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By Caitln Ogutu
ture, and technology.
.
Developing Vocabulary In Elementary School
by
Ann Powell-Brown
Did you know that children can learn up to ten
new words a day if those words are heard
frequently? (Byington & Kim, 2017). As educators,
we can ensure that our students are hearing those
ten new words frequently and in a variety of ways. I
recently had an opportunity to research vocabulary
development and it opened my eyes to the variety
of methods that can be utilized to teach vocabulary
in the classroom. While research can enlighten us
and improve vocabulary instruction, it may require
broadening your perspective of what it truly looks
like.
#1: Engagement over Quiet
Although I was trained to teach, I felt that I had a
lot to prove, especially in the area of classroom
management. My first couple of years of teaching
were ones of survival. Somewhere along my
journey I had believed the myth that a quiet
classroom was an indication of well-behaved
students and a teacher expert in classroom
management. Now I am in my third year and am still
not an expert by any means, but I had an epiphany.
A quiet classroom does not mean students are
engaged. In fact, although not true always, a quiet
classroom can mean a lack of engagement and lack
of opportunities to practice language skills (Wasik,
2010.) So if you are in the same boat as me, let go
of your expectation for a quiet classroom! Allow
your students to process aloud and engage in
discussion to promote deeper connections and the
development of their individual vocabularies. It
may seem daunting at first, but let your students be
the primary question askers in the classroom and
lead the conversation. This can happen through the
careful planning of questions that require students
to take a deeper look at a perspective or an
underlying issue. In these discussions, students can
practice using words they have learned that are on
your classroom word wall or other content-specific
vocabulary.
#2: Read Alouds
I do not know when I have stood in front of a
room full of children and read a good book that
they were not immediately enraptured. Not only do
students enjoy listening to books read aloud, but
this provides an opportunity to insert vocabulary
instruction. Use strategies at opportune moments
during a read aloud such as questioning, providing
a definition, providing a synonym or examples,
clarifying or correcting student responses to the
text, or asking for a student-generated definition
.
(Kindle, 2009). Students can gain significant
understanding through discussing the book as well
(Blachowicz & Obrochta 2005).
#3: Field Trips
Two magical words can make students excited in
an instant: field trip! Whenever possible, use field
trips to build students’ vocabulary knowledge. It is
shown that field trips lead to great vocabulary
acquisition (Blachowicz & Obrochta, 2005). If you
don’t have the school resources for a field trip,
create a field trip experience for your classroom.
Your students will love it and it will provide an
opportunity to reinforce the vocabulary you want
your students to learn. My students take a field trip
to Jefferson City each year after we have studied
our state of Missouri. Every year, students come
away with more knowledge than they had before. In
their visit to the Supreme Court, they learn content-
specific vocabulary such as justices, appeals, circuit,
constitutional, and petition. Some students may
have heard these words before, yet others have
their first exposure. Either way, students are
learning!
#4: Wide Reading
I love seeing my students take the initiative to
read books of their own choice independently.
Encourage your students to take advantage of your
classroom library and share with you and their
classmates about the exceptional books they have
read. In reading, students are exposed to new
vocabulary words that will add to the number of
words they already know. In addition, they can
learn strategies for tackling words they have never
seen before or recognize words you have taught
them.
#5: Literacy Rich Environment
Last, but not least, let’s vow to immerse our
classrooms in literacy! If we want our student to
grow in vocabulary, we need to model our love of
literacy for them. One thing I am enjoying with my
fourth graders this year is using content specific
word walls. While learning together about geology,
my students participated in making notecards with
new vocabulary to post on the wall. Students were
excited to have their own writing on display for all
to see. It gave them a sense of ownership in their
learning, and it will be a reference for them later on
as well. Posting students’ writing work to celebrate
their use of vocabulary, having an accessible
classroom library, and memorizing poetry together
.