Design the vocabulary chart on blank paper using eight oval bubbles. Draw two rows of three ovals each across the top half of the paper. The center oval of each row must be larger than the outer two. Draw one long oval in both the third and fourth rows.
Assign students a set of vocabulary words. Alternatively, allow them to collect interesting words they find in their readings. Instruct students to write one new vocabulary word in the center oval of the second row. Ask the student also to write the page number where the word was found.
Instruct students to write the definition of the vocabulary word in the oval above the new vocabulary word. Arrange for resources such as dictionaries or computer programs for students to research the definition.
Refer to the information found in the dictionary to write the synonym of the new word in the oval to the right of the definition. Use background knowledge to write the word's antonym in the oval to the right of the vocabulary word.
Demonstrate manipulation of prefixes or suffixes to write a new word related to the vocabulary word in the left oval of the top row. Personalize the new vocabulary word with a unique expression, an association or an example in the first oval of the second row. Allow for peer discussions when developing this area.
Instruct students to write the sentence from the book where the vocabulary word was found. This sentence should be written in the third-row bubble. Students should manufacture their own sentences using the vocabulary word in the oval at the bottom of the page.