Dictionary Entries

Instructors: Kendall McCarthy & Toni DAmato

Grade: Second Grade
Lesson Essential Question(s):
What are dictionaries used for and what do they tell you?
How do you find a word in the dictionary?
What are the components of a dictionary entry?
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4.E
Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the
meaning of words and phrases.
Learning Objectives and Assessments:
Objectives

Assessment

SWBAT find a word in the

dictionary and its definition.

Students will complete the Digging through

the Dictionary worksheet

SWBAT explain the components of

a dictionary entry.

Students will complete the Digging through

the Dictionary worksheet
Teacher will lead a class discussion based

Materials:
Digging Through the Dictionary worksheet
Dictionary Entry Anchor worksheet
Students Writing Journals
Document Camera
Pre-lesson assignments and/or prior knowledge:
Mrs. Aylings students have had prior experience using dictionaries in her classroom;
however, the prior experience has been minimal.
Students occasionally use dictionaries to find definitions of words that they do not
understand during their read to self periods of the day.
Lesson Beginning:
Teacher will engage the students through a quick, active activity, which is related to the
organization of the dictionary.
o Students will be required to stand up and get in line formation in alphabetical
order
o The teacher will aid the students and give them hints if they are stuck.

Instructional Plan:
The lesson will begin with the teacher engaging the students and ask them the question,
How are the words organized in a dictionary?
o The students will understand that dictionaries are organized alphabetically, so the
teacher will have a quick activity where the students will alphabetize themselves
by first name.
The teacher will ask the students what they already know about how to find a word in the
dictionary and to share with the class
The teacher will remind the students that if the context clues from the sentence do not
help them understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word, then they can use a dictionary
to find the words definition.
As a class they will come up with the components they know that make up a dictionary
entry. The teacher will fill out the dictionary anchor worksheet as the students
participate. The worksheet will be filled out on the document camera, which will be
displayed to the whole class.
o Worksheet breaks down each individual component of a dictionary entry
o Teacher will fill in components that the children do not understand
The teacher will pass out the Digging through the Dictionary worksheet.
o The children will need to work in small groups, depending on the number of
dictionaries that are available.
o The students will be given a post-it note with a word on it that they must define
and complete the rest of the worksheet with.
After the class has completed the worksheet, the teacher will ask up to three students
what they recorded on their worksheets.
After the class share, the teacher will collect the worksheets to ensure that every student
was effectively able to use the dictionary.

Differentiation:
The students are in desks that are in a group formation.
The students will be paired up with one or more students
o The grouping of children is already well distributed, with varieties of learning
levels at each group of desks.
o The higher-level learners would be able to help the lower level learners,
especially if they get stuck on a part of the worksheet.
The lesson allows students to get up at the beginning, potentially eliminating behavior
problems because of restless students
As the students are working on their worksheet, the teacher will be walking around. The
teacher will be available to answer individual questions.

Questions:
o How would you describe how words in a dictionary are organized?
o Can you identify the components of a dictionary entry?
o Can you investigate the dictionary to find specific words?

Classroom Management: Consider strategies such as grouping, distributing materials,

and identify potential behavioral problems.

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Students will be in groups of four or five at their own desks.

The students can work together cooperatively, if there are potential issues, the
teacher will asks the students to stop working together and work alone.
The teacher will call the students up desk by desk to the carpet in order to do the
beginning activity. Then after the activity, the teacher will ask the students to go
back to their desks, group by group.
During the lesson, the teacher will individually tell students to be quiet if there is
a noise issue.
The worksheet will be distributed at the end of the lesson after the students have
discovered the components of a dictionary entry.

Transitions:
o Students will be called group by group for the beginning activity to avoid chaos
o In order to get students to stop talking the teacher will use the call and reply
phrases, Hocus Pocus...everybody focus or Macaroni and Cheese...everybody
freeze
o After the mini-lesson, while the teacher is handing out the worksheet, the teacher
will explain what the students have to do on the worksheet.
This will eliminate talking at the groups and will prepare the students for
the activity that there are about to complete.

Closure:
The students will complete the Digging Through the Dictionary worksheet with one or
two other students are their desks.
The worksheet will be used as an assessment of the students knowledge of dictionary
entries after the lesson.
The teacher will collect the worksheets after everyone is done.

NAME: _______________________________________

DATE: _______________

My word is _________________________________________________________
I found my word on page ________
The guide words are
___________________________ and ____________________________

My word means:

A sentence using my word:

Pronunciation answers the

question How do I say or
Entry Word answers the
question How do I spell the word pronounce the word ______?
Part of Speech or Function
______?

answers the question What is the

part of speech or function of the
word______?
Etymology answers the

kick (kik) v. [ME kiken]

1. to strike with the foot
2. to show opposition 3.
to function with energy
The Five Basic Parts of a Dictionary Entry answer these Five Questions:
How do I spell the word______? (ENTRY WORD)
How do I pronounce the word_______?(PRONUNCIATION)
What is the part of speech or function of the word_______? (PART OF
SPEECH OR FUNCTION)
From what language and/or form did the word ________originally come?
(ETYMOLOGY)
What is the meaning of the word _____________?
(DEFINITION(S))

by Rebecca Bishop

question From what

language and/or form did
the word _______
originally come?

Definition(s) answer(s) the

question What is the meaning
of the word ______ ?

You use a dictionary when you

wonder about a word.