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Lesson 8

We will analyze vocabulary words from Chapter 8, “Patria, 1959,” and revisit previously encountered vocabulary words to give them new context.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I use tools, such as context, to decode the meaning of unknown words?

  • Can I decode words being used in unconventional ways and verify my inferences using a dictionary?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Write

We will find vocabulary words to analyze.

Step 1

Work with a partner to find the following words in Chapter 8:

  • drowned (p. 161)

  • flash (p. 161)

  • huddled (p. 161)

  • eerie (p. 161)

  • assessed (p. 161)

Step 2

Discuss each word and the strategy you will use to determine its meaning. Use context clues when there is enough context in the passage, and use another strategy for the words that do not have context clues. Some of these definitions can be figured out by context clues; others cannot.

Use the Vocabulary in Context Tool to help you determine the meaning of the unknown words. Add the words to your Vocabulary Journal. Next to each word, note whether you used context clues or another strategy to determine the meaning of the unknown word.

Activity 2: Discuss – Write

We will apply our knowledge of previously studied vocabulary words by using them in new sentences and contexts.

Step 1

In small groups, discuss the vocabulary words you have already been introduced to: nabbed (Chapter 7), ambushed (Chapter 7), invigorate (Chapter 7), subversive (Chapter 5), and revolutionary.

Step 2

In your group, choose five of the following situations to write sentences about, demonstrating your understanding of the vocabulary words.

  • something abstract is drowned (e.g., drowning out noise)

  • someone is ambushed

  • someone is excited by something that is assessed

  • someone gets an eerie feeling

  • someone sees a flash of something and is disappointed

  • people huddle together

  • someone feels invigorated

  • nabbing something would be humorous

  • something causes a revolutionary to act

  • something requires subversive behavior

Collaboratively, write the scenarios in your Learning Log.

Step 3

Share your group’s best scenario or situation with the class.

Activity 3: Read – Write

We will add new vocabulary words to our Vocabulary Journal.

Review your Vocabulary Journal and select one of the words that you independently wrote down for Chapters 5–8. In your Vocabulary Journal, identify the strategy you used to determine the word’s meaning. Write an original sentence, using the word correctly.