Design for Learning

Instructor: Rebecca Hastings

Lesson Title: Synonym Junction
Curriculum Area: English Language Arts

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 1st (Action

Research)/Ms. Gartman
Date: October 29, 2015
Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Standards Connection:
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. [L.2.5]
b. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely
related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny). [L.2.5b]
Learning Objective(s):
Students will describe the similarity between two words by constructing two sentences using the
different words that mean the same thing.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language:
Today we are going to choose two words that mean the same thing and write two different
sentences for those words.
Evaluation of Learning Objective(s):
Students will choose two synonyms we have discussed in class or come up with two new ones on
their own. Once the two words are decided, they will describe why those words have similar
meaning. After that, they will draw a picture of each word to establish visual meaning and
understanding of each word. This will allow the teacher to assess the students vocabulary. Once
the pictures are drawn, they will then write two different sentencesone for each word. These
sentences should be very similar in meaning, showing the students understanding of the
similarity between the words.
Engagement:
The teacher will distribute synonym-matching cards to groups of students. Each group will have a
set of cards that have pairs of synonyms that need to be matched. Students will play a matching
game, working together to collaborate on thinking. Today, we are going to learn about synonyms,
which are words that mean the same thing! You have in your hand a set of cards. I want you to
work with your group to match the words. The words you will be matching are two words that
mean the same thing. For example, if the words are sad and unhappy, they need to be
placed on top of each other. These two words have a similar meaning, resulting in them being a
match! Does everyone understand what we are doing? Great! The teacher will assist with any
questions they have, and observe the students knowledge of synonyms.
Learning Design:

I. Teaching: The teacher will introduce the word synonym to the students. When
giving examples of synonyms and saying the definition, the teacher will write the
example pairs down on an anchor chart while also including the definition of a synonym.
She will then read Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know to expose students to different
synonyms and the words they are going to be going over. Today, we are going to learn
what a synonym is. Have you ever heard of this word? Its a funny word to say. Can you
say it with me? Synonym. A synonym is a word that means something very similar to
another word. These words basically mean the same thing. For example, a synonym for
shut is close. Synonyms allow us to use different words in our sentences, rather than
saying the same thing over and over. If you wanted to say I need to go to the bathroom,
another way you could say that sentence is I need to go to the restroom. Do you know
what the synonyms are in those two sentences? Thats right! The words bathroom and
restroom are synonyms because they mean very similar things. A non-example of a
synonym would be hot and cold. Do these words mean the same thing? Youre right,

these two words do not mean the same thing; instead, they mean the opposite! Can
anyone tell me what we said a synonym is? That was a great answer. A synonym is
something that means the same thing as another word. Now that we know what a
synonym is, I am going to read a book that uses a lot of them! When I read each page, if
you hear me say two words that are synonyms, I want you to touch your nose. So listen
closely to see if I say any words that mean the same thing! The teacher will read Pitch
and Throw, Grasp and Know and look for students touching their noses while listening to
the book. Next, the teacher will go through each page of the book and talk about which
words are synonyms and which words are not. Great listening to see if you could notice
any synonyms! Now we are going to go through the pages of this book and talk about
which words are synonyms and why they are that way. Do you feel tired or beat or
exhausted, why are these three words synonyms? When someone says they are beat,
they mean they are worn out. These three words all mean similar things and can be used
in the same sentence. By letting us choose between blue plates or dishes Do you use
the words plates or dishes throughout your day? I know I use both of these words
interchangeably and that is because they are the same thing! Like nippy or freezing or
chilly as ice all means that it is cold! Theyre words like toss and pitch and throw Do
you use these words when you are playing with friends or playing any sports? You can
toss a ball to your friend, pitch a ball to the batter, or throw the ball across the field. All
of these mean that you are moving the ball through the air. Yell and holler. Jump and
leap. Fly and soar, and doze and sleep. These word pairs all mean the same things too!
A lovely and pretty and beautiful day Have you used these words before? Did you
realize that they meant the same thing? They let up pick showering, raining, or
pouring. Whenever water is coming from the clouds in the sky, these three words can all
be used to describe it! So now that we have gone over all of these words, can you tell me
what a synonym is? The teacher will listen to their answers and see if they have grasped
the understanding of what a synonym is. Once students comprehend the word and the
meaning, they will move on to the next thing.
II. Opportunity for Practice: The teacher will now allow students to play two games (see
attachments) that use synonyms to give them practice recognizing word pairs. They will
be asked to find a partner. Now I want you to have a chance to recognize synonyms on
your own. Can I get everyone to find a partner? Awesome job friends. I am now going to
give you a couple of pictures, and you are going to say what it is. If it is a picture of a
flower, then you would say flower. Once you know what the picture means, you will
then say a synonym for that word. For example, if the picture was a flower you could say
the word plant. Your partner then is going to repeat the word pair that you just named.
You will take turns on who is going to name the synonym pair. Once all of the cards are
done, I want you to wait quietly and look at me. Allow students to play this game. Yall
did a great job naming words that mean the same thing as each other! Now we are going
to play one more game. There is going to be a pile of words laid out in front of you. I am
going to say something like slap the synonym of happy and you will slap the word that
means the same thing as happy. Once we have identified the synonym, we will move on to
the next word! Allow students to play this game until they seem comfortable.
III. Assessment: The students will now return to their desk and wait quietly for further
instruction. They will be asked to think of a synonym pair and draw a picture of each
item. Once they have drawn a picture, they will write two sentences that use each of the
words. You did a great job playing those games! Give me a thumbs up if you feel
comfortable with what synonyms are. Because you are comfortable with synonyms, I
want you to think of a pair. It can be one that we have already used, or it can be
something completely new! It just has to be synonyms meaning something that is similar
or means the same thing. After you think of your word, you are going to go back to your
desk and draw the images of the pair of words you thought about. After you draw the

