Vocabulary

Vocabulary is all around us. You always think of learning new vocabulary while reading books, but in the article Vocabulary Lesson Fisher and Blachowicz point out that you can learn new words through conversations, television, and daily experiences. I believe it is important to point this out to children when emphasizing how important and prevalent vocabulary is to academic success. When students encounter unfamiliar words, they often skip over then and no new knowledge is learned. This might be because students aren't trained or comfortable with using dictionaries. It is necessary to teach students how to look these words up, whether it be with a dictionary or by using the internet. One they read about the new word, ask them to write it down in their journals and even act out the new meanings. The more ways students interact with new vocabulary, the more familiar it will become to them. They can do this by using the many technology suggestions presented in the eVoc strategies article. Allow them to play with words, and discover their meaning further through Wordle, graphic organizers, TrackStar, PowerPoints, and podcasts. This gives them ownership of their learning, and inspires them to explore new vocabulary.

1. How do you keep students that aren't avid readers, interested and curious about learning new vocabulary?
2. How do you enhance those student's vocabulary who don't have much conversation at home, watch television, or have reading resources outside of school (mainly at risk communities)?

Below is a Wordle created using the US Constitution. You can use this Wordle to identify the important words within the Constitution, and talk about their meanings and importance in writing the Constitution: