RAVE! Robust Academic Vocabulary Encounters!
Grade Seven, 2012-2013
Cycle #4: We Are the World
LESSON 1
Introduce all words in the cycle:
Display the word chart for this cycle, and tell students that this collection of words, called “We Are the World,” will help them read, write, and talk about big ideas that affect us all. Read each word aloud, with the students repeating the words after you: complex, domestic, global, diverse, integrate, reside.
Use contexts and friendly definitions to build word meaning: (Student Book, pp. 1, 2)
Set 1: complex, domestic, global
²complex²
Contexts and Definitions / For the TeacherContext #1:
Birds make two kinds of sounds to communicate, bird calls and bird songs. Bird calls are usually only a few short notes and are used for warning about a predator or telling where food can be found. Bird songs are more musical and complex than bird calls, can have as many as 40 notes, and are usually only produced by the male bird. He uses his song to communicate with his mate and to protect his territory.1 / · T or S reads Context #1 aloud.
Friendly Definition:
Something that is complex has many complicated parts and can be hard to understand. / · T or S reads Friendly Definition aloud.
· To integrate meaning and Context #1, ask:
o How does the meaning of complex fit Context 1?
Ideas to develop: Bird songs are much more complicated than bird calls, which are just a few notes.
o Follow up as needed: What do you mean by that? What does that have to do with complex?
Context #2:
People used to joke about how easy it is to change a light bulb. Not any more. Because a new law requires light bulbs to use less energy, there are many more kinds of bulbs than before. Now consumers have a complex choice when shopping for light bulbs. Do they want a halogen bulb, a compact fluorescent, or a light-emitting diode? It can be hard to figure out. 2 / · T or S reads Context #2 aloud.
· To integrate meaning and Context #2, ask:
o This context says that people now have a complex choice of light bulbs. What’s that all about?
Ideas to develop: It’s going to be much more complicated and harder to understand what kind of light bulb to buy because of the new law.
· So, what’s the word that means complicated?
Activate Vocabulary: Now let’s try using complex.
· Which is more complex – a game of chess or a game of checkers? Why?
· Why is tying your shoes more complex than having Velcro on your shoes?
Summarize: Let’s summarize what we know about complex.
Something complex has so many parts or things going on that it can be complicated and hard to understand.
²domestic²
Context #1:
Professor Bob Enick of the University of Pittsburgh has developed a way for oil companies to get more oil from domestic oil wells. Companies usually use water to push oil out of the ground, but a lot of the oil stays behind. Professor Enick discovered that you can mix soap with carbon dioxide to create a foam that punches a lot more of the oil out. If companies begin using Professor Enick’s method, our country will have more domestic oil, and we won’t have to depend as much on oil from other countries.1 / · T or S reads Context #1 aloud.
Friendly Definition:
Something domestic happens or helps people in their daily lives at home or in their own country. / · T or S reads Friendly Definition aloud.
· To integrate meaning and Context #1, ask:
o How does the meaning of domestic fit Context 1?
Ideas to develop: Professor Enick has a method to get more oil from wells in our own country so we don’t have to get as much oil from other countries.
o Follow up as needed: What do you mean by that? What does that have to do with domestic?
Context #2:
Llamas are one of the oldest domestic animals in the world because they are intelligent and easy to train. They were domesticated from their wild relatives by ancient people in South America. For centuries, these people have used llamas in their daily work to carry heavy loads over rough mountain ground. These pack animals can carry up to 75 pounds and travel as far as 20 miles in a single day.2 / · T or S reads Context #2 aloud.
· To integrate meaning and Context #2, ask:
o This context says that llamas are domestic animals. What’s that all about?
Ideas to develop: Llamas are tame animals, not wild animals, that help people do their daily work.
· So, what’s the word that has to do with things in our home or country?
Activate Vocabulary: Now let’s try using domestic.
· Which animals are domestic and which are wild? Why?
o a wolf and a dog
o a farm goat and a mountain goat
o a water buffalo and a cow
· Which machines are domestic? Why?
o a washing machine in your basement OR a washing machine at the laundromat
o the dishwasher in a restaurant OR the dishwasher in your kitchen
o What other domestic appliances can you think of?
Summarize: Let’s summarize what we know about domestic.
We say something is domestic when it has to do with our home, like a tame animal that is a pet or that helps us do our work, or when it has to do with something happening in our own country rather than another country, like where we get oil.
²global²
Contexts and Definitions / For the TeacherContext #1:
“Yarn bombers” are striking in cities across the world. In the dark of night, these artists are covering public places with knitted art. They have put knitted vests on statues, covered park benches and phone poles with colorful knitting, and even made gigantic “sweaters” for buses, cars, and bridges. Yarn bombing has become a global movement, with fuzzy art popping up in the United States, Europe, Asia, and beyond.1 / · T or S reads Context #1 aloud.
Friendly Definition:
If something is global, it is so big that it includes all of something or might even include the whole world. / · T or S reads Friendly Definition aloud.
· To integrate meaning and Context #1, ask:
o How does the meaning of global fit Context 1?
Ideas to develop: People are doing yarn bombing in countries all around the world.
o Follow up as needed: What do you mean by that? What does that have to do with global?
