#rethinkela A1: At the secondary levels, Ss are still building reading comprehension skills; vocabulary is a big part of reading comprehension. If Ss don't understand it, they will have trouble understanding what is read. Vocabulary instruction should be across the curriculum.
A1. For me, Tier3 Vocab (academic, domain-specific) is vital for Ss to be able to understand & apply skills. If Ss don’t know “figure of speech”/“figurative language” are the same thing= similes, metaphors, & personification, then so much content knowledge is lost. #rethinkELA
A1 Not only do students have to know the definitions of vocabulary, particularly domain-specific, they must be able to apply those words in their own writing. #reThinkELA
Yes, in addition, they need skills for context clues when they don’t have the vocabulary knowledge. They need modeling of how to fix vocab comprehension problems. #rethinkELA
A2 A very basic strategy I use is to have students use their own devices to actually look up words. Or use tools in Google Docs when they're writing. That's what I do when I #amwriting#reThinkELA
#rethinkela A2: Ss have to interact and use the vocabulary. Therefore, I have Ss act out the words and use the words in discussions and writing assignments. When Ss act out the word, they build connections to what the word means and how to use it.
#rethinkela A3: This question comes from a student teacher at Cache. Create a word wall and have Ss use some of the words in a piece of writing or in a discussion. Ss need to build connections with words and also understand how word parts change the part of speech of the words.
I love the creativity of this idea. give students some parameters, such as specific words, with the freedom to create their own writing. Talk about building critical thinking! #reThinkELA
A5 I remember at least one T giving us a list of 10 words and we'd have to write a sentence for each word, showing that we understood proper usage and context. She didn't like my sentence for millennium. #reThinkELA
#rethinkela A4: Use the ACE strategy for the words. Ss practice writing their own questions, providing an answer, and then explaining it. Why not have them do that for vocabulary? Build a word wall for your classroom.
A5 We also had a lot of fill in the blanks, crosswords, quizzes. I have had students research the meanings, etymology, actual usage in real world. Need to haev them use them in their own authentic writing. #reThinkELA
#rethinkela A5: I was given 10 words, had to write the definitions, and then write the words 10 times each. Now, I would give a list, have Ss interact with the words, use the words, and discuss the words.
I like adding the element of discussion! Ss at the middle and high school age often process a lot of information by talking to each other. This can also help them learn to pronounce words. Big problem if you only see them. #reThinkELA
I also have students annotate for words they are confused about. I should also have them write the word on a sticky and add it to a word wall to work with. #reThinkELA
I agree. A lot what we did when I was in high school involved lower level thinking, instead of the higher-level critical thinking students need to be doing. #reThinkELA
#rethinkela A6: I would go with the word wall. Display the words with definitions and pictures. Categorize the words by the parts of speech. Have Ss refer to the wall to help them add some of the words into their writing or when they have discussions.
#rethinkela A7: Since our standards are recursive, the words that Ss learn in August should still be used in May. Just keep on using the words in writing and in discussions. I think I would relate the words to career choices, talents, and interests of my Ss.
