Wielding Word Wizards

 Vocabulary-Building Techniques and Tips

Integrating Technology into Vocabulary Instruction:
Website Use:
      wordcentral.com
      vocabulary.com
      wordplays.com
      wordle.net -creation of word clouds based on provided text
      wordsift.com -alternate word cloud tool
      trackstar.4teachers.org -create online field trip for students
      vocabulary.co.il
      visualthesaurus.com
      freerice.com -Online vocab game that donates rice to countries in need
 Current Event Websites for Children:
      timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news -Time for Kids
      weeklyreader.com/featurezone -Weekly Reader
       kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids -National Geographic Kids   
       sciencenewsforkids.org -Science News for Kids

"We can all remember learning lots of new words the year we had a teacher who was an avid punster, a crossword puzzle aficionado, or a general lover of word play." (Blancowicz)
"Parents of struggling readers often ask us how they can help their children. Along with saying, 'Read to them,' we now make sure to add, 'Play word games with them."  (Blancowicz)

Improving Vocabulary Acquisition in the Classroom:
a) Attitude, attitude attitude!
"Teachers who model and encourage adept diction foster curiosity and interest about word in their students." (Allen 366) 
It is the teacher's responsibility to promote interest in vocabulary acquisition through modeling an interest and enthusiasm in continuous self-improvement in her  classroom.
b) Choosing Appropriate Words 
"Tier 2 includes words that are key to comprehension and are frequently used by 'mature language users'" (Allen).
"Tier-two words are words many students don't know but will need to know" (Allington)  
   Teachers need to chose words from the "second-tier". That is, they should chose words that are common and used by mature speakers and writers, but that perhaps most of the classroom has not yet been exposed to. Of course, this instruction comes after the students have developed a base vocabulary to work off of. 

c)Maximize Exposure
"To have an effect on reading comprehension, vocabulary instruction should include multiple exposures to a word, teach both definitions and contexts, and engage students in deep processing" (Bek et. al., 2008)
  Whether through the use of word walls, vocabulary-focused skits, or repeated read-alouds, each teacher needs to find their own way to expose students to age-appropriate vocabulary and relate it back to the students in a concrete and meaningful way.  
d) Draw attention to different levels of word knowledge
"1- I have never heard that word
2- I heard the word but I don't know what it means
3- I think I know what that word means
4- I'm sure I know what that word means
5- I can make a good sentence with that word" (Allington)
  Allow students an opportunity to display their relative, individual knowledge of the instructed words by holding up the appropriate number of fingers before, during, and after vocabulary instruction.
e)Word Consciousness
The ultimate goal of this integrated instruction is that students will begin learning words on their own, voluntarily. As Teachers, we hope to instill a desire to continue our own education inside and outside the classroom.


 How much of a role should technology and online games have in classroom instruction, whether for vocabulary instruction, online field trips, or other purposes?
 

Allen, Stephanie and Holly Lane. The Vocabulary-Rich Classroom: Modeling Sophisticated Word Use to Promote Word Consciousness and Vocabulary Growth.
Allington, Richard and Patricia Cunningham. Classrooms that Work: They Can All Read and Write.
Blanchowicz, Camille and Peter Fisher. Vocabulary Lessons: Research points to four practices that teachers can use to expand students' vocabularies and improve their reading.
Dalton, Bridget and Dana Grisham. eVoc Strategies: 10 Ways to Use Technology to Build Vocabulary.
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