithwordsyoucomeupwithon

yourown.

AntonymsMini-Lesson(10minutes):

Afterthestudentshavecompletedtheworksheetonsynonymstheywillturntheirattentionbacktowardstheboardforalessononantonyms.Thismini-lessonwillgoverysimilartotheoneonsynonyms.Synonymsandantonymshavebeensplitintotwomini-lessonsinhopethatstudentswillbetterbeabletodifferentiatebetweenthetwo. Teacher:Aftereveryoneisdonewiththeiractivity,Ineedeveryone’s

attentionbackupattheboard.Ineedyoualltothinkbacktoour

activitywedidearlier.Whocantellmewhatwedecidedandantonym

was?

Student:Somethingthatisdifferent. Teacher:Yes,ifwesaythattwowordsareantonymsweknowtheir

meaningsaredifferent;theyareactuallyopposites.

*Teacherwillwriteupthedefinitionofantonymontheboard*

• Model:Theteacherwillwritethewordsmallontheboardanddiscussthepossibleantonymsfortheword.Thisformatwillbedoneasaweb.So,smallwillbeinthemiddleandtheantonymswillbedrawfromthemiddle.

Teacher:Iwanttogobacktomyparagraphnow.Iseethewordsmall again,butthistimeIamwonderingwhatwordsmeantheoppositeof small.SonowIamlookingforantonyms.Wordslikebigorlarge. *Teacherwillwritethosewordscomingfromtheweb.

• GuidedPractice:Theteacherwillnowwriteupthewordloudandletthestudentssuggestsantonyms.

Teacher:AnotherwordIsawinmyparagraphwasthewordloud.

Johnnyreallywishedthathispuppywasnotsoloud.Whatcouldwesay

Johnnywishedhispuppywas?So,nowwearegoingtolookattheword

loud.Iwanttofindsomeantonymsforthisword,sothatIcanfigureout

howJohnnywishedhispuppywas.WhocanremindmewhatIam

lookingforwhenIsaythatIamlookingforanantonym?

Student:Youarelookingforawordthatmeanstheoppositeofloud. Teacher:Exactly.Sowhatisanantonym,orawordthatmeansthe

opposite,ofloud?

Student:Silent! Student:Quiet! Student:LevelOne! Teacher:*writeseachupontheboard* *Ifstudentscannotthinkofwordsontheirown,theteacherwillsayvarious wordsandaskiftheyareantonyms.Sotheteachermaysaywordssuchas quiet,none,yell,silent,levelone.Studentswillhavetodeterminewhichare antonyms.*

• IndependentPractice:Forindependentpractice,studentswillbegivenaworksheetwithawordinthemiddle.Ontheworksheettheywillalsohaveawordbankofwordstheycanusetofillinthebubbles.Thesewordswillincludesynonyms,antonyms,andrandomwords.Studentswillbeinstructedtofindtheantonymsofthewordinthemiddle.Studentswillalsobegivenachoicetoaddbubblesandwordsthattheycomeupwithontheirowntotheantonymwebiftheyfinishearly.Theteacherwillhandoutthesepapersandgivestudentstheinstructions.

Teacher:Ineedyoutocompletethisworksheetliketheonesthatwe

justdidtogether.Inthisworksheetyouwillseeanotherwordfromour

paragraph.Thistimeyouarelookingatthewordnoneandtryingto

findantonyms.Youhaveawordbanktochooseyourwordsfrom,ifyou

finishearlyandwouldlike,youmayaddmorebubbleswithwordsyou

cameupwithonyourown.

Closure:CooperativeLearningActivity(10minutes)

Toreviewwhathasbeenlearnedonsynonymsandantonyms,theteacherwillpassoutcardstoasynonymandantonym“Ihave…Whohas?”game.Studentswhodidwellonthepre-assessmentandduringthelessonwillreceivetwocardstogivethemmoreofachallenge.Duringthisgamestudentsmustpayattentionincasetheircardiscalledatanytime.Onthecardsstudentswillaskquestionslike“Whohasanantonymfor_____?”thenstudentwiththenextcardwillrespond,“Ihave____.”Thiswillrepeatuntileveryonehasgonethroughtheactivity. Teacher:Nowwearegoingtoplayagame!Iamgoingtopassoutcards