Context #2:
Drivers may soon have a new tool, called a Global View Map, to increase their awareness while driving and help them avoid accidents. A video camera mounted on the top of a car provides a global view of the vehicle’s surroundings as the car moves through traffic. The video from the camera is projected onto a map of the area on the windshield, giving drivers up-to-the-minute data about what’s going on around them.2 / · T or S reads Context #2 aloud.
· To integrate meaning and Context #2, ask:
o This context says that the camera will give drivers a global view of their surroundings. What’s that all about?
Ideas to develop: The camera will give information about all the views around a car so that drivers can have the total picture and avoid accidents.
· So, what’s the word that means involving all of something?
Activate Vocabulary: Now let’s try using global.
· Which is an example of buying groceries that are part of a global food system? Why?
o buying blueberries grown in Chile OR
o buying apples grown at a local farm
· How could you get a global understanding of the opinions of seventh graders in your school about homework?
Summarize: Let’s summarize what we know about global.
Something global has to do with the whole of something, like yarn bombing across the whole world or understanding what the whole seventh grade thinks about homework.
LESSON 3
Using the Vocabulary: Expand It (Student Book, p. 8)
Tell students that their challenge is to expand the examples of things to which each vocabulary word can apply. With a partner, they will write one example for each use of each word in one minute (e.g., for the word complex, they will come up with one complex machine and one complex idea.) Call on as many students as possible for each word to get a range of examples. Have students write examples and share their ideas one word at a time.
1. What would be a complex machine? and What would be a complex idea?
2. What would be a domestic animal? and What would be a domestic chore?
3. What would be a global problem? and What would give you a global view of something?
4. What would be a diverse group of people? and What would be a diverse group of things?
5. What people might you want to integrate? and What things might you want to integrate?
6. What kinds of places do animals reside? and What kinds of places do people reside?
LESSON 4
All-Word Review: Showdown
Ask students to read aloud all the words from the word chart. Tell them you’ll describe a short situation, and then
they will write the word that matches on their white board and turn it over so the word cannot be seen. When all boards are turned over, say, “3-2-1 Showdown!” and students should hold up their boards. Call on a student for the word. There aren’t any foolers in this set.
1. The newspaper writes about what’s going on in the United States. (domestic news)
2. We were amazed by the detailed design of the spider’s web. (complex design)
3. Our teacher wove a unit about the solar system into our science program. (integrated the unit)
4. We want a health insurance plan that covers everything we need to stay healthy. (global health plan)
5. The power to choose their leaders is a basic right of the people when they vote. (power resides with the people)
6. The little preschool band played many kinds of homemade instruments. (diverse instruments)
Using the Vocabulary: Guess It (Student Book, p. 9)
Tell students their goal is to come up with a variety of answers to the questions below. Divide them into two teams and have them work with a partner from their team to answer each question. Then, discuss each question one at a time, asking students to explain how their answers are related to the target words. Give a point for each different answer. Teams can “win” with the most points for individual questions and for the most points overall.
1. We wanted to reside in a diverse neighborhood. What did we do?
2. We studied a complex global issue. What was it?
3. He had a really unusual domestic animal residing in his room. What was it?
4. We integrated a new act into our talent show to make it more diverse. What was it?
5. They had a domestic quarrel about a global problem. Who was arguing about what?
6. When our teacher decided to integrate art with our writing assignment, it became too complex. Why?
LESSON 5
Writing: Write About It (Student Book, p. 10)
Introduce this activity as a homework assignment at the end of Lesson 4.
Tell students they can choose one of the three topics below. They will write one sentence for each of the RAVE words from this cycle related to that topic. The sentences do not have to form a coherent paragraph, but students may try that if they want to. They do not have to use the words in any particular order. If it would be helpful, model a few sentences for the first topic (see below).
#1 The Coolest Place I Know
(Possible sentences related to this topic: I reside in a tree house high in the mountains of South America. It is a complex set of rooms joined by twisted vines and branches. I have a global view of the whole valley from here, etc.)
#2 The Invention That Will Make Me Rich
#3 If I Had a Trillion Dollars
During Lesson 5, ask several students to read the sentences they wrote. If necessary, ask, “How is that RAVE word related to the topic?”
LESSON 6
Using the Vocabulary: Why This Word? (Student Book, p. 11)
Tell students that in this activity there are pairs of words and sentences that are related in some way.
They will use the meaning of each word to figure out which word belongs in which sentence. Give students two minutes to write their answers. Discuss the nuances of each word and the cues in each sentence that connect to the word.
1. domestic/global
Deciding how to control fishing in every ocean is a ______issue.
Deciding which bridges to repair in our town is a ______issue.
2. diverse/complex
Matt visited a ______set of colleges before deciding which one to go to.
Matt had a ______set of decisions to make before he made up his mind.
3. integrate/reside
Roy worked hard to ______his dancing and athletic talents.
Roy is a star because both dancing and athletic talents ______in him.
LESSON 7
Review Cycles 3 and 4: Match the Stars
Tell students they must try to match the answers of classmate “stars” to each question below. Use a random method to appoint a different “star” for each question. The “star” should write an answer on their white board while the other students do the same. Everyone holds up their white board at the same time, and those whose answers matched the “star’s” answer earn a point for that question. “Stars” get a point if at least one student matches their answer. Students should explain how their answer is related to the target word.