Pacing a Longer Read Aloud or a Text Set With a Vocabulary Intermission
Most of our JOYcabulary lesson plans are for picture books that can be read in one sitting. The vocabulary word list is typically about 5 - 7 words… easy to explicitly teach in that one session.
However, if you are reading a chapter book from Word JOY, or exploring a topical text set with multiple books, you quickly have many words - too many words for a child to hold onto and store in long term memory. This is when you may consider a Vocabulary Intermission.
What is a Vocabulary Intermission?
A Vocabulary Intermission is a brief pause in reading the next chapter in a novel or the next book in a text set. Using your read aloud period (or a different time of the day), you will return to words previously taught and engage with them in ways that will help students store and use these new words. Like an intermission in a long movie or a Broadway show, this pause allows your students to stretch, discuss what has happened thus far, and interact with the new words you have taught… addressing comprehension, vocabulary, and oral language development.
“Hope is like a hook. Once it catches hold of you, it doesn’t easily let go.”
— Beth Ferry, Growing Home
A Vocabulary Intermission must be intentionally planned. It is not just a quick review of the words and their definitions. Instead, you are looking for ways to connect and decontextualize the words - move the application beyond the confines of the book - and provide students with the necessary multiple exposures needed to truly own these new words.
Inside the Lesson Growing Home
Let’s use September’s lesson plan for Beth Ferry’s book Growing Home as an example. This book is divided into three parts. In the plan, I wrote a Vocabulary Intermission between each part. (Depending on your students, you may need to insert more frequent intermissions.)
Part One (Chapters 1- 23 ) introduces up to 29 words across five read aloud sessions…YIKES! That is a LOT of words coming way too fast. Students will not be able to hold onto all of them unless you take action. Here are some suggestions:
Before Reading Part One:
Display the words to be taught. Ask students to give a hand signal if they know the word: thumb up (yes), thumb down (no), thumb sideways (heard of it; may know gist). Depending on the responses, reduce the number of words explicitly taught.
During the Intermission:
Create Sorts (possibly in their Vocabulary Notebooks)
Parts of Speech
Positive or Negative Word
Match word to a character: What words go with Toasty? Jillian?
Make Connections: How do certain words connect?
Example: detest, avoid, ignore, despise, reluctant
designate, despise, despite, detest
contemplate, potential, perspective
Play Word Games
Give students Word Banks so they can use the words in their discussions
Post the words on a Vocabulary Wall
Create a Vocabulary Spinner for practice
Do some morphology work
Explore synonyms and antonyms
Extend the Learning
Of course, you would never do all of these options in one intermission. Mix it up as you go across the novel or text set. The goal is multiple exposures across time so the words become sticky. Be on the lookout for their use in talk and writing. Notice and name that. Be sure YOU incorporate these words into your own instructional language.
Finally… CELEBRATE! Students need to see and feel their vocabulary growing.
Explore our post on Launch Books to introduce word consciousness all year long.
