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Language Vocabulary Skill Mini-lessons Language/Vocabulary Skill Mini-lessons

Grade 7

The vocabulary/language mini-lessons support students and teachers with vocabulary knowledge and skills. The mini-lessons are written for specific texts, which teachers need to access for instruction. Teachers can also adapt them to other texts or even other grades. The mini-lessons cover language standards L.4 and L.5, which are the standards with greatest focus on vocabulary as it applies to reading.

Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Module 5

LV Grade 7 Language Standard

 
LANGUAGE STANDARDASSOCIATED WHEATLEY TEXTSASSOCIATED WHEATLEY READING LESSONS
M1M2M3M4M5
L.7.4Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.7.4.AUse context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.Fever 179329
L.7.4.BUse common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).Cool Salsa10, 27
An American Plague16, 18
Fever 179318
L.7.4.CConsult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
L.7.4.DVerify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).A Wicked History: Stalin5
Code Talker13
L.7.5Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
L.7.5.AInterpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.The House on Mango Street6

Animal Farm

(NOTE: This single Vocabulary mini-lesson may be used with any of the listed Reading lessons for Animal Farm.)

21, 25, 26
L.7.5.BUse the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words.
L.7.5.CDistinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).An American Plague4

GRADE 7: MODULE 2

GRADE 7: MODULE 2

 
The House on Mango Street
L.7.5.A

Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT interpret figures of speech to describe laughter.

  2. Read aloud the opening paragraph of “Laughter” on p. 17 of The House on Mango Street.

  3. Have a volunteer identify the figures of speech describing laughter in the text. (“shy ice cream bells’ giggle”; “all of a sudden and surprised like a pile of dishes breaking”)

  4. Point out that “shy ice cream bells’ giggle” is an example of personification since it assigns a human ability (giggling) to inanimate objects (ice cream bells). The second example is a simile that uses the word like to compare the laughter to the sound of a pile of dishes breaking.

  5. Ask students to list words they associate with the figurative language describing the different kinds of laughter in the text.

    1. “shy ice cream bells’ giggle” (quiet, cautious, timid, but also happy, excited, bubbly)

    2. “like a pile of dishes breaking” (sharp, quick, severe, intense)



  6. Ask students how this figurative language gives us clues about the characters’ laughter. (They describe the differences in sound and implication of laughter.)


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Ask students to write one sentence that describes the differences between Rachel and Lucy’s laughter and Esperanza and Nenny’s laughter.

    Sample Student Response:


    Rachel and Lucy’s laughter is cheerful but quiet, and Esperanza and Nenny’s laughter is more intense and explosive.




Reteach



  1. Ask students to laugh out loud in a way that the book describes for each pair of sisters.

  2. Ask if these ideas help students understand what the figures of speech say about laughter.

Cool Salsa
L.7.4.A

Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT determine the meaning of the word sternly by using sentence-level context clues.

  2. Write the word sternly on the board and ask a volunteer to read it aloud. Support pronunciation as needed.

  3. Remind students that surrounding words and sentences can give clues to the meaning of a word.

  4. Direct students to “The Changeling” on p. 36 of Cool Salsa. Ask students to find words in the fourth stanza that help describe what sternly (“not amused,” “forbidding,” “ordered me”)

  5. Ask students how these words and phrases give us clues to figure out the meaning of sternly. (They describe someone who is being firm with her requests and strict with her child.)


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Have students write one sentence that correctly uses the word sternly and helps show what it means.

    Sample Student Response:


    My mom sternly warned me to stop annoying my little brother.




Reteach



  1. Have students quickly draw a stern-faced emoji.

  2. Then, have students make their best “stern teacher” face.

  3. Ask if these ideas help students understand what sternly means.

Cool Salsa
L.7.4.A

Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT determine the meaning of the word artificial by using sentence-level context clues.

  2. Write the word artificial on the board and ask a volunteer to read it aloud. Support pronunciation as needed.

  3. Direct students to “Love Poem for My People” on p. 108 of Cool Salsa. Ask them to identify words in the poem that help describe what artificial means. (“lamp,” “strange shadows”)

  4. Ask students how these words and phrases give us clues to figure out the meaning of artificial. (Lamps gives artificial light, while the sun gives natural light. The sun creates ordinary shadows, while a lamp makes strange ones. The lamp reinforces that artificial means “made by people” or “not natural.”)


