Vocabulary
“What does ____ mean?” I’m always surprised by how many times I hear this during the school day. It doesn’t matter if I’m teaching phonemic awareness, science, or reading a story. There are so many words kids don’t know.
This past school year, I tried to make a more intentional effort to replace some words I use every day. Instead of saying stop, I would say hault. Instead of, go to your desk, I’d say proceed to your desk. This was one of the simplest ways to increase my students' vocabulary in an indirect way.
Vocabulary can be taught in indirect or direct ways. It is taught indirectly when kids are being read to and engaging in conversations. Vocabulary that is taught directly is more formal. Teaching the different parts of a word (e.g. prefixes, root words, etc.) and giving students instructions in words they will need to comprehend in a particular text or content area.
After learning about how important vocabulary plays in a child’s reading journey and switching out words in my classroom, I decided to increase my own children’s vocabulary this summer. We have a Word of the Day every day. I don’t preplan the words. We just see what comes to us on that particular day around an activity we are doing.
It all started with the word stump. We were at my parent’s farm driving around on the golf cart. We drove by a stump, when my son asked what that was. I told him and then we proceeded to drive around the farm looking for other stumps.
If possible, we try to “experience” the word. One day our word was insect, so we went on an insect hunt to see how many we could find. We were swinging at a park one morning, and my son said, “it is so quiet”. I said it is very peaceful and that was our word of the day.
Sometimes our word of the day comes from a book we are reading. Sometimes it comes from an activity we are doing. Regardless of where the word of the day comes from, I’m trying to increase my own children’s vocabulary by exposing them to different words. It isn’t always easy and I sometimes forget, but every word counts.
I challenge you to use some “different” words in your everyday conversation with the children, young and old, in your life at home or at school. Can you help develop their vocabulary?
Michelle and Heidi
Hooked On Books ABC
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