Unit Topic: Phonemic Awareness

Grade: 4^th

Theme: Ants

Lesson Objectives: The students will be able to practice print, vocabulary words, learn new words, and practice their phonemic awareness.

Instructional Technique: Group work, Discussion, Lecture, Computer time, individual work.

Instructional Materials:

§  Computer with internet access

§  https://educators.brainpop.com/teaching-tip/meaning-beep-tips-tricks/

https://educators.brainpop.com/lesson-plan/meaning-beep-lessonplan-context-clues-game/  (Helpful worksheet for game)

§  https://www.brainpop.com/games/mobants/ (Classroom activity)

§  White board & dry erase marker

§  Pen or Pencil and Notebook.

Theoretical Perspective: This assignment is important to the students because they will learn how to hear and identify spoken words, pronounce words, and know how to read print. This will take practice and time, but the students will start first with hearing and identifying spoken words, the students will then learn how to pronounce the words and then they will learn how to read print.

Procedure:

Introductory Activity:

a.       Practice as a class with the What’s the Beep game together to show the students how the game works and what they will be doing. The subject will be science and under diversity of life and then the sub section will be Ants. The What’s the Beep game will include new vocabulary and pronunciation of words.

Step-by-step Instruction:

1.       Students will grab a laptop while another person at the table will get the helpful worksheet.

2.       Students will get into groups of two or three.

3.       The students will go to the Brainpop site.

4.       From there they will go to the subject science.

5.       In science they will go to Diversity of life.

6.       Then they will click on the Ants subject

7.       When in ants they will click on the Meaning of Beep.

8.       They will then hit play and click on play with classmates and start the game.

9.       When the game is being played the students will use the white board to guess what word they want to fill the beep. The white board will help with the students who are in teams discuss word strategies that may be helpful to win the game.

10.   The Students will each take turns using the laptop, writing the guess on the white board (for the fill in the blank) and then writing down the four guesses on a piece of paper (that appear after the fill in the beep part).

Closure:

Wrap up with the whole class. This will include discussing how the students felt about the trying out brainpop what's the beep activity. As a class we will do the brainpop what's the beep activity again. This will fully get the students to understand what the assignment was about. To expand their vocabulary and also have the ability through the game to hear how the words are pronounced. After that is done the students will be packing up.

Adaptations for different learners:

§  Word bank

§  Partners for students who find it more challenging instead of being going to do it individually

§  Assistance for students who need help with the computers. 

Homework:

Reading a book at home with the parents and then signing off on the daily reading paper.

Evaluation:

A)       The students will be able to practice print, vocabulary words, learn new words, and practice their phonemic awareness.

1.       A one on one (with teacher) reading a small book or article with a worksheet associated with it. The group will all have the same short story book and worksheet that associate with the short story.

2.       A vocabulary quiz with word bank.

3.       Homework of new words and what their definitions are

4.       One on one (with teacher) on pronouncing new words and identifying Spoken words

B)      Questions

Will these be too hard of an activity for the class to do?

Will the activity be confusing for the students to understand?

Will there be any difficulty with this activity?

The Meaning of Beep Lesson Plan: A Context Clues Game

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

This lesson plan, adaptable for all BrainPOP topics, challenges students to play a game called The Meaning of Beep in which they use context clues to figure out the meaning of an unknown word associated with a BrainPOP movie topic. The game presents three sentences, one at a time, for which students identify the meaning of “Beep”–a placeholder for a missing word. Each consecutive sentence provides more context clues than the previous, so by the third sentence–which is strongly tied to the movie–students should be successful in identifying the meaning of “Beep.”  We suggest playing this game after watching the related BrainPOP movie.

Students will:

1. Discuss and recognize the value of using context clues.
2. Watch movie associated with the game.
3. Use context clues to identify the meaning of an unknown word.
4. Identify synonyms and assess whether they make sense in context.
5. Create their own version of Meaning of Beep (extension activity).

