Rock and Roll Vocabulary

Purpose

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

Materials

• Dice or device with a virtual die
• Rock and Roll Vocabulary handout (printed or projected)
• Rock and Roll Vocabulary template (English/Spanish)
• Rock and Roll Vocabulary – Math template (English/Spanish)

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.