Vivid, Vital, Valuable Vocabularies!

In Classrooms That Work, chapter six is about building vivid, vital, and valuable vocabularies. This chapter explains that “when you see or hear words, your brain makes connections to those words” (95). For example, when you hear or read green or bat, you may quickly picture something such as a grassy field or a spooky Halloween bat. However, we do not think of the definition of the word.

Consequently, vocabulary is necessary for reading comprehension. A great way to teach vocabulary with the whole class together is with this team SWAT game!

SWAT Vocabulary game on Pinterest

With the activity on this blog, the teacher projects the vocabulary words on the board, and the students write the words on index cards at their seats. She teams boys against girls, and calls out definitions, fill in the blank sentences, or opposites. When the students know the word, they “swat” it with a fly swatter. This sounds like so much fun, and the students think about the words rather than writing rote definitions.

Also, teaching students to monitor their vocabulary knowledge is important. One way to do this is through hand signs. Have students raise their hands with a range of 1 to 5 of how well they understand a new vocabulary word helps the instructor quickly see which levels their students are at. Having a chart displayed in the classroom is a great reminder!

Cunningham, Patricia M. and Richard L. Allington. Classrooms That Work: They Can All Read and Write. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 2011. 28-47. Print