Other Creative Strategies
Word Walls
These should be used at every level in every content area:
- Find a smaller word that’s in it.
- Find a prefix.
- Find a suffix.
- Find a noun.
- Find a verb.
- Find an adjective.
Vocabulary Tickets
Use them after you’ve taught a word or words. Can ask many questions:
- We’ve studied median and mode – write a sentence, using both words so that the reader knows that you know what each means
- What’s the difference between precipitation and condensation?
Two in One
- Give students a list of vocabulary words
- Ask students to write a sentence using two of the vocabulary words (form conceptual connections)
- They may change word forms if needed. (Using derivatives is one of the best sources of vocabulary growth)
- Working in pairs or small groups will increase conversation, engagement, and learning.
The Useful Alphabet
Each student gets three letters and has to find 5, 10 or 15 Academic Vocabulary words which begin with those letters that she/he thinks would be useful for what the class is studying.
Using word note cards, (on one side they write the letter, on the other the information on the word – spelling, pronunciation, definition) students mingle and other students try to guess the word and why it is important to the content being studied.
Quick Draw
This doesn't have to be competitive, but it can be. See how quickly students can convey the essence of a words meaning on the board -- without words. This works especially well with words describing visual concepts, like many geography terms. Again, make sure students don't oversimplify things -- if you play this game repeatedly, make sure the students are using different ways to draw the words
Relationships Between Words (7th Grade Reading/Language Arts Strategy)
- Could contract be an assumption? Explain your answer.
- Could a documentary be an anecdote? Explain your answer.
- Can a viewpoint be a projection? Explain your answer
Connect Two
- Teacher constructs two columns of 10 words apiece.
- Teacher then asks students to think of something that a word in column one has in common with a word in column two
- At first the similarities may be superficial. They may point out that two words have the same number of letters.
- The teacher can specify that the students are to look for similarities in meaning or in structure.
Vocabulary Charades
Have students draw a word from a hat and act it out. There should be a time limit so that students cannot occupy the entire class with one word.
Give credit for finding the word used in the real world
Provide extra credit if a student hears or sees a vocabulary word anywhere outside of the vocabulary exercises. To get the points, the student has to write down the word, what it means, and where she/he heard it. Sometimes the students will purposely use the words so someone can say they heard it -- which just means they are incorporating it into their oral vocabularies. You can also find them online: go to a search engine that searches the news and type in the word. You'll find it in the headlines all over the world. Students may find newspapers helpful (a great way to get students to read) or magazines, popular comic books, content magazines such as Read Magazine or Weekly Reader might contain vocabulary words, also.
(Richek, M. A. (2005). Words are wonderful: Interactive time-efficient strategies to teach meaning vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 58(Feb), 414-423. )
Use The Words Yourself
That prominently posted list can be your cue to slip words into other classwork or discussions. Students may not even need the incentive of extra credit to start listening for them. The first student to “catch” the teacher using the vocabulary words might get a reward.