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Have students write one sentence that correctly uses the word artificial and helps show what it means. 

    Sample Student Response: 


    All the snow had melted, so they had to create artificial snow.


Reteach



  • List a few concrete nouns and ask students to classify them as artificial or natural:

    • flowers (could be either)

    • trees (natural)

    • flavor, such as lemon (could be either)

GRADE 7: MODULE 3

GRADE 7: MODULE 3

 
Fever 1793
L.7.4.A

Advance Preparation



  • Post the following:

    • the words outside and inside.

    • the sentence: Katie’s mother is German, her father is Mexican, and she goes to school in New York, so Katie is probably trilingual. I have heard her speaking different languages to each of her parents.

    • excerpt from Fever 1793, p. 249: Rush’s insistence on perilous remedies for yellow fever patients was a rare misstep for the energetic doctor. He was far ahead of his time on many issues. He fought against slavery and capital punishment and argued for public schools, the education of girls, and the compassionate treatment of the mentally ill. He treated his insane patients with gentle understanding. (Anderson, Appendix, 249)




Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  • LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT use context as a clue to determine the meaning of compassionate.

  • Refer to the displayed words outside and inside, and invite students to brainstorm. Ask:

    • What kinds of clues can be found outside or around a word to help you determine its meaning? (context clues in neighboring words and sentences)

    • What kinds of clues can be found inside a word to help you determine its meaning? (word parts/roots/affixes)



  • Refer to the displayed sentence and underline trilingual: Katie’s mother is German, her father is Mexican, and she goes to school in New York, so Katie is probably trilingual. I have heard her speaking different languages to each of her parents.

  • THINK ALOUD: Model how to use the outside-in strategy to determine the meaning of trilingual.

  • Look outside the word for clues. Say: The word describes Katie, and it relates to different nationalities. Also, the next sentence says that she speaks different languages to her parents.

  • Look inside the word for clues. Say: Remember from previous learning that word parts can be clues to meaning. Since I know that a tricycle is a bike with three wheels and triplets are three children born together, I know that tri- means “three.” Something about Kate can be described with “three.”

  • Put the clues together. Say: The sentence has three places in it: Germany, Mexico, and New York. Kate has something from all these places. Language in the next sentence sounds a little like lingual so maybe they have similar meanings. That makes sense. Trilingual describes that Katie speaks three different languages—German, Spanish, and English.

  • Refer to the displayed excerpt from Fever 1793 and underline compassionate:

    • Rush’s insistence on perilous remedies for yellow fever patients was a rare misstep for the energetic doctor. He was far ahead of his time on many issues. He fought against slavery and capital punishment and argued for public schools, the education of girls, and the compassionate treatment of the mentally ill. He treated his insane patients with gentle understanding. (Anderson, Appendix, 249)



  • Have partners turn and talk to determine the meaning of compassionate from clues outside the word, adding clues from inside the word if needed. Lead a brief class discussion for students to share their ideas. 

    Sample Student Responses:



    • From clues outside the word, compassionate means something similar to “gentle understanding.” So it’s a positive characteristic. The first sentence contrasts a negative action of Rush’s with his compassionate treatment, suggesting that the treatment is a positive action. Also, the word functions as an adjective in the sentence to describe Rush’s treatment of the mentally ill.

    • Clues inside the word also help. Com means the same as con, or “with,” as in conversation, and passion means “feeling.”




Check Vocabulary Skills



  • Review the outside-in strategy. Ask: What kinds of clues can be found outside or around a word that might help you know what it means? (Context clues in neighboring words and sentences) Where else can you look if you need more clues? What kind of clues might you find? (Look for clues inside a word such as word parts/roots/affixes)


Reteach



  • Point out that understanding the gist of a sentence or paragraph helps readers find “outside” clues about the meaning of a word or phrase.


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Have students answer this question: How do the context clues for compassionate help convey its meaning?

    Sample Student Response: The clues outside the word show that compassionate is similar to “gentle understanding” and that it is an adjective describing treatment.



