Instructional objectives: The children will correctly match at least two vocabulary words to their definitions, synonyms, or antonyms.

Time allotted: 15 minutes

Materials needed: Index cards with vocabulary words, definitions, synonyms, or antonyms (only one thing per card); tape

Word list: capture, ruin, skills, liquid, serious, struggles

Procedures:
Steps:
1. Hand out the cards one per child. Instruct them to find the person whose card matches theirs - eg, the definition of the word they have. Let them know some or the cards are synonyms of antonyms. Since they had the words to look up over the weekend, they should know by process of elimination which words are synonyms & antonyms.
2. Once the children have found the correct partner(s), have them read the cards out loud.
3. Collect the cards, shuffle them, and tape just words and definitions to the backs of students. Have the left-over students pair up their classmates. Try to have them do it without talking.
Wrap-up: Read the cards out loud again.

Evaluation: Observe the children and let the ones who were more passive in step one be those who are sorting in step three so that as many as possible have a chance to match words.

Modifications: None

My reflections on the lesson:
I feel that this lesson went rather well. I was thrown for a bit of a loop when I found out that my cooperating teacher had not given the children the vocabulary words ahead of time to look up at home as we had planned. However, at this point in school, vocabulary terms are usually ones that they have heard before; they simply haven't matched them with concrete definitions. I found that I had to help them out some. For instance, I told them which were the vocabulary words so they could tell them apart from the synonyms and antonyms. They enjoyed the chance to get up and move around. When I reflect on it, I don't see Mrs. Folk doing much for kinesthetic learners, at least not in Language Arts. It took longer than I'd anticipated for the children to find their partners/groups, and they didn't pay as much attention as they should have when they were reading the answers, but I think they got the idea. The second half went a little more smoothly, though still taking several minutes, and I think I chose the correct children to be the leaders for that part. The rest of the class was obediently silent while they were being matched up. Hopefully they really learned what they were supposed to - I didn't want to give them a quiz right after they had just heard the words for the first time, so I can't be certain.