Download Vocabulary Strategies

Vocabulary Strategies
General Vocabulary Development
 Freerice.com
 Madlibs (teaches parts of speech)
 NRP research: good teaching vocabulary must include: relating new words to
prior knowledge, combining contextual meaning with definitional meaning,
multiple exposures to new words, and active learning.
For Curriculum Vocabulary (like Harcourt Trophies “Word Power”)
 vocabularyA-Z.com (handout examples)
 Make oral personal connections to target words: (“Have you ever plotted to do
something to someone else?”) use word to-word connections (“plot is
like plan…), word- to- self connections (“I plotted to put a snake in my
sister’s bed…”), and word- to –world connections (On the news I heard about a
plot to…”).
 All respond: “everyone shrug”….”everyone walk using a heavy tread…”
 All respond: Beforehand, teacher writes a paragraph or short story that contains a
target word 5 times. Teacher reads it out loud, pausing
There is a puppy named Skippy.
When Jennifer rolls a ball over the
where the word should go. Everyone says the word out
floor, Skippy runs _____it. Skippy
also likes to chase _____birds. But
loud each time you pause. Gives practice pronouncing
most of all, Skippy likes to lie in the
sunshine ___ the kids leave for
tricky words as well as hearing the word used correctly in
school. ___all, puppies need their
rest, too.
context. (IE: target word is “after”)
 All respond: Thumbs up-Thumbs down: Teacher makes a statement using the
target word correctly or incorrectly: “If you neglect your pet, do you
take good care of it?”
 Which Word: 5-8 vocab words scattered on everyone’s paper. With game
piece or finger, see who can choose the correct word first as you give a
definition, example, or cloze sentence with a blank.
 Ball toss: Teacher crumples up a ball of paper. Gives a definition, tosses ball
to a raised hand. That person must give another definition or example of
another target word, then he tosses the paper ball to another raised hand.
 Silly sentences (“use your word in a sentence with a helicopter…”)
 Act out your word and have class guess which it is.
 Can you remember it? Student makes an oral sentence using the target word,
chooses a classmate to repeat it. Encourages making longer sentences as well as
paying attention to each other. You can be challenged to repeat your own
sentence!
 Draw a picture of each vocab word, save in personal vocab book.
 Marzano Strategy: “Using Non-Linguistic Representations” Use paint strips from
Wal-Mart or Home Depot to “rank” synonyms. Decide as a group how to rank a
group of synonyms from most to least intense or backwards, then write each
synonym on a different shade of the paint strip. (“enraged, furious, angry, mad,
irritated, peeved” would start with enraged written on the darkest shade and
peeved written on the lightest.)
 Graphic Organizers (attached)
www.enchantedlerning.com/graphicorganizers/vocab
www.educationoasis.com/curriculum/GO/vocab_dev.htm
 Predict what each word mans in isolation, draw it or write about
it, then read it in context, then revise your prediction.