TLED 408: Vocabulary Activity Assignment

Grade Level, Content Area, and Theme: First grade, Science, Water Cycle

Standards/Learning Objectives: 1.7 The student will investigate and understand weather and
seasonal changes. Key concepts include:

a) changes in precipitation affect plants and animals

c) changes in precipitation can be observed and recorded over time.

Vocabulary Words and Rationale:

1. Evaporation- A process where liquids change to a gas or vapor.

2. Condensation- The process in which gas changes into a liquid when it touches a cooler
surface/ water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water.

3. Precipitation- The liquid and solid water that falls from clouds and reach the ground.

4. Water Cycle- The continuous process by which water moves throughout the earth and the
atmosphere through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and the transpiration of plants and
animals.

5. Transpiration- process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from parts such
as leaves, stems, and flowers.

6. Rain- Liquid water that falls from the clouds/ type of precipitation.

7. Snow- Soft, white flakes of ice that fall from the sky to the earth/ type of precipitation.

8. Sleet- Liquid water that freezes before it hits the ground. It looks like small pellets of ice/ type
of precipitation.

9. Hail- Small lumps of ice and snow that fall from the clouds sometimes during thunderstorms/
type of precipitation.

10. Solid- the molecules in water are held tightly together and don't move easily/ ice.

11. Liquid- molecules are looser and can move about easily/ water.

12. Gas- molecules are looser and moving faster than the liquid molecules. They are more spread
apart and can be compressed or squished/ steam or water vapor.

13. Molecule- the smallest part of a substance that has all the properties of that substance.
Introducing Vocabulary Activity:

• Activity Overview & Rationale: To introduce vocabulary, have students play word
detective. Students will preview and read various texts related to the topic and look for
any of the key vocabulary words. The idea behind this activity is to have students be
actively engaged in the learning process and learn how their vocab words are used within
context. Students must actively seek out words related to the lesson and see how they can
make sense of these words through the text.
• Materials:
- Books about water cycle (see text set)
- Sticky notes
- Pencils
- Book Baskets
- Large white paper (on the board)
• Instructional Steps:
- TSW pick a book from the book baskets located on their tables
- Students will spend a few minutes previewing/skimming/ light reading several of the
books from the table. Once they stumble upon a vocab word, the students will take a
sticky note, write their sentence down, what book it is from, highlight the vocab word
they found and stick it up on the board when they are finished.
• Once completed, the teacher will share the examples.
• Differentiation: Allowing students to participate in a think-pair-share activity. This
allows for collaboration and collection of different ideas and perspectives. This activity
can also build confidence within students.

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Teaching Vocabulary Activity:

• Activity Overview & Rationale: To teach vocabulary to students, have them work
together to play paper plate vocab. In this activity, the students will race to beat the timer
by trying to find the match that corresponds to what is on their half of the paper plate. For
example: the student has half of the plate that has the word “precipitation”, they must try
and find the half that says, “the liquid and solid water that falls from clouds and reach the
ground.” Through this activity, the students build their teamwork skills rather than
making it a competition.
• Materials:
- Paper plates cut in half (one side term, one side definition)
- Timer
• Instructional Steps:
- TTW pass out a half of a paper plate to each student, it might be the term or the
definition.
- TTW have all students stand up and move to the front of the room while placing
halves of paper plates on each table.
- TSW take a guess at how long it will take for all of them to find their match. TTW set
the timer for their goal time.
- Once started, the students will race around the room trying to find their pairs. When
they find their pair, they can offer to help those who haven’t found their match yet.
- Students will move to the front of the room once completed.
• Differentiation: Paper plates can be cut to form more of a puzzle piece kind of fit rather
than a clean cut down the middle. Plates can also be outlined in a bright bold color to
make it easier to identify.
From: http://joyin6th.blogspot.com/2011/10/week-ending-october-14th-quick-and-
easy.html

Reinforcing Vocabulary Activity:

• Activity Overview & Rationale: To reinforce vocabulary, students will participate in a

four-square activity. Each student will be given a sheet that looks similar to the one
below and fill out each box. The purpose of a four-square is to have students think about
all parts of a vocabulary word and not just term and definition. The student will retain the
terms better by providing themselves many ways to think of it whether that’s through
illustrations, synonyms, or simply a definition.
• Materials:
- Four-square worksheet
- Pencils
- Crayons/markers/colored pencils

• Instructional Steps:
- TTW hand out four-square worksheets to each student.
- TTW explain what to do in each box. First box is for the vocabulary word, second
box is for the reworded definition, third box is for a synonym or antonym, and last
box is for a corresponding picture.
- TSW have 5 minutes to complete their four-square, choosing a term that they have
found the most difficult.
- Once the timer is up, TTW call on 5 students to share their four-squares.
• Differentiation: Students who have grasp the concept may choose to write their own
sentence on the back of the paper that utilizes their chosen vocabulary word.
Term Definition in your own words

Droplet
A very small amount of water

Synonym / antonym Drawing or cue to help remember

Drip