An American Plague
L.7.4.B

Advance Preparation



  1. Display these words: exit, exterior, external, interior, internal.

  2. Display these sentences from An American Plague:

    • Pro-French sympathies were further heightened in July by the sudden influx of 2,100 French refugees, who were fleeing a fierce slave rebellion in Santo Domingo. (p. 5)

    • Both were highly toxic, and the body would work hard to expel them. (p. 61)




Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT use Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word by explaining the meaning of influx and expel.

  2. Explain that examining the parts of words can help us understand a word’s meaning.

  3. Refer to the displayed words: exit, exterior, external, interior, internal.

  4. THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Have students jot down the words and ideas about their meanings and then turn and talk to compare their definitions. Ask volunteers to share their definitions with the class, and write accurate definitions next to the words on the board.

    • Exit means “to go out.”

    • Exterior is the “on the outside of something.”

    • External means “outside someone or something.”

    • Interior means “on the inside of something.”

    • Internal means “inside someone or something.”



  5. Ask volunteers to define the prefixes ex- and in-.

    • ex- means “out.”

    • in- means “in.”



  6. Read aloud the displayed sentences from An American Plague, underlining the words influx and expel. Explain that the root flux means “flow” and the root pel means “push.”

    • Pro-French sympathies were further heightened in July by the sudden influx of 2,100 French refugees, who were fleeing a fierce slave rebellion in Santo Domingo. (5)

    • Both were highly toxic, and the body would work hard to expel them. (61)



  7. THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Have partners determine the meaning of each of these words and write a paraphrase of each sentence.

    • Meaning: Influx means “flow in.”

    • Sentence: Because of a violent slave uprising, 2,100 French people moved here from Santo Domingo, which made people feel more sympathetic toward the French.

    • Meaning: Expel means “push out.”

    • Sentence: When the body took in these two poisons, it would try to push them out again.

    • Check students’ definitions and paraphrases in a brief class discussion.




Check Vocabulary Skills



  • Have students explain how the word parts help convey the meaning of influx.


Reteach



  • Ask: What are the word parts in influx? (in- and flux) How do these parts help us understand the meaning of the word? (Knowing that in- means “in” and flux means “flow” helps us understand that influx means “to flow or move in.”)


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Have students explain in writing how the word parts help convey the meaning of expel.

    Sample Student Response: Ex– means “out” and pel means “push,” so these word parts help convey that expel means “to push out.”




Reteach



  • Explain that word parts are like puzzle pieces, and you can put them together to understand the meaning of the word. Ask students to explain what the word parts mean, providing guidance as needed.

An American Plague + Fever 1793
L.7.4.B

Advance Preparation



  1. Display these excerpts from Fever, 1793 , underlining methodically and skeptically:

    • The burial square was quiet, yet busy with activity. Thirty, maybe forty men were methodically digging the earth and laying the dead to rest. (p. 152)

    • Why couldn’t someone else come to clean up the mess and fetch the water? Silas looked at me skeptically. “You’re right,” I sighed. “If I don’t do it, no one will.” (p. 127)



  2. Display these sentences, underlining skeptical and methodical:

    • Sophie was skeptical after he lied to her.

    • Hal had a methodical manner for arranging the books.




Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT use Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word by explaining the meaning of skeptically.

  2. Explain that suffixes, or the endings of words, can help convey the meaning of a word.

  3. Refer to the displayed excerpts from Fever 1793, underlining methodically and skeptically:

    • The burial square was quiet, yet busy with activity. Thirty, maybe forty men were methodically digging the earth and laying the dead to rest. (p. 152)

    • Why couldn’t someone else come to clean up the mess and fetch the water? Silas looked at me skeptically. “You’re right,” I sighed. “If I don’t do it, no one will.” (p. 127)



  4. TURN AND TALK: Have neighbors determine what part of speech these words are, explaining how they know.

    • They’re adverbs because of the –ly ending.

    • They’re adverbs because they describe the verbs digging and looked.



  5. Explain that a method is a regular system for doing something.

  6. Refer to the displayed sentences:

    • Sophie was skeptical after he lied to her.

    • Hal had a methodical manner for arranging the books.



  7. TURN AND TALK: Have neighbors determine what part of speech these words are, explaining how they know.

    • They’re adjectives because of the –ical ending.

    • They are adjectives because they describe Sophie’s and Hal’s manner.



