Scaffolding Language Development
In the first video clip, I was scaffolding language development by having the students brainstorm definitions of the vocabulary words introduced during the lesson. I called on students to describe the vocabulary word. I had the students add specific words to their descriptions to guide them towards the correct definition. Once the students covered the main points of the vocabulary word, I had the students place their finger on the vocabulary word on their T-chart to make sure they were writing the definition in the correct box. I placed a T-chart under the projector, stated the definition, and spelled out every word so the students had the correct spelling. I also enlarged the T-chart so the students in the back of the classroom could see it.
In the second video clip, the class was playing the buzzer-beater warmup game. To play this game, the students need to know the vocabulary terms that have been introduced. Before we started the game, I wrote the vocabulary words on the whiteboard and we discussed each one. I kept the vocabulary words on the whiteboard for the students to reference throughout the buzzer-beater game. I noticed that throughout the game the students did not reference the words on the board, which showed me that they knew the words automatically. In the video, I drew two name sticks and the students walked to the front desk. I instructed the students to place their hands behind their back and stated that the crowd should be quiet. I read a definition once the audience was quiet. Once I read the definition the first student to tap the buzzer guessed the vocabulary word. The students clapped for their classmates and did a drum-roll when I was drawing the name sticks. All students got a turn to play the buzzer-beater game. This vocabulary activity worked on building the student's awareness and recognition of the vocabulary words.
In the third video clip, the class was participating in a vocabulary review headband activity. We completed this activity as a review before the post-assessment. I chose to include this activity because it involves all students. The audience needs to know the vocabulary term's definition to give clues, and the student wearing the headband needs to know the terms and definitions to guess the correct word. Before we played, we reviewed the vocabulary terms so they would be fresh in the student's memory. In the video, I draw a name stick and that student stands in the front of the class and I place a vocabulary headband on them. The student then calls on three classmates to describe the vocabulary using one word, a short phrase or showing a demonstration. To build the student's language development outside of the classroom, I instructed the students to bring their headband home and teach their friends and family about their vocabulary word.