Materials:

• Computers or other devices with Internet access
• Interactive whiteboard
• The Meaning of Beep: Tips and Tricks
• The Meaning of Beep: SnapThought Prompts
• Class set of the Design Your Own The Meaning of Beep Game (extension activity only)

Preparation:

This lesson features a game called The Meaning of Beep developed in collaboration with our partner Institute of Play that challenges players to use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Preview and play The Meaning of Beep to plan how you will adapt it to your students’ needs. Review the The Meaning of Beep: Tips and Tricks for ideas on how to make most effective use of the game.

To support English Language Learners and others, review Tips for Differentiation and ELL Support.

For ideas on how to use SnapThought with this game and specific prompts, read The Meaning of Beep: SnapThought Prompts.

Depending on your classroom routines and available technology, you may want to consider these grouping options:

• 1:1 with students and devices; students join a game with three or four classmates each at their own device
• Two students sharing one device and compete as one player
• Station model with four students on four devices.  

Lesson Procedure:

1. Ask students how they know what Moby’s beeps mean when they’re watching a BrainPOP movie. Students mays say things like his gestures, but make sure they also recognize that context plays a big part, particularly what Tim says in response to Moby’s beeps. Explain that context clues help us figure out what is not stated directly, both when we listen and when we read. If this is the first time your students will be playing The Meaning of Beep, have them watch the Context Clues movie now.
2. Now have students watch the associated BrainPOP movie, either on their own devices or as a whole class. As they watch, encourage them to make a list of words they don’t know. The wordscan be any type of vocabulary, from basic words to content-specific (tiers 1, 2, or 3).
3. After the movie, ask students what they do when they come across a word they don’t know. Jot their responses on the whiteboard. If no one brings up using context clues, prompt the discussion by asking how they might be able to use other words in a text to help them figure out the meaning of an unknown word.
4. Now, write a sample grade appropriate sentence with a challenging word underlined on the whiteboard. For example: “Maria prefers to run up short, steep hills rather than long, gradual ones.” If you are creating a different sentence, be sure to include a strong context clue.  
5. Read the sentence aloud. First, ask students what they think the underlined word means. Then ask what clues in the text helped them figure it out. They should recognize that if Maria likes steep hills, then gradual must mean the opposite, or an antonym of steep. They might have defined gradual as something that rises up slowly. Point out that antonyms are one kind of context clues and that other forms include synonyms, definitions, and examples. You can share examples of each as follows:
• Synonym: After many failed attempts, the mountain climber ultimately, or finally, made it to the peak.
• Definition: Tony’s exhaustion is due to insomnia, a disorder that makes it hard to fall asleep.
• Example: You can see many celestial bodies in the night sky, such as the moon, the stars, and even planets if you use a telescope.
6. Project The Meaning of Beep on the whiteboard. Tell students that today they will play a context clue game called The Meaning of Beep. Explain that the object is to identify the meaning of the word BEEP using context clues. Model how to play a round, thinking aloud as you go.  Ask students to suggest words for BEEP in each sentence. Point out that the sentences get more descriptive as you progress through the game.
7. Be sure to point out the following as you play:
• Demonstrate how to select EASY or HARD and the number of words per round
• Show how to make a first guess by typing in the box. Read the sentence aloud with the word you are thinking of using. Think aloud by asking if it makes sense.
• In a subsequent sentence or in a second round, show how to select HINT to access the Word Bank. Point out that when you use the Word Bank, you lose the the opportunity to Super Pick later, which allows you to earn more points.
• Show how after submitting a guess, other players’ guesses appear. Demonstrate how at this point you can either choose your own guess OR select another player’s guess and submit.
• Model how to Super Pick by double clicking a guess you are sure is correct. REMEMBER: When using the Word Bank, you will not be able to Super Pick.
• In the next two sentences in the round, try reading each sentences with the new guess. If it doesn’t work in all the sentences, it is incorrect.
• After guesses and picks have been submitted for all three sentences, click Reveal Word. Point out that the big, bolded word is the target (and the one from the movie) and the highlighted words are synonyms players picked that were correct.
• Review the scoring:

