Vocabulary Lessons

Fifty 11th-12th-grade level tier two vocabulary words that can be taught over the course of ten weeks. Each set of five words has an Intro document plus an Extension document with exercises to facilitate acquisition and retention of each word, rather than just memorization. Aligned with ELA Common Core Standards RL.11-12.4, RI.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.

 

The first four sets of words are all from the novel Siddhartha. Further resources for teaching this novel are below.

• Vocabulary Intro: avarice indolent onerous palliative venerable
• Vocabulary Extension: avarice indolent onerous palliative venerable

• Vocabulary Intro: assiduous emaciated incipient inexorable renounce
• Vocabulary Extension: assiduous emaciated incipient inexorable renounce

• Vocabulary Intro: anomaly concede impunity malice palpable
• Vocabulary Extension: anomaly concede impunity malice palpable

• Vocabulary Intro: ascetic coherent endeavor insatiable intrinsic
• Vocabulary Extension: ascetic coherent endeavor insatiable intrinsic

• Vocabulary Intro: gauche inculcate interpolate perennial retrospect
• Vocabulary Extension: gauche inculcate interpolate perennial retrospect

• Vocabulary Intro: aggregate epitome lugubrious petulance sordid
• Vocabulary Extension: aggregate epitome lugubrious petulance sordid

• Vocabulary Intro: loquacious perilous servile slander vehement
• Vocabulary Extension: loquacious perilous servile slander vehement

• Vocabulary Intro: coax deleterious enfranchise jeer relent
• Vocabulary Extension: coax deleterious enfranchise jeer relent

• Vocabulary Intro: bawdy loath saucy seemly wanton
• Vocabulary Extension: bawdy loath saucy seemly wanton 

• Vocabulary Intro: immutable impudent obdurate ostensibly veracity
• Vocabulary Extension: immutable impudent obdurate ostensibly veracity

 

Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse) and the Hero's Journey

• Graphic organizer for notes on TEDEd video "What makes a hero?" by Matthew Winkler
• Siddhartha: Index of People, Places, Things, and Concepts
• • Activity for building background knowledge. To be completed prior to reading the novel. Students use a search engine to search for and fill in information that will aid them in comprehending the novel.
• Interactive Reading Guides with text based questions to aid understanding and encourage rigorous thinking
• • Siddhartha: Interactive Reading Guide chapters 1-3
  • Siddhartha: Interactive Reading Guide chapters 4-6
  • Siddhartha: Interactive Reading Guide chapters 7-9
  • Siddhartha: Interactive Reading Guide chapters 10-12
• Reading the author’s mind in Siddhartha chapter 3: “Gotama”
• • Exercises to practice drawing on prior knowledge to interpret a text and inferring an author's point of view based on a text. Aligned with ELA Common Core Standard: RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• "In a Manner of Speaking": Siddhartha chapter 3: "Gotama"
• • Activity to practice ELA Common Core standard RL.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly engaging.
• Siddhartha chapter 4: "Awakening" Making Predictions slide
• Siddhartha chapter 4: "Awakening" Making Predictions graphic organizer
• Siddhartha and the Hero's Journey Final Project Options and Instructions
• • Students choose from one of five options to demonstrate their mastery of the concepts covered in this unit. Aligned with ELA Common Core standard W.11-12.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

 

Evaluating Digital Information

When I taught this unit, I used a lot of materials from Stanford History Education Group's Civic Online Reasoning series, in addition to what I created below. Aligned with ELA Common Core standard W.11-12.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience.

• Slideshow with embedded Crash Course videos introducing Lateral Reading and Checking Multiple Sources
• Evaluating Digital Information Final Project Instructions
• Annotated Bibliography Template
• Example Annotation

 

The Serengeti Rules

Guided Viewing Questions and extension activities for Nature documentary streaming free from PBS.com

Aligned with ELA Common Core standards: RI.11-12.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas and explain how ideas interact and develop over the course of a text.

RI.11-12.4: Analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of key terms over the course of a text.

RI.11-12.10: Read and understand informational texts proficiently and independently.

 

"A History of Chocolate"

Article from History.com adapted to a simpler reading level. This accompanying slide show should be shown before reading the article for students to assess what they think they already know about chocolate, then again after reading the article to assess what they learned. I used this reading and slide show as a complement to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is a fun vocabulary review activity I also created to go with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

 

Reading Comprehension Questions for chapters 1-9 of The Circuit by Francisco Jiménez

 

 

Journal Writing Prompts

Slideshow of twelve+ slides, each giving students a choice of an intriguing quote, a comic, and/or a prompt to respond to. The comics were all created by my marvelous brother Mike Elliott. You can check out more of his work at "Will five o'clock never come?" The prompts are borrowed from Picadilly's 300 Writing Prompts.