  8. Have students restate what the suffixes –ical and –ly show.

  9. Remind students to use these suffixes to help them understand unfamiliar words.


Check Vocabulary Skills



  • Ask: What does the –ical ending indicate? (The word is an adjective.) What does the –ly ending indicate? (The word is an adverb.)


Reteach



  • Explain that students can recall what endings indicate by thinking of a familiar word with each ending and determining what part of speech they are. For example, you could use the words modest and modestly to recall what the ending -ly means.


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Say: Skeptical is an adjective that describes someone who doubts what others think or say. Have students explain in writing how the parts help convey the meaning of skeptically.

    Sample Student Response: I know that –ly is a suffix that shows that a word is an adverb. It describes a verb. This helps me understand that skeptically describes the way that someone shows doubt.




Reteach



  • Point out that not all adjectives end in –ical, but words that end in –ical are adjectives. Not all adverbs end in -ly, but words that end in -ly are almost always adverbs.

An American Plague
L.7.5.C

Advance Preparation



  • Display these definitions:

    • denotation: the definition of a word found in a dictionary

    • connotation: the ideas or feelings that a word invokes in addition to its denotation

    • epidemic: a disease that spreads widely and quickly

    • plague: any disaster that affects a large population

    • illness: the state or condition of being sick or ill; sickness

    • sickness: the condition of being sick or not well

    • disease: a condition that causes harm to a person’s health

    • fever: a disease caused by a body temperature higher than normal




Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT distinguish among the connotations of words with similar denotations by analyzing the differences among words related to epidemic.

  2. Refer to the display the list of definitions. Direct attention to the first two words, and share the definitions.

  3. Have a student read aloud the definition of epidemic (a disease that spreads widely and quickly). Ask: What are some connotations for the word epidemic? What feelings might an epidemic invoke? (fear)

  4. Have students read the definition of plague and ask: Do you think the connotations of epidemic and plague are similar or different? (Similar because they both have denotations related to a disease or disaster that affects many people and they both have connotations related to fear.)

  5. Have students read the definition of disease and ask: Which word would evoke more fear—epidemic or disease? (An epidemic would evoke more fear because it is a disease that spreads quickly. All diseases do not necessarily spread quickly.)

  6. Explain that when words have similar denotations, analyzing their connotations helps us understand how they are different.


Check Vocabulary Skills



  • Have students read the definition of fever. Ask: Which word has a connotation more similar to fever: epidemic or disease? Why? (Disease, because a fever does not necessarily last long or spread quickly, so it does not necessarily invoke fear. Disease invokes the fear that the disease may not have a cure, or that it could worsen over time. This is likely to invoke more fear in someone.)


Reteach



  • Explain that you can often determine the connotation of a word by asking yourself: How does this word make people feel? Does the word have a positive, negative, or neutral connotation?


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Have students explain the difference between epidemic and illness. (An epidemic has a more serious connotation since it affects many people. An illness may just affect one person.)


Reteach



  • Have students read the denotations of epidemic and illness. Ask: How would you feel if there were an epidemic in your city or town? How would you feel if there were an illness in your city or town?


 

GRADE 7: MODULE 4

GRADE 7: MODULE 4

 
A Wicked History: Stalin
L.7.4.D

Advance Preparation



  • Prepare to display this excerpt from p. 10 of A Wicked History: Stalin: In 1979, the spring melt swelled the waters of the Ob River, which snakes across the frozen tundra of Siberia in Central Russia.


Materials



  • A Wicked History: Stalin (pp. 4–5, 8–9, 123–124, displayed)


Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word by checking a glossary.

  2. Display pp. 8–9 of A Wicked History: Stalin, and point to the names Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kaminiv. Say: The text under these names says Party leaders purged by Stalin.

  3. TURN AND TALK: Have partners discuss what they think purged means. (appointed, removed, executed)

  4. Ask: How can we check the meaning of the word? (use a dictionary)

  5. Tell students that some nonfiction books include a glossary that defines some words. Explain that a glossary typically includes only particularly important words in the text and that students may still need to refer to a dictionary when they read.

  6. Display the Glossary on pp. 123–124. Explain that students can use the glossary to verify, or check, their definition of the word purged. Have volunteers read the definition on p. 124 and compare it to the definitions discussed in class.


