Bringing Vocabulary to Life

I loved Chapter Five of Bold School! It is all about vocabulary. Vocabulary instruction has a .62 effect size when it is formal and structured. Let's ste

Growing student's vocabulary is (one) KEY to closing the achievement gap among students! 

I started thinking how could I get students excited about vocabulary in my reading and writing classroom but also include vocabulary that they need to be exposed to. I began thinking of words that my students have had trouble with in the past years and started thinking ahead to what vocabulary they need to know in future units. 

My class focuses on 5 new vocabulary words each week. We discuss the meaning of these words and give real life examples. But, it doesn't stop there because comprehension also requires picturing. Students draw their own picture to represent the word and different students each week create a card with the word, picture, and definition for our student-created interactive word wall. I do place the cards by first letter to make it easier for the students to find the word they are looking for on the wall. 

We use the Frayer Model and talk about synonyms and non-examples. I also use duct tape to show connect the synonyms on the wall to help students make that connection.

 Students love making their own Digital Dictionary of the words we are discussing and learning each week. I shared a template with them in Google Classroom, and they can edit and create a slide for each word. They can be creative and change the font, layout, background, etc if they want to.

This can be used with any content!

Click the picture to make a copy.

We mainly do this work as a warm up activity as they come in the classroom and are checking in. However, vocabulary should not an isolated activity so we are always on the hunt for our vocabulary or synonyms in our read alouds, independent reading, small group, conversations, and adding them in our own writing. We make a big deal out of someone finding or using a vocabulary word correctly in speech or writing. It's only the beginning of the year, but students are already using these words in their quick writes and writing pieces!

I also love how Christine Morgan created her interactive science wall with real life objects to help students picture and make connections.  

How else do you bring vocabulary to life in your classroom? 

I'd love to hear some new ideas!