My students and I have taken on a challenge and we have come out on top! We have been working on taking control of a book with over 600 pages… with tons of words, grammar rules, and definitions.
What 600 page book could a Grade 3 teacher possibly use in his or class?
In case you haven’t guessed yet… it is this one…
The dictionary!!!
For grade 3 students, particularly ones who are learning English as a Second Language, this 656 page reference book can be quite intimidating. First of all, it is entirely in English. Secondly, it is huge and heavy. And lastly, there is A LOT of information on each and every page. No wonder my students stare in complete horror the first time I ask them to try to located a word!
Grade 3 is a perfect time to strengthen dictionary skills. And by dictionary skills, I don’t mean just the idea of finding words and their meanings. Dictionary skills encompass WAY more than that. We worked on the alphabet – finding what letters come before, after, and in-between others. We worked on alphabetical order and how to tell which word comes first when there are two, three or even four letters that are the same for multiple words. The students also learned about guide words and their importance to finding words on a page.
My students were totally engaged in their learning. Who knew a dictionary could be so captivating!
The activities also gave my students the chance to work together in groups. I was super excited to see them working cooperatively! I love it when my students work together to get their learning on!
If you would like to check out the practices pages I used for this blog post, just click on the photo above!
You’ll be having your students ask to use the dictionary in no time!
Leave a Reply