toeachperson.Onyourcardyouwillseeananswer,followedbya

question.Whensomeoneasksaquestion,youwilllookonyourcardto

seeifyouhavetheanswer.Ifso,youwillreply,“Ihave____”thenyou

willaskthequestionthatisonthebottomofthecard.Thiswill

continueuntileveryonegetstogoatleastonce.Whileweareplaying

thisgamewehavetoberespectfulofourpeersandcannottalkoutof

turn.Ifyouthinkyouhavethecardsimplysaywhatisonyourcard.If

youarenotsure,thenwecangettheclasstohelpyoufigureitout.

ExtensionActivity:BattyforSynonymsandAntonymsworksheet Ifthestudentsfinishthelessonandstillhavetimeleftover,thestudentswillbegiventhe“BattyforSynonymsandAntonyms”worksheet.Onthisworksheet,studentsaregivenmultiplebatsthathaveapairofwordsontheirwings.TheyareinstructedtoputanAonthebat’sbodyifthewordsareantonymsandanSifthewordsaresynonyms.Theteacherwillpassoutthisworksheetafterthecooperativelearningactivity.Theteacherwillexplainthedirectionstothestudentsaslistedaboveandthenallowthemtogetstarted.Whentheworksheetshavebeencompleted,ifthereisextratimethestudentswillbegiventheopportunitytomaketheirownsynonymorantonymweb. AccommodationsandDifferentiation:

• Studentswillbeaccommodatedthroughthenumberofcardstheyreceivedwhenplayingthe“Ihave…Whohas?”game,studentswhoscoredhigheronthepre-assessmentwillreceive2cards,whileotherstudentswillonlyreceiveone.

• Also,toaccommodateforstudentsthatarehigher,theywillbeaskedtoincludetheirownsynonyms/antonymsonthewebiftheyfinishwithextratime.

• ForstudentswhohaveADHDorotherattentionproblems,theteacherwillreinforcedirectionswhentheyareofftask.Theteacherwillalsogivethematimelimitthattheyneedtohavetheactivitydoneiniftheyarenotfocusedontheassignment.Thesestudentswillbeabletousefidgettoysduringthelessonaslongastheyarenotaninterruptionoftheirlearning.Teacherwillcomplimentgoodworkethicwhenitisseentoencourageitinthefuture.

• Forstudentswithlearningdisabilities,theteacherwilluseextraquestionstoscaffoldingtheirthoughtprocessduringindividualworktimes.Theteacherwillreadaloudworksheetswhenneededbystudentswhonormallyhaveactivitiesreadtothem.Theteacherwillprovidethesestudentswithextraattentionduringindividualworktimetoensurethattheyunderstandthequestionsbeingasked.

• Teacherwillusemicrophonetoensurethatstudentswithhearingimpairmentscanhearthefulllesson.

Assessment:

Theobjectivesarethestudentwillbeabletounderstandthemeaningofsynonymandantonymandthestudentwillbeabletochoosesynonymsorantonymsforagivenwordfromatextordetermineifapairofwordsaresynonymsorantonyms.Toassesstheseobjectives,Iwillbeusingthewebsthestudentsmadeduringtheindependentpracticepieceofeachmini-lesson.Iwillbecheckingtoensurethatthestudentsunderstoodthemeaningofbothsynonymandantonymintheirapplicationofit.Iwillalsobeusingobservationsduringthe“Ihave...Whohas”game.DuringthisgameIwillbeobservingtoseeifthestudentsareabletoquicklyanswerthepersonwhohasaskedthequestion.Iwilluseachecklisttorecordthis.Onthechecklisttherewillbeeverystudentsnamewiththreecolumns:instantlyanswered,answeredafteralongpause,andcouldnotdetermineanswerontheirown.ThiswayIamabletoseewhichstudentgraspedbeingabletopickoutasynonymand/orantonymforagivenword. Theobjectivethatstatesthestudentwillbeabletounderstandthemeaningofsynonymandantonymwillbeaddressedthroughthecheck-sheetusedforthegame.Thisisobjectivecanbeevaluatedthroughthisgamebecausestudentsmustunderstandthemeaningofthewordstobeabletodeterminetheanswer.Theywillreceivethreepointsiftheyansweredthequestionimmediately,twoandahalfiftherewasacheckinbetweenthatcategoryandthenext,twoiftheyansweredafteralongpause,oneandahalfiftherewasacheckbetweenthetwocategories,andoneiftheydidnotanswerthequestion.Ifthestudenthadmorethanonecard,theirscoreswouldbeaveraged. Thesecondobjective,andthestudentwillbeabletochoosesynonymsorantonymsforagivenwordfromatextordetermineifapairofwordsaresynonymsorantonyms,willbeassessedthroughtheuseoftheindependentsynonymandantonymwebworksheets.Forthesetwoactivitiesstudentsareusingaparagraphandhavingawordfromtheparagraphtofindasynonymandantonymfor.Studentswillbescoredbasedonthenumberofcorrectwordsfromthewordbankthattheyputintotheweb.Oneachwebstudentswillbegiventhreebubblestofillin,sotheirscorewillbeoutof3foreachweb. Forthepre-assessment,studentswereaskedtomatchsynonymsandantonyms,aswellasdetermineifapairofwordsweresynonymsorantonyms.Thiscanbecomparedtothepost-assessmentbecausestudentsfirsthadtoknowthemeaningofeachofthewordstodeterminetheanswers.Theyalsohadtoidentifyasynonymorantonymforagivenword,liketheydidontheirwordwebs.

Evaluation:

ThereareafewthingsthatIrealizeIneedtoimproveonwhileteaching.Themainoneisclassroommanagementandengagement.Forexample,duringmylastlesson,thereweremanytimeswhereIhadtopausetotryandgetstudentsattentionbeforecontinuingwithmylesson.Thisisnormal,butduringmylastlessonthishappenedwaytooften.Duringthislesson,Itriedtokeepthestudentsmoreengagedbyaskingmorequestions.Ifoundthishelped,becauseasawholestudentsdidnotseemtogetofftaskasmuch.Onethingdiscussedinmylessonthatmayhavebeenthecauseofthisisuncleardirections.Isawthisagainduringthislesson,butnotasfrequently,soIfeelthatwhenIgavecleardirectionstheyweremorefocused.Idothinkthatthereweresomestudentswhoweredisengagedduringcertainpartsofthelessonthough.Onceagain,forthesestudentsItriedtospeakdirectlytothemorcomplimentothersforbeingontasktoencouragethemtodothesame.Ensuringthatallstudents’needsaremetduringalessonisparticularlydifficult.MyclassroomhasmanydifferentneedsandIfinditdifficulttoensurethateverystudentisgettingaccommodatedwhilethewholeclassisalsolearning.Toimproveonthis,IthinkthatIshouldbemoreawareofeachoftheindividualstudentsengagementduringthelesson.ThiswassomethingIwantedtoimproveonfrompreviouslessons.

Post-LessonEvaluation:LearningEvidence

LearningObjectiveOne:Thestudentwillbeabletounderstandthemeaningofsynonymandantonym.Check-sheetScores:

Pre-AssessmentScores:

Whencomparingthescoresfromthe“Ihave…Whohas?”gamechecksheet,itisclearthatstudentsscoredhigheronthepost-assessmentthanthepre-assessment.Bybeingabletoquicklyanswerthequestionsthatwereaskedduringthegame,Iknowthatstudentsunderstandthemeaningofsynonymandantonym.Ithinkthatsomestudentsmayhavescoredalittlelowerduetonothearingthequestionsatfirst.Forstudentswhowerenotabletoanswerquickly,Iwouldmeetwiththeminasmallgroup.Inthisgroupwewouldreviewthedefinitionofasynonymandantonymandthendoasynonymandantonymsort.

