The vocabulary term is first introduced in this step.

•      SMART Notebook can be used to initiate conversation about the term. 
• vocab word generator.notebook  

• Before providing information about the term try to determine what the students already know about it.
• SMART Notebook KWHL Chart
• SMART Ideas KWHL Chart
• Poety Vocabulary Prior Knowledge Survey.doc 

• Find or create pictures that exemplify the term. (use both linguistic & non-linguistic representations)
• Verb Voc Example.doc 
• Simple_Machine_Voc_Example.doc

• Introduce direct experiences, such as a field trip or a guest speaker, that provide examples of the term.
• Don't forget that guest speakers can be invited into your classroom via skype!  This is an easy alternative to help involve parents, who sometimes are our best assets due to multitude of careers they work at.  Imagine some of the vocabulary they can help expose our students to!

• Tell a story the integrates the term.

• Use video or computer images as a stimulus for understanding the information.
• United Streaming
• YouTube- If you aren't interested in showing the entire YouTube video, use http://www.tubechop.com/ to chop an interesting clip from any video.
• TeacherTube
• Brainyflix - Collection of short videos created by students explaining vocab words. - Example
• Flocabulary- Check out this example from Grade 8 entitled "The Great Escape." http://www.flocabulary.com/1-the-great-escape/  Stories are told using vocabulary words in the form of a rap.  Tons of teacher activities can be found to the right of each story.  There is a small cost associated with the site but it allows you a free trial.  

• Use current events to help make the term applicable to something familiar to students.

• Describe your own mental pictures of the term.

Steps in the Process

• Provide learners information about the term. 

• Determine what the learner already knows about the term.

• Ask learners to share what they already know as a means of monitoring misconceptions.

• Ask learners to share what they already know to use this knowledge as a foundation for more learning.

• Utilize examples, descriptions, but not definitions.  Definitions are not a recommended method for vocabulary instruction as they do not provide learners an informal, natural way to learn new vocabulary.   

•  Instruct learning of proper noun terms through identifying characteristics of the proper noun.