Vocabulary Strategies

This chapter had some great resources for vocabulary. I really liked the word inquiry strategy because it is like a game. I know something like that would have motivated me in school. This activity, I think, would make students want to learn the vocabulary in order to do well with this activity.  I think it is very important for students to understand the vocabulary while reading. Even at my age, I still look up the meaning of words I do not know when reading a book because I know it will enrich the meaning of the content so much more. I think it is very important to teach students when and how to use dictionaries so they can look up words when reading on their own. However, I think it is just as important to teach context clues so students can figure out vocabulary on their own. I think a way to get students to think on their own but still incorporate the use of a dictionary is the dictionary game. It can be a way to assess prior knowledge or to review what has been learned. What are your thoughts on use of dictionaries for elementary students? What strategy do you believe is the best for students to decode a word?

Word inventories are a great way to preview upcoming vocabulary and assess what words to look out for in the reading so new knowledge can be gained. I think all of the vocabulary activities shown in this chapter are great tools. I think it is important when teaching vocabulary at all levels of PAR that the most appropriate strategy is chosen for the lesson and level of PAR you are in.