Strategies which support vocabulary

One vocabulary strategy useful for social studies classrooms is Alphablocks. This tool helps students track their own thinking and organize vocabulary. The blocks are meant to capture words or phrases associated with a theme within a discipline.

Concepts should be extensive enough to generate many ideas. For example, in the discipline of U. Consider the following recommendations:. The Internet is a gold mine of resources for vocabulary building.

Here are a few to get you started, though many more exist:. There are plenty of vocabulary applications you can try. There are many vocabulary-related books you can explore. There is a wealth of free literature on sites such as Project Gutenberg. If you use the Firefox browser, there are many ways to integrate dictionary lookup functions, such as the plug-ins Answers. You can find specialized vocabulary lists, such as these feeling words or descriptive words.

You can even learn some classy, Shakespearian insults! Do something different from your daily routine: hunting, fishing, or blogging—any activity that is not a part of your normal life can become a great way to learn new words, as every niche has its own jargon and unique ways of communicating. Watch foreign-language movies. Take up new hobbies, hang out with different people.

By doing things out of the ordinary you will not only improve your vocabulary but also make your life much more interesting. Students then read the key word and are asked to think about other words that come to mind when they read the word.

Students then make a list of all of the words. Students share the recorded words, then as a class the words are categorized. Once category names are assigned, a class map is created and discussed. Students are then encouraged to suggest additional categories for the map or add to the old ones. Any new words that relate to the topic are added to the map as students read through the text. Word Wizard Cooperative learning is an effective way for students to learn and process information.

Each student in the group is responsible for learning three new words in the chapter. Each group member can copy the new words that they learn from each member in their notebooks. Concept Cube A concept cube is a great strategy to employ word parts. On each of the squares students are instructed to write down one of the following: Vocabulary word Antonym Synonym Category it belongs to Essential characteristics Example Students then cut, fold and tape the paper to make a cube.

Word Connect A Venn diagram is a great way for students to compare similarities and differences within words. TeachingStrategies , Vocabulary. Graves, M. The place of word consciousness in a research-based vocabulary program. Farstrup 1 S. Samuels Eds. For the love of words: Fostering word consciousness in young readers.

The Reading Teacher , 62 3 , Hulstijn, J. Some empirical evidence for the involvement load hypothesis in vocabulary acquisition. Lubliner, SH. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks Publishing. Zimmerman, Cheryl. New York: Oxford University Press. Four Levels. Time management refers to the process of organizing and planning the amount of time you have to teach your classes and achieve your goals.

This hierarchical classification of the different levels of thinking is widely used by educators to encourage higher-order thought in their students. Besides understanding the different levels of cognition suggested by this taxonomy, it is important to apply it more effectively in teaching. Reading is a dynamic process where familiarity with print, attention to graphics, prior knowledge, degree of interest and many other factors interact.

Constructing meaning is an essential component of such a process. So, what are the reading comprehension strategies that enable students to engage with the text and make sense of it? Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Word Wall To help your students get more engaged in vocabulary development, you need to nurture word consciousness.

This will help you better understand what your students need to expand their vocabulary. Word Box Word Box is one of the strategies for teaching vocabulary. Then, select five words to teach the following week. Vocabulary Notebooks Ask your students to maintain vocabulary notebooks throughout the year where they write the meaning of the new words. Another way to use vocabulary notebooks : Students create a chart. Lubliner, 4. Semantic Mapping These are maps or webs of words that can help visually display the meaning-based connections between a word or phrase and a set of related words or concepts.

Word Cards Word cards can help students review frequently learned words and so improve retention.