The First Word

Purpose: To activate students' prior knowledge of a concept, idea, or skill

Description: The First Word is a variation on traditional acronyms.  By going through the process of analyzing words and creating related sentences, students will gain a deeper understanding of the meaning.

Procedure:

1.     Assign students the name of an object, a topic, or key concept to write vertically down the side of a page.

2.     Working in small groups or on their own, students should generate a short phrase or sentence that begins with each letter of the vertical work and offers important information or key characteristics about the topic.

3.     Students can illustrate their "First Words" for posting around the classroom.  Sharing "First Words" will allow students to identify important concepts that may have been left out of their own work.

Sample First Word:

Sun is the star at the center of the solar system

Orbits are the paths that planets take around the Sun

Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon gets blocked by the Earth

Asteroids are big rocks that orbit the Sun

Rings-- the planet Saturn has them

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun

You can see some planets with your naked eye

Some other planets are:  Earth, Venue, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, and Neptune

The Earth is the only planet with life on it

Every year, the Earth orbits the Sun once

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun

Lipton, L., & Wellman, B. (1999).  Patterns and practices in the learning-focused classroom.  Guilford, Vermont:  Pathways Publishing.

Sample First Word Activity Sheet

from Instructional Strategies for Engaging Learners
Guilford County Schools TF, 2002

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