Score: 100% 94% 88% 81% 69% 56% 50% 25%NumberofStudents: 3 1 2 2 2 1 4 1

Score: 100% 92% 83% 67% 50%NumberofStudents: 6 1 6 4 1

LearningObjective2:Thestudentwillbeabletochoosesynonymsorantonymsforagivenwordfromatextordetermineifapairofwordsaresynonymsorantonyms.SynonymWordWebScores:

Score: 100% 67% 22%NumberofStudents: 17 1 2AntonymWordWebScores:

Score: 100% 67% 22%NumberofStudents: 17 1 1 Asseeninthetablesabove,nearlyallstudentswereabletodowellonthesetwoassessments.Majorityoftheclassgotalloftheanswersoneachwebcorrect.Iknowthatthesestudentshavemettheobjectivebecauseonthewebtheyhavetochoosesynonyms/antonymsforawordfromatexttheyweregiveninclass.Thisdatecouldalsobecomparedtothepre-assessmentdata,whichshowsthatnearlyallstudentsimprovedfromthepre-assessment.Forthestudentswhodidnotscorewell,Iwouldhaveasmallgroupwiththemaswell.InthistimeIwouldhaveanotherparagraphforthemtoread.Thenwewouldworkonasynonymwebandanantonymwebtogether.Afterguidedpractice,Iwouldgivethemanotherwebtocompleteontheirown.Reflection

Ithinkthislessonwasmoresuccessfulthanmylastlesson.Ifeelthatoverall,studentsweremoreengagedformajorityofthelesson.Thelessonbeganwithagamethatthestudentsseemedtoreallylove.Thisactivitydidmakethestudentsveryexcited,sotherewereacoupletimeswereIhadtobringtheirattentionbacktotheactuallesson.Ithinkthisactivitywentverywell,becauseIthinkthestudentsgraspedtheconceptsthroughthisactivityandcouldgobacktothinkaboutitthroughouttherestofthelessontorememberthemeaningofsynonymsandantonyms.Next,wewentthroughamini-lessononsynonymsandthenoneofantonyms.Ithinkthatseparatingthetwoconceptsintoseparateminilessonshelpedthestudentstodifferentiatebetweenasynonymandanantonym.Thestudentsseemedtobeveryengagedduringthispartofthelessonforthemostpart.Theywereexcitedtosharewordsthattheythoughtwouldbeasynonymorantonymofthewordwehadontheboard.Beforebeginningeachminilesson,Iwouldaskthestudentswhatasynonym/antonymwas.Thisgotconfusingforthembecausetheywantedtogivemeanexampleratherthanthedefinition.IthinkthatifIwouldhaveclarifiedthequestion,theymayhavebetterunderstoodwhatwasasked.Themodelsectionofthelessonalsodidnotnecessarilygoasplannedeither,becausestudentswanttosharewhattheythought,ratherthantheteachersimplymodeling.Whenpickingupthewordwebsforboththesynonymandantonymminilessons,Iwasveryimpressedwiththestudents’responses.Manystudentsadded

theirownwordsafterfillinginallthebubbleswhiletheirclassmateswerestillworking. Next,Igavedirectionsforthe“Ihave…Whohas?”game.Thisgameiswherestudentsbegantolosefocus.OneproblemIfoundwiththisgameisthatoncestudentsfinishedtheircardtheywouldnolongerpayattention.Thisbecameaproblem,especiallytowardstheendofthegame.Studentsbegantogetchatty,whichmadeitdifficultforotherstudentstohearthequestionsbeingasked.Ihadtopausetoregainattention.Ithinktohelpfixthis,therewouldneedtobeareasonforstudentstostayengaged.Maybestudentscouldbeaskedrecordanswerstheythink,beforetheanswerissaid.Anotheractivitythatcouldpossiblybemoreengagingwouldbeasortofsynonymsandantonyms. Overall,Ithinkthestudentswereengagedinthelessonforthemajorityofthelesson,withafewstudentsgettingofftaskseveryonceinawhile.Thisdidnotseemtobeabigproblemthataffectedtheirunderstandingthough.ThemajorissueIsawwiththislessonwasthatoneofthestudentswasnotengagedafterthesynonymsminilesson.Mycooperatingteachertriedworkingone-on-onewithhimtokeephimfocused,whileIcontinuedtoteachtheotherstudents.Whentheywereworkingindividuallyontheirwordwebs,Iwentovertotryandre-engagethisstudent.Thisstudentwasunresponsivetomycuesandquestions.Duringthelesson,thisstudentalsowasyellingatandhittingmycooperatingteacher.Iwasveryproudoftherestofthestudentsintheclasswhilethiswashappening;theywereabletostayfocusedonthelessonbeingtaught.Istrugglewithfindingthewaystohelpthisstudent,duringthislessonIhadtomakethechoicetocontinueteachingthewholeclass,ratherthanputtingallofmyeffortintoonestudentandpausingthelesson. Whencomparedtomylastlesson,Ifeelthatstudentswerealittlemoreengagedandweremorereceptiveandresponsivetomyquestions.ThenumberIhadtostopteachingtore-engagethestudentsduringthislessonseemedtobelessthanpreviouslessons.Withtheindividualworksheets,IwasabletovisitstudentswhoIknewneededmoresupportwhiletherestoftheclasswasworkingindividually.Havingthischancetoshortlyworkwiththesestudentshelpedmetounderstandeachone’sunderstandingoftheconcepts.IalsothinkthatIambeginningtousebetterquestionsthatencouragethinking.Overall,Ithinkthislessonwentalittlebetterthanthepreviousone,butIthinkthattobeagreatteachertherearestillthingsthatcanbeimproved.

