This week we read many nonfiction books, one of which was Bugs, Bugs Bugs, by Jennifer Dussling. As nonfiction readers, we ask questions in order to delve deeper, to better understand a subject. As we were reading, we noticed we did not understand some of the key words used by the author. In order to understand some of the tricky words like “lash”, we acted them out! Using multiple strategies, we successfully unlocked the lingo, or the vocabulary, of the informational text and experienced an amazing read!
A fun way to continue building your vocabulary and your problem solving skills, is to do crossword puzzles. Crossword puzzles will also keep your mind quick and flexible! Below is a list of some of the keywords we read together. Beside the keyword, is the meaning of the word. Notice I used the word “bug” twice, to represent the multiple meanings we discussed during our shared reading.
- bug an insect
- bug to bother
- lash to move quickly
- fix to repair
- fix to focus or stare
- squirt sudden rapid stream
- ant a kind of small insect
- sting to pierce or wound
- acid sour, sharp
- beetle insect with four wings
- grub a baby insect
- dragonfly a large insect that has a long thin body
- wing a part of an animal’s body that is used for flying
Using Discovery Education’s Puzzlemaker, I created the crossword puzzle below titled, Bugs, Bugs, Bugs. Create a list of keywords and their meanings from your own nonfiction reading or expert books. On each line, enter a word followed by a space and then a brief definition for that word, just like I did with my list. Once you generate your list like mine, go to Discovery Education’s Puzzlemaker, copy and paste your list into Step 4. Create your puzzle. “Swap” your crossword puzzle with a friend and “Solve” each others puzzles! You can “Swap” & “Solve” with as many friends as you like!
Discover the joy of solving puzzles! Have Fun!
Here is a word search about Bats!
