Classroom Activities:

Introduce Vocabulary: lagoon, willow, sketch

1. On the board or on sentence strips, write the sentence(s) from the book containing the vocabulary words. Write only one sentence per strip, if you have more than one sentence. Additional sentences may be necessary to provide context clues.
2. Cover each vocabulary word with a sticky note. You may want to reveal the first letter of the word as a clue.
3. Read the sentences aloud and have students choose words that would fit within the context of the sentence. Use the illustration to prompt ideas.
4. List student-suggested words on smaller sentence strip pieces and place below the sentence.
5. If the students do not choose the actual vocabulary word, remove the sticky note and discuss the author’s word. This activity will help students make connections between new vocabulary words and words that are more familiar. It will also develop the concept of synonyms.
6. To reinforce the concept of sketching, demonstrate a quick sketch or have an art teacher demonstrate sketching. The students can make their own sketches on paper or a whiteboard.