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Engage students in substantive and interesting vocabulary study and word-consciousness activities.
Katharine calls this type of a mini-vocabulary workshop CPR:
Curious readers notice unusual or new words and intriguing uses of familiar words. They stop to think about what they just encountered, to figure out meaning and maybe the origins of words. P = Being passionate about words If words are important to us, not in the sense that we get angry when others misuse words or use a nonstandard form of a word, but in the sense of appreciating the beauty of words and their power to convey subtle meanings, then we are probably passionate about words. This is something we need to foster in our students. R = Being a risk-taker We all need to feel that we can take risks and not be made fun of when experimenting with language, whether we are adults or children. As teachers, we must honor and encourage experimentation, while also teaching about words. The following specific strategies for a vocabulary mini-workshop are designed to encourage an interest in and passion about words. Some of them do not necessarily lead immediately to a more expansive vocabulary (for example, word search games), but they can lead to a greater appreciation for words. Other activities are more directly related to building vocabulary and word consciousness. As you will see, most of these activities encourage multiple responses, which in turn build versatile, flexible thinking. This kind of thinking is an asset for anyone learning to speak and becoming literate in a language, whether a native or nonnative language.
Targeted Strategy 1: Found words in names. This activity is designed to help students notice words embedded in longer words. Vocabulary development can occur after students have generated words and discussed unfamiliar words. Procedure 1. Demonstrate how to look for as many words as possible in a person’s first and last names combined, without using a letter more than once in the found word. In other words, if there are two of the letter a in the name, then an a can be used twice in the found word, but if there’s only one a, 168
Teaching English Language Learners: Grades 6 & Up © Katherine Davies Samway & Dorothy Taylor, Scholastic Teaching Resources
C = Being curious about words and phrases, and the origins of words and phrases