picture, I want you to write two sentences using your word pair. For example, if my two
words were chilly and cold I could say, This morning is was very chilly. This
morning is was cold. Has everyone thought about their pair of words that are
synonyms? Great! I want everyone to go back to their desk and write their sentences that
use both of those words.
IV. Closure: The teacher will review what synonyms are one more time and allow
students to give an example of a pair of synonyms. Okay everyone, I need you to put your
pencils down and look at me! Can anyone tell me what a synonym is? Can you give me
an example of one? Why are synonyms good to use when we are talking or writing
sentences? Thats right! Because they mean the same thing, we are able to use those
words in the same spot in a sentence to help us not be so repetitive and use the same
word over and over.
Materials and Resources:
Pitch and Throw. Grasp and Know
Anchor chart paper
Game cards (see attached)
Blank synonym worksheet
Synonym matching cards (made on notecards)word pairs: mistake and error, sleepy
and tired, fast and quick, street and road, kind and nice, quiet and silent, see and look,
begin and start
Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):
Students that master this concept will chose three sets of words on their own and write sentences
that show their understanding.
Students that understand what is being taught but have not yet mastered in will see look at a list
of words, choose three sets, and then describe how they are similar.
Students that need more assistance will work with the teacher to establish the meaning of a
synonym. Then they will work further with a partner on a synonym game to gain familiarity with
synonyms.
Data Analysis:
Throughout the duration of this lesson, I formatively assessed the students I was working with. At
the beginning of the lesson, they did not know what a synonym was, but by the end of the lesson,
they were able to tell me what it meant and give me an example. While we were reading the book
Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know, the students sporadically touched their nose when they heard
two words that were synonyms. One student performed this task more effectively than the other
two students. After the teaching portion of the lesson was complete, the students played a game
where I called out a word and they touched the word in front of them that was the synonym. One
student heavily relied on looking at her peers during this task, while the other two students did
this work on their own. These students had to think through this task in order to correctly answer
each question. This game showed me that the students had gained some knowledge towards
synonyms and what they were, but these students needed further teaching and practice in order to
be confident when working with synonyms. The final assessment I gave the students was more of
a summative assessment. I asked the students to choose a synonym pair they knew and write
those words in the boxes. After writing the words, I wanted them to write two different sentences
using those words. The goal was to show me they understood how those words were synonyms
through their sentences. Examining the students final work revealed to me that they needed
better guidance and additional practice to understand. All three students wrote word pairs that
were synonyms, but they did not know how to write a sentence for each word. I think one thing I
should have changed would have been how I explained the task. They did not fully understand
what I was asking them, and that instruction was my fault that needed to be improved. By the end
of the lesson, the students did improve in their knowledge of synonyms, but they continue to need
to practice.

Reflection:
This lesson proved to be more challenging than I expected it to be. This lesson was the first
lesson I did with a small group of students in a room outside of their normal classroom. In
hindsight, I realize the very first thing I should have done was tell them what was expected. I tend
to have a problem right now remembering to do that when I first begin. I need to make a
conscious effort in the future to tell my students what I expect from thembehavior and the
objective. By telling the students what was expected, they would have been better focused and
easier to work with. Moving into the lesson, students enjoyed playing the engagement game.
They enjoyed finding their card that matched the other. I should have planned through this game
more carefully and established rules at the beginning. By telling the students how the game was
going to be constructed, it would have gone more smoothly without as much opposition from
student to student. The game was not a disaster, but there were improvements or adjustments that
could have been made. In transition from the game to the lesson, I read the book Pitch and
Throw, Grasp and Know. In hindsight, I should have given students better instructions of how to
touch their nose upon hearing synonyms and why that task was being asked of them. Because I
did not clearly explain this task, the students did not effectively perform. They only touched their
nose a handful of times, because they were not fully in tune with what was asked of them. They
also did not fully understand synonyms at that moment, which would have been a contributor to
the lack of touching the nose. I also know that throughout this lesson, I needed to have better
definitions of words and why they have the same meaning. During the explanation process of this
lesson, I realized how difficult it was to explain why words mean the same thing or how to
correctly give a definition for words on a first grade level. Every time I teach students something,
I gain a better understanding of how difficult it truly can be to teach students. Putting answers
into words and on terms younger students understand can be a challenge for me. I need to think
through every little thought more carefully before stepping into my lesson. Overall, I do not think
this lesson was a disaster or failure. Students did walk out of this lesson knowing what a synonym
was and why some words were classified as that. Throughout the coming days, it was also shown
to me that they enjoyed their time. They always asked me if we were going to go back into the
workroom and talk about synonyms. Whether it was because they were getting to do something
separate from the class or because I conducted the lesson in an effective way, the students were
not bored throughout the lesson. I was able to keep the students attention and hear their thinking.
I do think I need to be more cautious on not choosing the same student over and over when
working with a group. It is very easy to call on the enthusiastic, outgoing student, but I need to
make sure I acknowledge the thinking of every student in the room an equal amount of times.
Even if I know one student is going to give me the right answer, I do not need to be biased and
choose that student to make my time easier. I need to listen to the thinking of every student
present and allow for more challenging, teachable moments.

Samford University
Design for Learning

My Synonyms