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. You can include a column for meaning ( where students define the word or add a synonym), for word parts and related word forms (where they identify the parts and list any other words related to it), a picture, other occurrences (if they have seen or heard this word before, they describe where) and for practice or how they used this word. The other columns depend on your students’ needs. The first column indicates the word, where it was found, and the sample sentence in which it appeared. Then, ask them to sketch a picture to illustrate the word and present their drawings to the class at the end of the week.Īnother way to use vocabulary notebooks : You can introduce a new word each week and work together with students to explore its meaning. Vocabulary NotebooksĪsk your students to maintain vocabulary notebooks throughout the year where they write the meaning of the new words. Give students three cards that can hold up: green cards show they agree with the student’s answer, yellow they are unsure and red ones they disagree.įor assessing, use a checklist with the vocabulary running horizontally across the top margin and the class list running vertically down the side. Thursday: Ask students to write sentences using those words.įriday: This is the day to assess students’ learning of the five words using this activity.Īsk one student to answer fill-ins for five words. Wednesday: Discuss the meaning of the words allowing think-pair-shares.
Tuesday: Ask students to create a non-linguistic representation of the words. Monday: Introduce the five words in context, explain them, then tack them to the Word Wall. Then, select five words to teach the following week. They either use the word in their own sentence or take the same sentence where this word was found. These are words they find interesting or ones they want to understand better. Students select words to submit to the word box on Friday. This is a weekly strategy that can help students retain and use words more effectively. Word Box is one of the strategies for teaching vocabulary. This will help you better understand what your students need to expand their vocabulary. Since this is an ongoing activity during the whole year, you can keep observational notes of those students who are posting, responding to their words and those who are not adding words to the wall. You’ll help your students make connections between new and known words. Use the Word Wall one or more times a week. Then, student partners walk along the wall to quiz each other on the words (Graves & Watts-Taffe,2008). Then, invite their classmates to add sticky notes with pictures or graphics, synonyms, antonyms, or related words. So, set this wall and encourage your students ‘to walk the wall’ and hang their favourite words, new or unknown, on it. This is a collection of words that are displayed in large visible letters on a wall, bulletin board, or other display surfaces in a classroom. This means raising students’ awareness of, and interest in all sorts of words and their meanings.Ī Word Wall can help you achieve this. To help your students get more engaged in vocabulary development, you need to nurture word consciousness.