Check Vocabulary Skills



  1. Display the map on pp. 4–5. Read this sentence in the Key: Stalin helped the Bolsheviks seize power during the October Revolution. Ask: What do you think the word Bolsheviks means based on the context? (a group that seized power after the Russian Revolution)

  2. Display the Glossary on pp. 123–124 and have students use it to check their definition of Bolsheviks and revise it as needed.

    Sample Student Response: Russian Marxists who seized power after the Russian Revolution and established the Communist Soviet Union



Reteach



  • Point out that a glossary in a nonfiction text may include proper adjectives or nouns, such as Bolsheviks, and other domain-specific terms and concepts that are important for understanding the topic. Remind students to refer to the glossary to verify preliminary meanings or check unknown words. If there is no glossary, students should use an online or print dictionary.


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  1. Display and read aloud the excerpt from p. 10: In 1979, the spring melt swelled the waters of the Ob River, which snakes across the frozen tundra of Siberia in Central Russia. Have students write a preliminary definition of tundra, based on the excerpt. Then have them check their definition using the glossary and revise it as needed.

    Sample Student Responses: 

    Preliminary definition: a frozen land in Siberia.  Revised definition: permanently frozen land in Siberia, which is near the Arctic Circle




Reteach



  • If students cannot determine a preliminary definition for tundra, help them look for clues in the context to infer the word’s meaning. Remind them that sometimes clues can be found in the sentences that come before or after the word.

Animal Farm

L.7.5.A

Materials



  1. Animal Farm (pp. 56, 93–94, 112–113 displayed when directed)

  2. Wicked History: Stalin (for modeling and student reference)


Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT identify and interpret historical allusions in a text.

  2. Review that allusions are references to biblical, mythical, literary, or historical events, ideas, or people.

  3. THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Have students read the last paragraph on p. 56 of Animal Farm, ending after the word barn and before Nowadays. Ask:

    • Of what historical event that we read about in this module does the display of old Major’s skull remind you? (It reminds me of the display of Lenin’s dead body in Moscow.)

    • What are the similarities between the historical event and the animals’ actions in the text? (Just as Stalin used Lenin as a figure to help promote his version of communism, the pigs use old Major to try to keep their original ideals alive and the animals inspired.)



  4. Point out that Animal Farm includes many allusions, or references, to details and events they read about in Wicked History: Stalin.


Check Vocabulary Skills



  • Display pp. 93–94 of Animal Farm. Have partners identify an allusion to historical details or events and explain the connections to them.

    Sample Student Response: Stalin used propaganda and only went out to the public in ceremony in order to create a cult of personality around himself. Similarly, Napoleon creates a cult of personality around himself with the poem and by going out with dogs surrounding him and a cockerel before him. Like the Soviet people in the propaganda posters, the animals thank Napoleon for helping them with every aspect of their lives as they would thank a god.




Reteach



  • If students struggle to identify the similarities between Napoleon’s and Stalin’s cults of personality, ask them to reread pp. 68–72 of A Wicked History: Stalin and identify the similarities in the ways that Napoleon and Stalin created their cults of personality.


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  • Display pp. 112–113 of Animal Farm and direct students to the paragraph that begins midway on p. 112 and ends on p. 113. Have students identify an allusion to historical details or events and explain the connections to them.

    Sample Student Response: Squealer uses euphemisms like readjustment rather than reduction so the animals won’t realize that their food is being reduced . Similarly, Stalin used lies as truths. For example, on p. 70 of Wicked History, the author said that Stalin’s propaganda posters included these sentence: “Stalin’s life is our life, our beautiful present and future.” “Thank you, Comrade Stalin, for our happy childhood.” Since most of the people in his country were starving and dying, these posters used lies to cover the truth.




Reteach



  1. If students struggle to identify Napoleon’s euphemisms as a form of lying, point out that by using the term readjustment instead of reduction, Napoleon covers the truth that the animals’ food is being reduced.

  2. Ask: How did Stalin use euphemisms or lies as truths? (On propaganda posters, he put “Stalin’s life is our life, our beautiful present and future.” and “Thank you, Comrade Stalin, for our happy childhood.”)

