This activity can be strengthened by having students base their vocabulary tables on specific topics. In this lesson, you will find an example vocabulary table based on words related to making music, specifically classical music, as well as a lesson outline. Begin lesson by asking students to explain how they go about learning new vocabulary. Present the idea of creating vocabulary tables to help students build on pre-existing vocabulary knowledge Distribute a copy of the example vocabulary table based on classical music terms. Divide students into small groups asking them to create vocabulary tables based on a particular subject areas.
Students create vocabulary tables in small groups.
Copy student created vocabulary tables and distribute the copies to the other groups. In this way, the class generates a large amount of expanded vocabulary awareness in a relatively short amount of time.