Wonder Wednesday: Vocabulary is Differentiated

Questions that I often am asked on Wednesday morning include: Which wonder did you choose?  Did you see this mornings Wonder?  I am so excited to watch the video together as a class. How many words are there for us to explore?

We celebrate wondering everyday but especially on Wednesday.  We take time to celebrate the idea of wondering and connecting a wonder to our core content. Today we will be exploring:  Totem Poles for our Native American Unit. 

Students working in the computer lab on wonder assignment.

We start with a class meeting with the wonder on the Smart Board and make several predictions including the WHY.  Next, we watch the video and discuss new facts they learned and how the video supports the 3 questions of the day.  We then look at the new vocabulary and with the changes that NCFL has made with the differentiation vocabulary lessons are much easier. This change was recently made so earlier wonders may not have this organized list of vocabulary.

After we discuss the words and brainstorm definitions, my students know that their next challenge is to read the wonder and answer the 3 questions along with choosing five words to write their own sentences showing meaning.  Finally, if the students have extra time, they explore other wonders and write about them in their wonder spiral which is pictured above below the computer.  Thanks for wondering about vocabulary with us on Wednesday!