GRADE 7: MODULE 5

GRADE 7: MODULE 5

 
Code Talker
L.7.4.C

Advance Preparation



  • Display and reference when directed this sentence from Code Talker, p. 34:  But our Navajo Tribal Council passed a special resolution in June of 1940.


Materials



  • Code Talker pp. 33–34, (displayed); pp. 34–35 (one per pair for Check Vocabulary Skills); pp. 33–34 (one per student for Exit Ticket)

  • Dictionaries (one per student or shared as available; or access to digital dictionaries such as http://www.wordsmyth.net/.


Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT use a dictionary to clarify the precise meaning of a word.

  2. Ask students to explain the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus. (A dictionary contains definitions, and a thesaurus contains synonyms.)

  3. Display Code Talker, p. 34 and use it to present the steps for using a dictionary to clarify the precise meaning of the word resolution:

    • Use context clues to determine meaning. Read aloud this displayed sentence: But our Navajo Tribal Council passed a special resolution in June of 1940. Say: The sentence says that the Navajo Tribal Council passed this resolution. So, maybe a resolution is like a bill that is passed in Congress.

    • Look up the word in a dictionary. Say: I type in the word and press go.

    • Determine which definition is most accurate based on the context. Say: My dictionary gives four definitions of resolution. The first definition is about purpose or determination, That is not relevant to this context, so it isn’t the definition I need. The second definition is about a sincere promise, which also does not apply to this context. The third definition is something officially decided upon by a group or organization. This definition applies to my context. Let me check the last one. It says a resolution is a solution or end to an argument. So, yes, the third definition fits based on the context of the word. My inference about the meaning was on the right track.



  4. Have students write the definition of resolution in their writing journals or another word list.


Check Vocabulary Skills



  • Refer students to the Tribal Council resolution on pp. 34–35 of Code Talkers. Have partners determine the meaning of the phrase foreign invasion in the first paragraph of the resolution.  (“the act of entering a country by armed forces of another country in order to destroy, steal, or take control”) Circulate to monitor monitor understanding.


Reteach



  • Remind students to first draw an inference about the meaning of a word and then look it up in a dictionary. Point out that because foreign invasion is a phrase, students will need to look up each word individually to determine the overall meaning. For the word invasion, students may also need to look up the word invade.


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  1. Refer students to the Tribal Council resolution on pp. 33–34 of Code Talkers. Have them use context clues to determine the meaning of Americanism in the second paragraph of the resolution.

  2. Ask them to check their meaning, using a dictionary, and then write or two sentences explaining how the dictionary helped clarify the meaning.

    Sample Student Response: From the context, I knew that Americanism had to do with what makes the Navajos truly Americans and their patriotism as opposed to “treachery.” Reading the definition of Americanism clarified that the word means “patriotism or devotion to U.S. customs.”




Reteach



  • Work with students to help them identify the definition that best fits based on the context.

Code Talker
L.7.4.D

Advance Preparation



  • Display and reference when directed these lines from Code Talker:

    • When he came to our school and spoke to the student body, his words reverberated in my mind like drumbeats. (p. 47)

    • All of the non-Indian Marines who had been in boot camp with us were leaving on furloughs. They were laughing and joking with each other as they headed for the gate to see friends and family, or to just go into town and have fun. (p. 69)


Materials



  • Code Talker (pp. 68–69, displayed; p. 47, one per student)



Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT verify the preliminary determination of a word by checking the inferred meaning in context.

  2. Explain that when drawing inferences about a word’s meaning, it is important to check whether the inferred meaning makes sense in the context.

  3. Share and model the steps using the word platoon in the first paragraph on p. 68:

    • Identify clues from the text. Say: I have clues that the platoon “finished with high honors” and held themselves “tall and proud” in the graduation photograph.

    • Use clues from the text to draw an inference about the meaning. Say: Based on the clues, I can infer that a platoon is a group of people in the armed forces.

    • Read on to find more clues to confirm the inferred meaning. Say: In the fourth paragraph on p. 69, the sergeant tells the platoon (which he addresses using just their number, “297th”)  to pack up because they are shipping out. This clue helps confirm that a platoon is a group of people in the armed forces.

