Sarah, Plain and Tall

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

In this activity, students search the novel for unfamiliar terms and then use a graphic organizer to define, illustrate, and use the words in an original sentence.

• Skim the novel and find 5 words that are unfamiliar to you. Reread the sentence in which the word appears and see if you can guess its meaning from the context. Then look up the definition in a dictionary.
• Using a Freyer Model graphic organizer, define your word, identify its part of speech, at least 2 synonyms, and 2 antonyms, use it in an original sentence, and illustrate the word.

Teaching Suggestion: You may choose to have students share their work with the class or within a small group setting. After students have completed the activity, consider discussing the kinds of words students identified as a class: What sorts of vocabulary appear in this novel, and what does that tell us about it?

Differentiation Suggestion: ELL students may benefit from only completing the illustration portion of the graphic organizer. If possible, you can also support the student in finding an audible dictionary that provides pronunciation.