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Rock and Roll Vocabulary

Purpose

Students think deeply about complex vocabulary terms by responding to 6 different prompts in a dice game.

Materials

Instructions

  1. Organize students into thinking partners.
  2. Provide student pairs with a die.
  3. Present students with a list of 5-6 complex terms.
  4. Student pairs take turns rolling the die. The number rolled dictates the task.
  5. Each student secretly selects a word, performs the task, and their partner guesses which word is being described, sketched, acted out, etc.
  6. Potential tasks:
    Reading, Science, Social Studies Tasks Math Tasks

    1 = state the meaning in your own words
    2 = provide a synonym
    3 = provide an antonym
    4 = create a quick sketch
    5 = connect to real life
    6 = act it out

    1 = state the meaning in your own words
    2 = provide an example
    3 = provide a non-example
    4 = create a quick sketch
    5 = connect to a real-world situation
    6 = act it out

  7. Students continue until they have analyzed all 5-6 words.
  8. Observe students’ thinking and clarify/verify as appropriate.

Classroom Management

  • Model the strategy using a “fishbowl” where a partner pair demonstrates the strategy while the class observes.
  • Allow students to roll the dice ten times to get it “out of their system,” roll dice on a book to avoid noise, or use a virtual die.
  • Consider using the activity as a learning station.

Differentiation

  • Promote access by previewing words or providing word descriptions.
  • Promote access by pairing with a supportive peer or providing visual support for the words.
  • Provide response support by offering thinking stems to frame responses.

Think It Up!

  • Have students think more deeply about the concept by responding to a Think It Up prompt as an exit ticket or journal entry:
    • Classify/Categorize the words and add other related terms to the list.
    • Connect 2-3 terms and explain their relationship.
  • Encourage students to use lead4ward’s Thinking Stems (English/Spanish) to frame their responses, if needed.