The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus

The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Copyright: 2014

Citation: Bryant, J., & Sweet, M. (2014). The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 

Literary Awards, Honors, and/or Nominations

1. 2015 Randolph Caldecott Medal: Honor
2. 2015 Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration: Winner
3. 2015 Orbis Pictus Award 2000-2016: Honor
4. 2015 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal: Winner
5. 2014 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature:  Finalist 

Reading Level:
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.1
Lexile: 590L

-Original description of the book
The way that Jen Bryant wrote this book is unique, informational, and fun for students to enjoy. The synonymous words that she uses to describe Peter Roget throughout the book and in the conceptual illustrations are a phenomenal way to increase students’ vocabulary.

-Corresponding Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

-Suggested delivery
1) Read Aloud
2) Independent Read

-2 electronic resources
1) Jen Bryant's website for The Right Word
2) The Right Word Discussion Guide

-3 teaching suggestions for grades 4-6
1) This book can be used to show students that while Roget is most famous for his thesaurus, he also spent a majority of his life as a scientist and an inventor. Have students pair up and inquire more about Roget’s accomplishments as a scientist and inventor. Afterwards, they can present their findings to the class.

2) Students can use word webs to explore synonyms for common words, choose context appropriate synonyms, and use descriptive words in speech and writing. A ReadWriteThink lesson plan for this can be found at this website.

3) Teachers can use this book to teach students about synonyms and antonyms by using a physical activity. There is an example lesson plan found here.

-Key vocabulary
1) Thesaurus: a book that lists words in groups of synonyms and related concepts
2) Synonym: a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language
3) Translate: express the sense of words in another language
4) Whippersnapper: a young and inexperienced person considered to be rude or overconfident
5) Grieve: deep sadness, especially that caused by someone's death
6) Timidity: lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery
7) Conviction: the quality of showing that one is firmly convinced of what one believes or says

-An inferential comprehension writing activity
Students will write about how they would plan a birthday party for a certain vocabulary word. They have to take into consideration what the word they have chosen means when planning the menu, activities, and decorations. Once students have written about their own word, they will be put into pairs where they will have to plan a joint birthday party with another vocabulary word. This activity will give them a deeper understanding of their vocabulary words. Once the students have written about the party, they can present it to the class.

-Before Reading Comprehension Activity: What is a thesaurus? Talk in small groups about any experiences you have had with using a thesaurus. Who do you think might need or use one? Compare and contrast a thesaurus with a dictionary. How are they alike and how are they different? When might you use one instead of the other? When might you use both?

-During Reading Comprehension Activity: Choose a simple adjective or adverb from the book (tall, thin, concisely, quickly, etc.). Create an array of words on a continuum to show shades of meaning and degrees of intensity. For example – bothered, annoyed, irritated, upset, angry, irate, furious, turbulent. Write your words on post-its or index cards for easy manipulation. Confer with a partner to gain additional ideas or words that do not belong. Illustrate or create sentences for several of the words to aid in the understanding of the subtle differences in meaning.

-After Reading Comprehension Activity: While Roget’s Thesaurus is a remarkable reference tool and testimony to the richness of language, it only presents words and phrases that are part of the English language. Discuss with your class whether one language can really express everything someone wants to say. Are there words or phrases in other languages that do a better job of capturing the nuances and connotations of meaning that one wants to convey? Have your students inquire into this matter. If they or their families speak languages other than English, have them examine the translations of words from one language to the other. Do they really convey the exact same meaning? You might also have students carry this inquiry into their foreign language classes. After conducting some research, have students create a multilingual thesaurus to use in class and possibly share in the school or local library.

-Writing Mini-Lesson: Using Synonyms for Overused Words

• The objective of this mini-lesson is to have students learn the correct ways to use a thesaurus, why it is important for writing, reading and for increasing vocabulary.

Have students meet in a place where they can all see the board and begin to discuss what the mini-lesson is going to cover. 

We are currently working on the revising stage of writing. When we revise a writing piece, we are constantly editing it by adding more details, adjectives, descriptive actions and dialogue, using similes and metaphors, and by changing any overused words. Today we will focus on the book The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus and how Roget used many synonyms for everyday words. To do this, let’s make a list of words that we use a lot on the board.
(Teacher and students come up with words.)

Okay now can someone tell me where I can look to find synonyms for the first word “like”? (Students may say Thesaurus or the internet.) Alright let’s look in the thesaurus for other words that mean “like”.
(As the teacher finds words in the thesaurus, add them underneath the original word and ask students for more words that might be another synonym for “like”. Examples are relish, favor, adore, cherish, desire, and wish.).

Now I am going to give you all a word and you are going to pair up and create a list of synonyms for the word that I give you. (Examples of words: yell, awesome, give, want, very, good, light, sad, big, soft, and loud.) We are going to do some exclusion brainstorming with these words. You will create your own list of synonyms and we will share the list in about 10 minutes, which you will then have to defend why you think the words you chose will show up in The Right Word and why others won’t. Once we are done, we will add these words to our word wall.

(Students will begin the exclusion brainstorming activity with another student and the teacher will walk around listening to how well the students are reasoning with one another about their own decisions.)

Now that we have added some "spicy" words to our chart, I want you to pick one of your writing pieces that you have been revising and reread it. I want you to revise words that are overused. You may share a thesaurus with your desk/table partner and resubmit the piece once you are finished.