Building Vocabulary with a 'Word Detectives' Game

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Ashton Smith: Who wants to be a word detective? What's a detective? They help you find things, right?

Student: A person that can find ... solve mysteries.

Ashton Smith: Okay, well, this is gonna be a mystery then, yes.

Narrator: The students in Ashton Smith's kindergarten class just finished reading words and phrases that include the glued sounds /an/ and /am/. Now Ms. Smith layers vocabulary into her lesson.

Ashton Smith: I'm gonna describe a word, and as soon as you know what word I'm talking about, I want you to find it on your clipboard and put your finger on it as fast as you can. Okay? I want you to find the word on the first row that is an insect. Put your finger on that word when you find it. All right? Read that word for me.

Students: Ant ...

Ashton Smith: Ant" ... Detective goggles ... ooh, row three. If you are a winner or if you're in first place, see who can find that word and put your finger on it. Quinson, what word did you pick?

Quinson: Champ ...

Ashton Smith: Champ. Very good. Kiss your brain.

Narrator: Because the students have already decoded these words and practiced reading them fluently, they have the brain space to focus on the meaning of the words.

Ashton Smith: Find for me a word that means just a little bit wet. Do you know that word? Lou, what word do we have?

Lou: Damp ...

Ashton Smith: What?

Lou: Damp ...

Ashton Smith: Damp. Everybody say damp ...

Students: Damp ...

Ashton Smith: This word right here is "damp." Let's read it together. Ready? Damp ... Let's read it.

Ms. Smith and students: Damp ...

Ashton Smith: Damp means that it's just a little bit wet. So if you have a sponge or something or a washcloth and you just stick it under the water real quick, get a little bit of water on it, it's damp. That means it's not really, really wet. Let me see who's got their goggles on. Lemme see who the best detective is. Find for me on the second row, a word that is a name. The word that's a name. Lou's got it. Carter's got it. Trinity's got it. Nalah's got it. Hugo, what word did you choose?

Hugo: Sam ...

Ashton Smith: Sam. And how did you know it was a name?

Hugo: Because it has an uppercase letter.

Ashton Smith: Because it has an uppercase letter. And all names have an uppercase letter because you're important, so they have to start with uppercase letters. Give it a round ...

[Applause]

Student: Reading. Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale, the Hastings/Quillen Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the AFT, The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and anonymous donors. Special thanks to Hope-Hill Elementary. Reading Is Essential for All People, and Atlanta Public Schools. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @RUTeaching. Reading Universe is a service of WETA, Washington, D.C., the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.

Ashton Smith: My name is Ashton Smith and this is Reading Universe.