Sing Down the Moon vocabulary words (ch. 1-8):
Tier 1: can, small, ran, sky, happy
Tier 2: outstretched, stalks, flock, rafters, cautioned
Tier 3: piñon, mesa, graze, slavers, lowlands, Jicarilla
I think it is most important in this case to focus on tier 3 words. Since one of the purposes of reading this book is to gain a multicultural perspective, it would be worthwhile to teach students the Spanish words used in the book and the words the Native Americans use to describe places and things. These are words the students either haven't heard before, or words they have heard just not in context. I think it would be fun to read at least three different multicultural books throughout the school year and focus on the different tier 3 words in all of them.
Lesson:
For each chapter, have students independently pick out 2-3 words in the story that are new to them. Have them write in their journal what they think the word might mean and what clues (context or prior knowledge) made them think that.
Pairs of students who chose one of the same words will research their word. Adding to their journal entry, students will write what the word means and use it in an original sentence.
Record the words on the board. Write down the students' definitions.
Have students reflect on the words in their journal. How do they help tell the story? How does this help us understand the character's perspective? Why did the author use these words?
Your lesson is very similar to my lesson. I like how you have the students pair up and discuss the definitions and also like how you have the students present the word. I would potentially make a word wall from all these words for the week from all the students. I would worry about if students didn't look at the same word or if too many students looked at the same word. But there are definitively ways to modify the lesson so that this wouldn't happen. A good thing about this lesson is that it has the students learn how to pick up contextual clues to figure out the meaning of words.
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