Mathematical Terms
Use this Fun Classroom Activity on a Whiteboard or Digital Screen.
Robo-Dog / Fast ForWord Foundations I
Robo-Dog
Improves vocabulary
Strengthens phonological awareness
Targets auditory processing
Uses acoustically modified speech
In Robo-Dog students work on two separate types of content, phoneme discrimination and academic vocabulary.
Academic Vocabulary:
The exercise above presents math and science academic vocabulary terms organized in domain specific groups:
- Number Sense
- Earth Sciences
- Arithmetic
- Geometry
- Life Sciences.
Engage:
Academic Vocabulary
To introduce this part of the exercise to your students, you can start by saying: Some words you will encounter are closely tied to a content area, such as science or math, and are important to you being able to understand concepts and information in those classes. What are some words from these subject areas? Have students call out words related to these two domains as you list them on the board under the headings, Science Words and Math Words.
Say: Research has shown that if you actively process or work with vocabulary words, you can remember them better than if you just copy the dictionary definitions and try to memorize them. With a few
examples from each list, ask students to:
• Provide a description, explanation, or example of the word in your own words.
• Create a picture, pictograph, or symbolic representation of the term.
Demo: Academic Vocabulary
- Say: “Today, we’re going to practice finding the picture that best represents a word presented. Together, we’ll work on an exercise called Robo-Dog.
- Project the exercise above – “Late Levels > Academic Vocabulary, Natural Speech demo” for Robo-Dog.
- Follow along with the demo.
- Describe the details you see in the pictures.
- Explain which one is the best match and how you ruled out the other options.
- Choose an answer.
Correct answer: a “ding” sound effect plays, the answer is highlighted, and the word appears below the picture
Incorrect answer: a “thunk” sound plays, the correct answer is highlighted with the correct word below, and the incorrect answers are dimmed
4. Demo the keyboard shortcuts:
• Go button = Space bar
• Possible answers (left to right, start in top row) = Number keys 1 – 4
Debrief with students to ensure they understand the task and objective of the exercise.
Ask: What did you notice? Have students share anything that they have questions about.
Fluent use of math and science vocabulary is integral to understanding concepts as well as developing and consolidating skills in these domains. If students don’t understand domain specific vocabulary terms, they are unable to follow classroom instruction or comprehend written text material, which will negatively affect their academic achievement in those subject areas.
