Using Words You Have Met in Books
A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on taking a word from a shared book and putting it into your own speech and writing.
Using Words You Have Met in Books is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard L.K.6 — use the new words you have met in books and conversations. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten
- Length:
- 30 minutes
- Standard:
- L.K.6
Kindergarten · Language
L.K.6
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
Objective
Students will be able to use a word met in a shared book in a sentence of their own about something else.
Students are successful when they can
- Chooses a word from the class word wall, such as "enormous" or "gloomy."
- Says a sentence that uses it correctly: "My dad's boots are enormous."
- Uses the word about something other than the book it came from.
What you need
- The class word wall with six words from this month's read-alouds: enormous, gloomy, scurry, delicious, tumble, whisper
- A tally chart titled "Words we used today"
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — words we have collected
4 min- Read the six wall words aloud together, pointing to each.
- For each, ask: "Who remembers where we met this?" Fish for the book and the moment, such as "the mouse scurried under the bed."
- Act two words quickly: scurry on the spot, whisper "hello."
Teach — take it out of its book
9 min- Point to "enormous." Say the book's sentence: "The enormous bear sat on the log." Ask what enormous means. Fish for "very, very big."
- Use it about the classroom: "Our carpet is enormous." Then home: "My bed is enormous." Ask: "Did I use it right? Is a bed very big?"
- Try a wrong one on purpose: "The ant is enormous." Let the class react. Ask why it does not fit. Fish for "an ant is tiny."
- Say why this matters: "If you can only use a word in one sentence, it is still the book's word. When you can use it about anything, it is your word."
- Do "gloomy" the same way: the book's "the gloomy cave," then "it is a gloomy day," then ask the class for a third. Fish for something dark or sad.
- Start the tally chart. Every time anyone uses a wall word today, a mark goes up.
“It came from that book. But it is your word now, so use it about anything.”
Guided practice — three uses
9 min- Give each pair one wall word: delicious, tumble, whisper or scurry.
- Pairs make three sentences: one about school, one about home, one about an animal. Use sentence frames if needed: "At school, ___." "At home, ___."
- Listen for a pair reusing the book's sentence. Ask: "Can you use it about your lunch? About your cat?"
- Take one sentence from each pair, and add a tally mark for each.
“Three sentences, three different places. School, home, and an animal.”
Independent practice
6 min- Read each sentence frame on the sheet aloud.
- Children finish each frame with a word from the wall or a word that fits, drawing a small picture if the word is hard to write.
Close
2 min- Read the tally aloud. Say which word was used most.
- Leave the chart up and add marks through the day whenever a wall word is heard.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Uses the word only in the book's sentence: "The enormous bear sat on the log."
Why: The word and its sentence were learned together, so they come back together; the child does not yet know it can move.
Fix: Ask for three different sentences about three different places. One is not enough to prove the word has come loose from its book.
Uses the word where it does not fit: "I tumbled my sandwich."
Why: The child likes how the new word sounds and wants to use it, but has the feel of it rather than the meaning.
Fix: Act the word, then swap the meaning in: "I fell down my sandwich?" A poor fit becomes audible. Then help them find a sentence where it fits.
Always chooses the easiest word on the wall.
Why: Easy words are safe; a correct sentence gets praise and a wrong one does not.
Fix: Choose the word for them sometimes, from the harder end, and praise the attempt even when the first sentence wobbles.
If they are not there yet
- Give a sentence starter with the word already in it: "My ___ is enormous."
- Ask for one new sentence rather than three.
- Act the word out together before using it.
If they finish early
- Use two wall words in one sentence: "The enormous dog began to scurry."
- Write a wall word in a sentence during the next writing lesson, not just say it.
- Choose a new word from today's read-aloud for the wall, and explain what it means.
Exit ticket
Pick a word from the wall. Say a sentence with it about something in this room.
What to look for: A sentence about the room that uses the word correctly: "The window is enormous." Reusing the book's sentence means the word has not come loose. A sentence about the room where the word does not fit means the child needs the meaning acted again.
Printable practice for L.K.6
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Use the New WordFinish each sentence.
Questions about Using Words You Have Met in Books
How long does the Using Words You Have Met in Books lesson take?
30 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 4 min, teach 9 min, guided practice 9 min, independent practice 6 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Using Words You Have Met in Books teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.6 — L.K.6, Language for Kindergarten: “Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.” In plain terms, use the new words you have met in books and conversations.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The class word wall with six words from this month's read-alouds: enormous, gloomy, scurry, delicious, tumble, whisper, a tally chart titled "Words we used today" and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: uses the word only in the book's sentence: "The enormous bear sat on the log."; uses the word where it does not fit: "I tumbled my sandwich." and always chooses the easiest word on the wall. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Pick a word from the wall. Say a sentence with it about something in this room.” A sentence about the room that uses the word correctly: "The window is enormous." Reusing the book's sentence means the word has not come loose. A sentence about the room where the word does not fit means the child needs the meaning acted again. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Using Words You Have Met in Books?
Yes — 1 printable L.K.6 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Using Words You Have Met in Books free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to L.K.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.