AppendixA

Name: ______________________________ Synonyms and Antonyms

Find the synonym of each word:

1. Smart ____ 2. Pretty ____ 3. Terrible ____ 4. Yell ____

Find the antonym of each word:

5. Fast ____ 6. Forget ____ 7. Front ____ 8. Skinny ____

Write A in the blank if the words are antonyms. Write S if the words are synonyms.

9. win/lose ____ 10. buy/sell ____ 11. large/huge ____ 12. asleep/awake ____

Name: ______________________________

Synonyms and Antonyms

Find the synonym of each word:

1. Smart ____ 2. Pretty ____ 3. Terrible ____ 4. Yell ____

Find the antonym of each word:

5. Fast ____ 6. Forget ____ 7. Front ____ 8. Skinny ____

Write A in the blank if the words are antonyms. Write S if the words are synonyms.

9. win/lose ____ 10. buy/sell ____ 11. large/huge ____ 12. asleep/awake ____

A. Beautiful B. Awful C. Genius D. Shout

A. Remember B. Back C. Fat D. Slow

13. nice/mean ____ 14. many/lots ____ 15. none/zero ____ 16. happy/joyful ____

E. Beautiful F. Awful G. Genius H. Shout

E. Remember F. Back G. Fat H. Slow

13. nice/mean ____ 14. many/lots ____ 15. none/zero ____ 16. happy/joyful ____

AppendixB

Johnny got a puppy for h i s b i r thday las t year . Th i s present made Johnny so happy , because when Johnny asked where h i s presents were , h i s mom sa id there were none . Johnny ’s mom sa id that he on l y got a puppy because he had been so n ice . When he got h i s puppy , i t was very sma l l . Now that h i s puppy i s o lder , h i s puppy has gotten b ig and h i s barks have gotten qu i te l oud . Johnny got a puppy for h i s b i r thday las t year . Th i s present made Johnny so happy , because when Johnny asked where h i s presents were , h i s mom sa id there were none . Johnny ’s mom sa id that he on l y got a puppy because he had been so n ice . When he got h i s puppy , i t was very sma l l . Now that h i s puppy i s o lder , h i s puppy has gotten b ig and h i s barks have gotten qu i te l oud . Johnny got a puppy for h i s b i r thday las t year . Th i s present made Johnny so happy , because when Johnny asked where h i s presents were , h i s mom sa id there were none . Johnny ’s mom sa id that he on l y got a puppy because he had been so n ice . When he got h i s puppy , i t was very sma l l . Now that h i s puppy i s o lder , h i s puppy has gotten b ig and h i s barks have gotten qu i te l oud . Johnny got a puppy for h i s b i r thday las t year . Th i s present made Johnny so happy , because when Johnny asked where h i s presents were , h i s mom sa id there were none . Johnny ’s mom sa id that he on l y got a puppy because he had been so n ice . When he got h i s puppy , i t was very sma l l . Now that h i s puppy i s o lder , h i s puppy has gotten b ig and h i s barks have gotten qu i te l oud .

AppendixC

AppendixD

AppendixE

StudentNamesInstantly

Answered

Answered

AfterLong

Pause

Couldnot

Determine

Answer

Comments

StudentA

StudentB

AppendixF

AppendixG

AppendixH

AppendixI

AppendixJ