Activity: Word Association Story

Objective: To help students memorize the meanings of challenging words by creating a story that incorporates these words in a meaningful context.

Instructions: 1. Divide the class into small groups of 3-4 students. 2. Provide each group with a set of index cards, each containing one challenging word from the list. 3. Instruct the groups to work together to create a short story that incorporates all the challenging words. They should aim to use the words in a way that helps them remember their meanings. 4. Encourage the groups to be creative and imaginative in their storytelling. 5. Give the groups around 15-20 minutes to brainstorm and write their stories. 6. Once the stories are complete, have each group take turns sharing their stories with the class. 7. After each group shares their story, ask the class to identify the challenging words used and explain their meanings based on the context of the story. 8. As a follow-up activity, have the students individually write a sentence using each challenging word correctly to reinforce their understanding.

Example Story:

Once upon a time, in a bustling city, there was an orphan named Oliver. He lived in a workhouse, where he was surrounded by other orphans and overseen by a strict undertaker. The workhouse was a grim place, with crumbling walls and rickety beds. The orphans were always hungry and wore ragged clothes.

One day, as Oliver was walking through the alleys, he saw a swaggering man counting a wad of money. Oliver’s stomach groaned longingly at the sight of it. He decided to approach the man and ask for some help. However, as he got closer, he noticed the man was surrounded by a swarm of dodgy characters. They were jostling and gobbled up the man’s money in no time.

Oliver quickly realized that he needed to be cautious. He dodged the swarms of urchins and found himself in the gutters, where he saw a gnarled old man selling hankies. The man had a grubby appearance, but his eyes were leering with mischief. Oliver decided to buy a hanky from him, hoping it would bring him luck.

As Oliver continued his journey, he stumbled upon a collapsed building. The sound of sizzling food caught his attention. He peeked inside and saw a group of children enjoying a meal. They offered him some food, and Oliver gratefully accepted. The children were kind and shared their stories of survival in the city.

Feeling grateful, Oliver staggered back to the workhouse, clutching his new hanky. He knew that life was tough, but he also knew that he had the strength to overcome any challenges that came his way.

Challenging Words: - Orphan: A child who has lost both parents. - Workhouse: An institution where poor people, especially children, were housed and made to work. - Undertaker: A person whose profession is preparing dead bodies for burial or cremation and making arrangements for funerals. - Shreds: Small pieces or fragments of something. - Jostling: Pushing, elbowing, or bumping against someone in a crowd. - Collapsed: To fall down or give way suddenly. - Staggered: To walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall. - Groaned: To make a deep, mournful sound expressing pain or despair. - Longingly: In a yearning or longing manner. - Swaggering: Walking or behaving in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way. - Strolled over: To walk in a leisurely manner. - Wad of money: A thick bundle or roll of money. - Crammed: To fill something tightly or completely. - Gobbled: To eat something quickly and greedily. - Alleys: Narrow streets or passages, often between buildings. - Foul: Offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste. - Swarms: A large number of insects or other small organisms, especially when in motion. - Ragged: Torn or frayed, especially at the edges. - Urchins: Mischievous young children, especially those who are poorly or raggedly dressed. - Gutters: Channels at the edge of a street or road for carrying away rainwater. - Crumbling: Breaking or falling apart into small fragments. - Rickety: In a state of poor or unstable condition. - Sizzling: Making a hissing or crackling sound when cooking or frying. - Gnarled: Knobbly, rough, and twisted, especially with age. - Grubby: Dirty or grimy. - Dodged: To avoid someone or something by a sudden quick movement. - Hankies: Short for handkerchiefs, small squares of fabric used for wiping one’s nose or face. - Leering: Looking or staring in an unpleasant, suggestive, or malicious way.