    • Adjust the meaning using the new clues. Say: In this instance, I did not have to adjust the meaning, but many times the additional context clues in a text help me clarify the meaning and adjust my inference.




Check Vocabulary Skills



  1. Refer students to p. 47 and the displayed sentence: When he came to our school and spoke to the student body, his words reverberated in my mind like drumbeats.

  2. Have students use context clues on p. 47 to draw inferences about the meaning of reverberated and then check the inferred meaning in context. (echoed)


Reteach



  • Have two students explain their thinking and the process they used to answer.

    Sample Student Response: The recruiter’s words sound like drumbeats in the narrator’s mind. That makes me think of the way drumbeats repeat. After that sentence, narrator  quotes the recruiter’s words, which, like the drumbeats (of war drums), are calling men to join the fight. I think that the words the narrator hears repeat in his mind like an echo and that reverberated means “echoed.”




Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  1. Refer students to the displayed lines from p. 69: All of the non-Indian Marines who had been in boot camp with us were leaving on furloughs. They were laughing and joking with each other as they headed for the gate to see friends and family, or to just go into town and have fun.

  2. Have students use context clues to draw inferences about the meaning of furlough and check whether the inferred meaning makes sense in context.

    Sample Student Responses: I used context to determine that furlough means vacation. The clues about the soldiers being in a happy mood to go on furloughs and the clues about seeing friends and family there helped me infer that furlough means vacation. The non-Indian Marines were leaving the boot camp to see friends and family, and the boot camp was like work or school, so the word vacation makes sense in context.





Reteach


  • Acknowledge that students often draw inferences about a word’s meaning without even realizing it. Encourage students to build their awareness of drawing inferences, and to notice the clues and background knowledge they use to reach their conclusion.
Farewell to Manzanar and “Executive Order 9066” https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/manzanar/history2.html

L.7.5.B

Advance Preparation



  • Display and reference when directed these sentences from Farewell to Manzanar:

    • There was a lot of talk about internment, or moving inland, or something like that in store for all Japanese Americans. (p. 15, first complete paragraph) 

    • These were mainly days of quiet, desperate waiting for what seemed at the time to be inevitable. (p. 16, top of page)


Materials



Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT use the relationship between words to better understand the words internment and alien.

  2. Explain that considering the relationship between two familiar words or phrases may provide clues to the meaning of new words in a text.

  3. Share and model the steps for analyzing the relationship between words/phrases, using the first displayed sentence from Farewell to Manzanar: There was a lot of talk about internment, or moving inland, or something like that in store for all Japanese Americans.

    • Identify two words or phrases that have a relationship. Say: There is a relationship between internment and moving inland, as indicated by the word or.

    • Analyze whether the words/phrases are synonyms, antonyms, or have a connection or distinction. Say: There is some connection between internment and moving inland, but the narrator does not know exactly what the connection is since she says “or something like that.” They may be synonyms, but it is unclear in this sentence.

    • Consult a dictionary to clarify the meaning, if needed. Say: After examining my dictionary, I see that internment camps are prison camps where people are confined, especially during wartime.

    • Explain the relationship between the words. Say: Because I know the meaning of these words, I also know that internment and “moving inland” are not synonyms. But, there is a connection between moving inland and going to internment camps. When Japanese Americans had to go to internment camps, they had to move inland.




Check Vocabulary Skills



  1. Refer to the second displayed sentence from Farewell to Manzanar: These were mainly days of quiet, desperate waiting for what seemed at the time to be inevitable.

  2. Ask: Which word or phrase has a relationship with the word inevitable in this sentence? (desperate) Why? (The waiting was desperate, or hopeless, because what the Japanese-Americans feared seemed inevitable. There was no hope or possibility it would be different.) What does it mean to refer to call something inevitable? (It means that it is “certain to happen” or “unavoidable. “)


Reteach



  1. Point out that there are many different relationships between words. Sometimes, words have a relationship because they are synonyms or have a connection. Sometimes words have a relationship because they are antonyms or show a distinction.

  2. Direct students to write the definition of inevitable in their writing journals or another word list.


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  1. Refer students to the first paragraph of “Executive Order 9066”: The following day, President Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war against Japan. Japanese Americans felt the repercussions over the following weeks. They were fired from government jobs, and had their cameras and short-wave radios confiscated. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts accused Japanese Americans in Hawaii of helping the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. And newspapers reported widely of suspected Japanese-American sabotage.

