Deep Processing of Vocabulary - Lesson Plan

Grade Level: Third Grade

Topic

New vocabulary - Telescope

- This vocabulary lesson follows the reading passage about
the solar system (see Appendix A).
- Students are familiar with and able to apply the Think,
Pair, Share grouping strategy.
- Students have already received instruction and have basic
knowledge of how to use a dictionary.
- Students are familiar with how to use the Word Map
graphic organizer (see Appendix B).

Lesson Goals

- This lesson will teach students which technology scientists

use to explore the solar system.
- Students will use new vocabulary that is introduced and
taught directly.

Student
Objectives

Students will be able to:

- Identify the meaning of the new term: telescope
- Write a sentence with the term telescope
- Find/draw a picture illustrates the term telescope

Key terms

- Telescope
- Solar System
- Planet
- Sun
- The moon

Instructional
Plan Resources
and Materials

- Whiteboard and dry-erase marker

- Overhead projector
- Toy telescope

- Flashcard with the term and its picture (you can find the
flash card here: https://drive.google.com/open?
id=0B33xuNJ9EXO9OHhvSXlRRzA0Q2M&authuser=0
- Graphic organizer sheets
Introduction
(engagement)
(2 - 3 minutes)
Pre-reading
(3 minutes)

Writing
(5 minutes)

Learning
activities
(1st activity: 15
minutes
2nd activity: 30
minutes)
Modeling

Coached
practice

Play a song about the solar system and then ask students:
Is it possible for us to see all this planets in the solar
system? Lets discover that in this lesson.
(You can find the song here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLhqWE3kxgQ)
The students will read a short passage about the solar
system that includes the key term that we will focus on in
this lesson. Which is telescope (You can find the passage
here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B33xuNJ9EXO9bXlxTFpiQnc
4ZWs/view?usp=sharing)
Each student will be given a card to write an answer for the
previous question: Is there a way we can see the planets
in the solar system? Once students finish writing their
sentences, the teacher will have a look at them and ask
students to share what the have written. Then, the teacher
will show them the toy telescope and say: How about using
this tool? Do you think it will help us to see the solar system
with the naked eye? The teacher will show them the
flashcard that includes the term. S/he will ask them to read
it loudly three times.
- First activity: The teacher will give students a graphic
organizer (you can find it here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B33xuNJ9EXO9YmNubmhSY
2RGZDA/view?usp=sharing) and ask students to do it
individually. It is about the telescope
- Second activity: The teacher will ask students to write a
story about the solar system. They have to use the term
telescope in their story. They are going to work in pairs.
The teacher will go over the graphic organizer to explain to
students how are they going to do it.
The teacher will show students an example of a story s/he
designed about the solar system titled: The Solar System
as I see it through my telescope to show students the end
results of the story.
The teacher will ask students to work with him/her on a
students-teacher hand on activity to start designing their

stories and selecting a title.

Independent
Activity

Assessment

Students will do graphic organizers individually to seek

their understanding of the word telescope in the diagram.
Students will work in pairs to write their stories. This will
give them the opportunity to share their ideas with their
colleagues.
- Students are going to present their graphic organizers and
they will be graded on them.
- All the stories will be graded as well.

Differentiations

- The teacher will spend more time during guided and

independent practice scaffolding to the low-level students.
- Regarding any struggling readers: Those students who are
struggling with defining the words on their own will work
directly with the teacher when using the words in an
original sentence. The teacher will provide scaffolding to
enable these students to complete the story.
- Once High-level students will finish writing their stories,
they will be given the opportunity to review their stories to
enhance their writing, and they will be given the
opportunity to draw pictures for their stories.

Appendix A: The reading Passage

Taken from:
https://www.aiaa.org/uploadedFiles/Education_and_Careers/STEM_K12_Outreach/Kids_Place/Solar_System_and_Planets_Activities/Our%20Solar
%20System%20-%20grades%202-5[1].pdf