5. Vocabulary - C. Create Materials

Explore: Explore these Gif-tionaries to familiarize yourself with the tool.

1. Earth Science Example

2. Language Development Example

Create a Gif-tionary: Create a Gif-tionary or an Illustrated Word Map to support students in learning vocabulary needed for a discipline. Your Gif-tionary should include:

1. A brief statement or bullet points that provide context of what the Gif-tionary is for (e.g., language objective, content area, grade level, English proficiency levels of students)

2. 8-12 words that are needed for a specific objective or content area

3. An image or GIF for each term/phrase

4. A student-friendly definition for each term (i.e., a definition that students in your context would be able to understand without any/very little explanation from you)

5. OPTIONAL: Teach something about Word Origins through your Gif-tionary

   1. Word Origin Dictionary

   2. Some Phrases

Keep in mind that--like any definition created for students learning English--for a Gif-tionary to be effective, the visuals and definitions must be accessible. That means you need to consider students’ backgrounds. For example, would your 6th grade students understand a GIF reference to the X-Files? Thanksgiving? Have they been in contexts or situations that would have given them that exposure? Do your students have the language resources to access a definition like “A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison” or do you need to swap out or explain terms?

Be sure to link your work and documents in the capstone project:

Reflection: Answer the following questions on a Capstone slide

1. Option A ONLY: Thinking about the Buzz Word Protocol. Write a brief reflection on the task using the following questions as guidelines. You can choose one or all questions, or parts from each question. (150-250 words total)

   1. How can the Buzz Word protocol enable a teacher to measure student progress toward a specific standard?

   2. How do you, or how would you, intend to use this protocol in your class? How do you imagine students reacting to this?

   3. Are there any drawbacks to the protocol, or do you have any critiques? Can you think of ways to resolve those issues?

2. Option B ONLY: Thinking about vocabulary. Write a brief reflection on the task using the following questions as guidelines. You can choose one or all questions, or parts from each question. (150-250 words total)

   1. How could students use the words in the gif-tionary or word map to demonstrate growth toward mastery of a specific WIDA standard?

   2. What considerations do you have to keep in mind as you craft a Gif-tionary for your context? E.g., are there specific linguistic or cultural considerations that you need to remember?

3. Takeaways: You can choose one or all questions, or parts from each question. (200-250 words)

   1. What was your most significant take away from the assignment? What did you find interesting and useful?

   2. What was most challenging in the task? How did you overcome that challenge?

   3. How will you apply your learning to practice?

   4. To learn more, what might your next steps be?

   5. How would you improve on your current product in the future?