When delving into a new topic, be it science or social studies, sometimes the hardest part can be the vocabulary. Academic vocabulary can be difficult, because these are words we don’t use every day and are often large and complicated. But what if I told you there was a strategy that not only activates students’ prior knowledge on the content area, but also engages and develops their ability to utilize context clues, root words and affixes, as well as their knowledge about parts of speech and sentence structure to predict the meaning of words? Not only this, but students can also become more engaged while learning these vocabulary words, as they are eager to see if their predictions are correct. All of this is possible with a strategy called Possible Sentences, in which students will attempt to construct sentences utilizing vocabulary they are likely unfamiliar with.
Getting Creative With Word Walls
Most primary classes include word walls. One of the great things about word walls is that they are so diverse. You can make them with sight words/high-frequency words to academic vocabulary or stationary word walls to interactive and portable word walls. This video is going to demonstrate and showcase some unique and interesting word walls to inspire you to create your own or to model one of them in your own home or classroom. Just remember, a good word wall is one that is part of daily instruction and a tool that can be used by students. They can be themed, evolve over time, or there can be multiple word walls in a classroom. To get your mind going, do not limit your word wall to English Language Arts; can you think about how to use one for maths or the sciences?
How to Muster Some Clusters!
The strategy that our workshop is based on is clusters, which is a web-like diagram that can be used to brainstorm and organize ideas. This strategy is great for grades ranging from 3 to 12, as it can be adjusted for different learning levels. There are two types of clusters, organized and unorganized. Organized clusters contain a few big ideas branching off of a main idea that is in the center, with more information branching off of those big ideas. An unorganized cluster involves a main idea in the center with numerous ideas branching off of the main idea. These clusters can be used individually, in groups, or as a whole class and are an effective strategy because they help students visualize their ideas in a fun, engaging way. This strategy also allows students to practice their vocabulary, writing, and thinking skills. In order to find out how to implement this strategy in your own classroom, watch our engaging and informative video!
ALPHABET BOOKS!
Words are structured by letters like how teaching lessons are structured by the basics, as the basics are what make up everything we learn. With that being said, wouldn’t it be easy to wrap up that thematic unit with something simple as just using the basics? That’s where Alphabet Books come into play. The Alphabet Book strategy is as simple as getting your students to choose a letter and make a connection to the theme with a word that starts with that letter. This activity gets the brain thinking and making connections by expanding their vocabulary and using their writing skills and more. It is great for students grades 3-8 and has so many options for ways to teach it. This strategy is a project that uses a collection of words and pictures representing each letter; this can then be made simple for a younger grade like using small phrases to explain the words, or can be more complex for older grades and challenge students to expand their vocabulary and write dense sentences and/ or paragraphs to explain their thought process. Overall it gives students multiple, meaningful experiences with the topic words that are used to make this alphabet book. If this is something that interests you, it is suggested to take a look at this video as it explains all that the alphabet books has to offer and more about when and where to use them!
Prereading Plan (PReP)
This is a great strategy that improves learning for all students by increasing the understanding of the content they read. It activates and helps you to build additional knowledge before students read. PReP has simple steps to put into action and will engage all your students. It helps you to assess students’ prior knowledge that will inform you of the level of guidance they need from you. PReP is more effective when performed with children in grades 6 – 8 and it is implemented before they read informational books or chapters from textbooks. If your goal is to help your students or children boost their vocabulary, reading comprehension and metacognitive strategies, watch the following presentation to learn more details about how to assist them on becoming lifelong learners.
Wild and Wacky Word Sorts
Word Sorts is an effective strategy that is fun for students, fun for the teacher and can be a collaborative small group activity! This versatile strategy helps students decompose words to better learn phonemic awareness, vocabulary, spelling, and pattern recognition. Students group words based on their similarities to other words, and there are many ways you as the teacher can differentiate this activity for your students. Come watch the video to learn more about how you can implement this activity in your classroom, in only 5 easy steps!
Word Ladders
Have you ever heard of Alice in Wonderland? Well the author – Lewis Carroll – actually developed this reading strategy! Mr. Carroll was a master of word play, twisting and turning words and meanings to tell stories, but with this strategy, he gave us a peak behind the curtain and left a trail for us to follow. Join us on our little rabbit trail as we hop along each step of the word ladder!