Correct guess = 1 point Incorrect guess = 0 points Correct pick = 1 point Incorrect pick = 0 points Correct Super Pick = 2 points Incorrect Super Pick = -1 point

8. Have students play The Meaning of Beep based on the grouping you think will be most effective (see Preparation). NOTE: If you want students to play with each other, you need to have a My BrainPOP account.
9. If students have individual logins through My BrainPOP, encourage them to use the SnapThought® tool to take snapshots during game play, and reflect on their strategies. Review The Meaning of Beep: SnapThought Prompts for My BrainPOP for suggested prompts.
10. Circulate and observe students as they play.  Refer to The Meaning of Beep: Tips and Tricks to assist and support students.
11. Conclude the lesson by bringing the class together to discuss their experience. Ask what strategies were most effective and why and which were least effective and why.

Extension Activities:

Challenge students to work together in small groups to design their own The Meaning of Beep game. Provide the topic as it relates to a BrainPOP movie relevant to your curriculum or have them select a topic. Be sure they review the Tips for Creating Context Clue Sentences. Have groups swap their games to play.

Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, 9-12, The Meaning of Beep

The Meaning of Beep Tips & Tricks

Following are tips, strategies, and reminders to support students as they play The Meaning of Beep.  Remind students of these tips before they play, and again as needed while playing.

Guessing

• All Guesses and Picks should make sense in all sentences in a round.
• Guesses can be phrases. For example, “run away” or “look over.”
• Look for clues in the sentence that are hints to the missing word’s part of speech or tense.
• Try speaking the sentences out loud with words you’re thinking about using.

Picking and Super Picking

• No points are earned for receiving Picks. Points are earned for picking a correct word.
• If two players guess the same word that you want to pick, you can choose either one.
• Incorrect Super Picks costs points. Only use the Super Pick option if you are certain of your choice.

Hints

• Don’t be afraid to use Hints! Selecting a correct Hint earns you a point, while making an incorrect guess earns you nothing.
• Once you unlock Hints, you cannot Super Pick

Tallying/Round Results

• Correct Guesses and correct Picks earn points.
• If you think of a word that works, but wasn’t counted as correct, congratulations! It means you’ve outsmarted the game! That is more impressive than just winning!
• The maximum you can earn in a single round is 9 points.

Other

• Multiplayer games require a My BrainPOP account and players need to be in the same class.
• Using text-to-speech is helpful for ELs and other students who may require support.

Filed as:  The Meaning of Beep

The Meaning of Beep: SnapThought Prompts

Have your students signed up for individual logins through My BrainPOP? If you have a school-wide subscription to BrainPOP, students will be able to use our SnapThought ® tool to play Meaning of Beep.

The SnapThought tool allows students to capture meaningful moments in their game play with opportunities for brief written reflection. To use the tool, start by making sure students are logged into My BrainPOP with their own individual accounts. Once students are logged in, the SnapThought tool will appear below any games that offer this capability.

During game play, students can click the SnapThought tool up to five times per game. A thumbnail, or “snapshot” is generated and stored on the bottom left of the screen.  At any point in the game, students can click their snapshot(s), type a brief reflection, which may be a response to an open-ended prompt, and save or submit to the teacher’s account for you to review and respond to.

You can use the SnapThought tool to facilitate discussion around game play and strategies, or have students submit their snapshots to you for assessment or accountability. Here are a few ideas and prompts for using the SnapThought tool with Meaning of Beep.

• Take a snapshot before submitting a guess. Why do you think it’s that word? What context clues helped you?
• Take a snapshot before making a super pick. Why are you confident of your choice?
• Take a snapshot before you use select a word from the hints. How did you pick that word?
• Take a snapshot after the word has been revealed. Describe the strategy you used to make your guess and pick.
• After playing the game, take a snapshot. What is something new you learned about context clues?

Filed as:  The Meaning of Beep