  2. Have students use related words to determine the meaning of repercussions. 

    Sample Student Responses: The paragraph says that after war was declared against Japan, Japanese Americans felt the repercussions over the following weeks. I think that repercussions means effects since the related words fired, confiscated, and reported suspected sabotage show what happened to Japanese Americans as a result of the declaration.




Reteach



  • Review that part of examining the relationship between words is to use a dictionary as needed. Have students look up the definition of repercussions. Point out that for a noun, such as repercussions, the singular form is usually listed. Review that if there is more than one meaning, students should choose the one that fits in the context.

Code Talker and “Fighting for Democracy: African Americans” http://www.pbs.org/thewar/at_war_democracy_african_american.htm

L.7.5.B

Advance Preparation



  • Display and reference these sentences when directed:

    • After years of bitter exile, they were allowed to return to their homeland only after pledging never again to take arms against the United States. (Code Talker, p. 217)

    • Black citizens were outraged at the idea of fighting bigotry abroad while it was tolerated at home, but the military continued to insist on segregating African-American servicemen into all-black units. (“Fighting for Democracy: African Americans,” para 2.)

    • Despite the bravery of African Americans in all of America’s previous wars, despite the argument made by the NAACP and others that “a Jim Crow army cannot fight for a free world,” the armed forces of the United States remained strictly segregated during the Second World War. (“Fighting for Democracy: African Americans,” para 1.)


Materials



  • Dictionaries (one per student or shared as available; alternatively use a digital dictionary such as www.wordsmyth.net)


Introduce the Vocabulary Learning Objective



  1. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: SWBAT explain the relationship between words.

  2. Recall previous learning about L.7.5.B and review that considering the relationship between words can help us understand words better. Say: When we consider if words are synonyms, antonyms, or have a cause and effect relationship, we can learn more about unfamiliar words.

  3. Refer to the first displayed sentence: After years of bitter exile, they were allowed to return to their homeland only after pledging never again to take arms against the United States.

  4. Share and model the steps for analyzing the relationship between words and phrases:

    • Identify two words or phrases that have a relationship. Say: The word after is a clue that there is some relationship between the words exile and return.

    • Analyze whether the words/phrases are synonyms, antonyms, or have a connection or distinction. Say: Since they could return home after exile, I think that the words are more like antonyms. Exile is the opposite of return.

    • Consult a dictionary to clarify the meaning, if needed. Model consulting a dictionary and say: Yes, exile is “the condition of being sent away from one’s country and not allowed to return as a punishment.”

    • Explain the relationship between the words. Say: The relationship between exile and return is that they are antonyms, or opposites.




Check Vocabulary Skills



  • Refer to the second displayed sentence: Black citizens were outraged at the idea of fighting bigotry abroad while it was tolerated at home, but the military continued to insist on segregating African-American servicemen into all-black units.

  • Ask: Which word in the sentence has a relationship with bigotry? Have students explain their thinking. 

    Sample Student Response: Bigotry is related to segregation. They are not synonyms, but they have a similar meaning, each having to do with treating people in ways that are unfair because of race or skin color.




Reteach



  • Point out that looking for words that have a relationship is like looking for context clues in the sentence. Ask: What words give us clues about the word bigotry?


Vocabulary Exit Ticket



  1. Refer to the third displayed sentence: Despite the bravery of African Americans in all of America’s previous wars, despite the argument made by the NAACP and others that “a Jim Crow army cannot fight for a free world,” the armed forces of the United States remained strictly segregated during the Second World War.

  2. Have students answer this question: Which word or phrase has a relationship with the phrase a Jim Crow Army? Explain. 

    Sample Student Response:




    • A Jim Crow army is related to the word segregated. A Jim Crow army is segregated, so the words are like synonyms.




    • A Jim Crow army is related to the phrase a free world because they are antonyms. A Jim Crow army is not a free world, because the people in the Jim Crow army are segregated and therefore lacking freedom.






Reteach



  • Review that a relationship between words means a connection. Say: The connection can be that the words have a similar meaning or that they have a different meaning. Reiterate that a relationship does not mean that the words must have a similar meaning.