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SkillsTutor Reading Vocabulary ClassrBoom Guide Table of Contents Getting Started ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Vocabulary Building Lessons...................................................................................................................... 2 The Warm-Up ........................................................................................................................................2 The Review ............................................................................................................................................2 The Quiz ................................................................................................................................................5 Tests ......................................................................................................................................................5 Lesson Summaries ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Worksheets..................................................................................................................................................13 Assignment Sheets ....................................................................................................................................55 Getting Started SkillsTutor Reading Vocabulary provides comprehensive coverage of more than 1000 words and contains six units. These units are broadly based on mathematics and science, social studies, hobbies, and other topics of interest to students. A variety of reading and vocabulary building activities introduce and reinforce vocabulary related to these topics. Within each unit are vocab- ulary building lessons, tests, and worksheets for students. This chapter discusses the unit activi- ties in detail. The SkillsTutor management system (OTS) provides several important features: • Tests students’ skills, providing both pretests and posttests to make initial assessments and gauge student progress • Makes assignments, based on students’ pretest results • Monitors student scores and completion of activities • Produces reports for individual students • Provides online documentation This guide outlines the content and activities of SkillsTutor Reading Vocabulary B. Information on the management system (OTS) is provided under separate cover in the SkillsTutor User’s Guide. 6 1 6 Vocabulary Building Lessons Vocabulary Building Lessons are built around a set of seven to ten words. Vocabulary words are introduced in story-centered activities as well as in a variety of shorter, fast-paced activities which encourage students to practice using a new vocabulary word in context. In SkillsTutor Reading Vocabulary B, each lesson has three online parts: the Warm-Up, the Review, and the Quiz. The Warm-Up The Warm-Up begins with a story-centered activity. Some lessons begin with a single story, while others use two shorter stories to introduce the targeted vocabulary words. If the computer has audio capabilities, students may click on each paragraph in the story to have it read to them. Stories are displayed with seven to ten blanks in place of targeted vocabulary words. Students drag a word from a vocabulary list on the right side of the screen to the correct blank in the story. Each vocabulary word is used only one time in this activity. After students place all of the words and click Check, they are given feedback for their answers. Incorrectly placed words are dimmed. Students are prompted to click on each dimmed word. The correct word is inserted in the blank, and students are given a definition and, if audio is enabled, pronunciation for that word. The Review The Review presents a variety of activities in which students practice using all of the lesson’s vocabulary words. Special emphasis is given to words that the student missed in the Warm-Up, and to words missed in the Review itself. Students receive more interactions for words they miss than for words they use correctly. The following section provides detailed descriptions of the activities students may encounter in the Review. Context Sentence. In this interaction, a sentence is presented with a blank in place of a vocabulary word. Context clues in the sentence guide students to select the correct word from the list of vocabulary words. Students type the correct word in the blank. Guidance is provided for incorrect typing. The Big Bad Wolf tried to blow down the pigs’ brick house, but it was indestructible. Multiple-Meaning Sentence. In this interaction, a sentence is presented with the vocabu- lary word underlined. Students select the correct definition of the underlined word based on the context clues in the sentence. This interaction only appears in Multiple Meanings lessons. 6 2 6 Match a Graphic to a Word, Phrase, or Sentence. In this interaction, students cycle through four graphics and select the graphic that best represents a single vocabulary word, a phrase using a vocabulary word, or a sentence including a vocabulary word. Tip: You may want to clarify to students that it is the word that they are trying to match to the picture. The phrase or sentence they see may not match the picture exactly. Students should focus on just the underlined word when they choose a picture to match it. Clickable Scene. This interaction begins with a large graphic. Within this graphic are representations of at least four vocabulary words from the lesson. Students are prompted to click on the part of the graphic that represents a particular word. Categories. In this interaction, a subset of four of the lesson’s vocabulary words is pre- sented. In one variation of this activity, students are instructed to click on the words that belong to a given category. In another variation, a vocabulary word is presented with synonyms and an antonym, or three antonyms. Students are instructed to click on the word that does not belong with the other words (the antonym or the vocabulary word). Match a Word to a Synonym or Antonym. In this interaction, students click on a vocabu- lary word in the list that matches the synonym or antonym presented. Match a Word to a Clue or an Example. In this interaction, students click on a vocabu- lary word in the list that matches a clue, or one or more examples. Similar Sentences. In this interaction, a context sentence containing a vocabulary word is presented. From among three sentences, students select the sentence which is most similar in meaning to the context sentence. Here is an example: They reside in their father’s townhouse in the suburbs. A. They live in the suburbs all of the time with their father. B. They go to the suburbs for vacation to stay with their father. C. They often visit their father in the suburbs. Paragraph. In this interaction, a sentence or short paragraph using two or more vocabu- lary words is presented. In one variation of this activity, the paragraph is presented with blanks. Students drag vocabulary words from the list to place in the blanks. In another variation, the paragraph is presented with underlined synonyms for vocabulary words. Students drag vocabulary words from the list to replace the underlined words with syn- onyms. In a third variation, the paragraph is presented with underlined antonyms. Students drag vocabulary words from the list to replace the underlined words with antonyms. Here is an example: When the starter waved the green flag, the race car driver stepped on the gas pedal. The car began to accelerate. In an amazingly short time, the car reached a velocity of 175 miles per hour. 6 3 6 Imagine. In this interaction, an incomplete scenario is built around a vocabulary word. Students select one of three possible capabilities, consequences, or results of the sce- nario. Here is an example of the type of sentence students may see: If I were in a drought, then I would ___. A. not be able to water my lawn whenever I wanted B. put on a coat C. be floating down a river Predict. In this interaction, a situation is described using one of the lesson’s vocabulary words. Three possible consequences are provided for the situation. Students select the consequence that would stem from the targeted vocabulary word. Here is an example of the kind of description and choices students will see: A farmer planted a field of corn. Then there was a drought. A. The corn will not grow high this year. B. This could be the best year ever for corn. C. The corn will not sprout because the ground is too wet. Analogy. In this activity, students are presented with a sentence that contains part of an analogy. One word in the analogy is missing. Students select a word from the vocabu- lary list to fill in the blank and complete the analogy. Non-Definitions. In this interaction, students see a vocabulary word posted on a street sign. Under the sign are three or four bikers who are thinking of definitions for the post- ed word. Only one of the bikers has the correct definition. Using the mouse, students move across the picture to see each biker’s definition for the word. By clicking on a biker, students select the definition they think is correct. The Word Library. When a student incorrectly completes an interaction during the Review, a small icon (in this case, a picture of several books) appears above the vocabu- lary list to show the student that the Word Library is available. The student clicks on the icon and then clicks

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