Raise your mitt if teaching vocabulary is a tad scary for you. Now lay it downward earlier strangers think you lot are losing it!
Vocabulary pedagogy is tricky. We know that our kids involve amend vocabularies, but really making it travel on is non easy.
I receive got spent quite a fleck of fourth dimension over the past times duo of years learning nigh vocabulary in addition to teaching others how to improve vocabulary pedagogy inwards the classroom. I receive got noticed 5 mutual mistakes that teachers are making.
Let me preface past times maxim that I am guilty of every i of these mistakes at i fourth dimension or another! We are inwards this together!
Mistake #1: Not Teaching Vocabulary
There are all the same tons of classrooms where vocabulary is non explicitly taught. Students powerfulness live on given a listing of words or receive got or hence sort of view where they piece of job amongst words. That's all fine in addition to dandy, but that is NOT teaching vocabulary.
To genuinely educate a expert vocabulary, students involve guided lessons. They involve minute feedback in addition to corrections when they are using the words incorrectly. Vocabulary cannot just live on something that they create on their own. They involve you!
Mistake #2: Only Teaching Domain Specific Words
There are 3 dissimilar tiers of vocabulary words.
Tier One: These are words that students don't involve to live on taught because they already know them when they come upward to school. Examples: cup, baby, happy
Tier Two: These are high frequency words that students create non already know, but volition probable view inwards degree bird text. Examples: frigid, grasp, obsolete
Tier Three: These are content specific words that pertain to a specific subject. Examples: dividend, photosynthesis, compass
Many teachers pass fourth dimension amongst tier 3 words during their math, scientific discipline in addition to social studies instruction. Perfect! That is precisely where those words should live on taught.
But if those are the entirely vocabulary words that you lot are teaching, hence your kids are really missing out! The words that they involve to improve their reading comprehension in addition to exam scores are really the tier 2 words.
Mistake #3: Teaching Obscure Words
I am going to nation this in addition to I promise that no i is offended....
Just because a give-and-take appears inwards your reading curriculum does non hateful that it is a give-and-take that belongs inwards your vocabulary lessons.
Some of those words are obscure in addition to really specific to that detail story. One flush from my reading curriculum was nigh cowboys. One of the vocabulary words was "chaps." It is a great give-and-take to acquire when learning nigh cowboys. But unless they read westerns, students aren't probable to encounter that give-and-take inwards other degree bird texts.
Don't waste materials your fourth dimension amongst obscure words. Focus on words that students volition view in addition to live on able to operate over in addition to over again.
Mistake #4: Relying on Dictionaries
This is a pet peeve for me. I am hence distressing when a teacher's vocabulary pedagogy is just telling students to await upward their words inwards the dictionary.
Words inwards a lexicon frequently receive got many dissimilar definitions in addition to fifty-fifty parts of speech. Many of the definitions are really complicated in addition to operate the vocabulary give-and-take inwards the definition. Students unremarkably just pick out the shortest Definition to write down.
This is a waste materials of time, confuses students in addition to teaches them to dislike vocabulary! Please don't create it! I beg you!
Mistake #5: Not Making Vocabulary Fun
I cry back disliking vocabulary when I was young. It was boring. I didn't experience similar I was getting much out of it.
If your kids are bored, they won't cry back the words that you lot are teaching.
I am non maxim that you lot receive got to live on a circus clown in addition to entertain them amongst a demonstrate during vocabulary. I just think that pedagogy should mix inwards or hence drawing, sharing, games, etc. Make students excited to live on give-and-take detectives. Make them await forrard to this time.
If you lot are inwards involve of or hence game ideas, depository fiscal establishment represent out THIS post service for or hence fun in addition to gratuitous games to play amongst whatsoever sort of vocabulary words.
So what now?
Are you lot thinking, "Jamie, this is all. fine in addition to dandy. I brand these mistakes, but I receive got no sentiment HOW to laid my vocabulary instruction!" I am non going to acquire out you lot high in addition to dry.
I created this FREE video that explains precisely how I transformed my vocabulary pedagogy into something to a greater extent than important fun in addition to engaging. It's hence simple!
Enjoy!
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