Choosing the Right Words to Teach
This task is usually the most difficult in vocabulary instruction. Our teacher manuals provide us with lists of words students should know to understand stories or lessons in every subject. Assigning 20 words a week is simply impossible. Below you will find some tools to help you select the right words to your students so they will remember them on Saturday and for Saturdays to come.
Choosing Words to TeachSome of Reaading Education's most prominent researchers, Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown, and Linda Kucan have written this article for Reading Rockets explaining the key components to successful vocabulary selections. They offer a focus, tips and strategies.
Word CentralThis child friendly dictionary is a good source of definitions for words that children will understand. Students should also be encouraged to write their own definitions.
Word Wall CardsThese mostly FREE printable word wall cards are presented by abcteach.com and are separated by category and theme. Most can be accessed and printed without membership. They are in pdf form and easy to use.
Mathematics Word WallThis FREE printable math word wall was created by the Broward County Public Schools. It is ideal for upper elementary school. It provides simple images for each math term.
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Vocabulary Pre-AssessmentThis simple vocabulary pre-assessment from readwritethink.org can be used to help select the best words for each student. Students should be challenged with new words and directly taught words they already know. All students in a classroom may not be working on the same words.
Big IQ Word ListsThis site contains free grade level appropriate words lists broken up into lessons. It also includes definitions, synonyms, antonyms and pronunciation for each word.
Mrs. Perkins' Dolch WordsThis FREE site has printable Dolch word lists. They are available online, in word and as a pdf. It was clearly organized by a teacher for teachers so of course it's great!
"Dolch word lists are the 220 most common words and 95 additional nouns in children's reading books, in alphabetical order. Dolch words, or sight words, provide an excellent base for reading at an early age. They are often called sight words because some of them can't be sounded out, and need to be learned by sight. Note that all the Dolch words can be taught before children finish the first grade in school. Words in the second and third grade lists are more common in books for those age groups, but they do appear in books for earlier grades, just less frequently." -mrsperkins.com |