Secondary Literacy Guide

Vocabulary Brainstorm Routine

Purpose: To develop students ability to generate word associations, expand vocabulary, and reinforce vocabulary already present in the lesson. __________________________________________________________________________ Vocabulary brainstorming activities are embedded in many of the lessons in Access Newcomers in the “Develop Language” and “Wrap Up” sections at the end of the lesson. These are ideal places to include stretch activities because some conceptual knowledge of the language has been acquired. 1. Ask students to identify the lesson theme again from the “Big Idea”. Ask students to share if there is another word(s) that expresses that same theme (ie “math problems” instead of “addition and subtraction”) 2. Select words from the vocabulary listed in the front pages of the teacher manual and ask students to explain how they relate to the Theme. 3. As a class or in pairs, ask students to select new words from their personal lexicon to expand the vocabulary of the lesson. (ie for Colors they could add “aquamarine” or “beige”, or for Common Verbs, they could add “share” or “work”). 4. Encourage students to translate the words into their heritage language out loud until all classroom languages are represented. 5. Establish a place for students to record additional vocabulary, such as a journal, a word wall, or on the computer. 6. Ask students to sketch or find a visual image to accompany the expanded vocabulary words. 7. Create a sentence frame to practice the new vocabulary words and have students practice using the new words in sentences in partners. At later levels, consider asking the students to develop their own sentences and share aloud in partners or with the class.