The first big step toward reading is helping young children see themselves as readers. This lesson uses environmental print from the students' surrounding community as part of classroom instruction. Through artifacts, photographs, visual displays and class books, students are provided opportunities to practice their reading skills and view themselves as competent readers and users of print. Students and teachers gather samples of environmental print from the neighborhood: signs, logos, brand names, and other print and non-print items that the children see and read in their neighborhood each day. After students have become more familiar with these artifacts, they are compiled into books and added to the classroom library. (author/ncl)

In this familiar lesson, students learn to identify and spell words with similar endings. Using well-known nursery rhymes, teachers model such decoding strategies as chunking, sounding, and blending. Student also compare and contrast word sounds and spelling patterns to create and categorize words with similar endings. Working independently or in peer groups, students use the Internet to read nursery rhymes and identify word families. (author/ncl)

This lesson uses an active, hands-on activity in which students learn how to look for patterns in words and make new words by adding or changing the sequence of letters. The use of children's literature provides an excellent framework for teaching decoding and spelling. Four popular children's books, Corduroy, Franklin in the Dark, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Chrysanthemum, are used as the basis for an online activity where students have the opportunity to apply this strategy and make words. This lesson works well as a part of daily spelling and word instruction. (author/ncl)

This lesson uses a predictable text to help students learn high-frequency words. Word learning is enhanced by whole-to-part tasks aimed at increasing the reader's need to attend to and process the print. Students develop fluency as they participate in choral reading activities. After reading the story, students reconstruct sentences using the words from the text. At the conclusion of the lesson, students write their own stories following the pattern from the original text. (author/ncl)

After reading a variety of nursery rhymes, through shared reading experiences, students work collaboratively to identify the main characters and to practice reading high frequency words. Then, during a shared reading of the big book The Enormous Watermelon, they locate the nursery rhyme characters within the story. Following the story, students review high-frequency words from the big book text and play a matching game to integrate these words into their sight vocabulary. (author/ncl)

This lesson uses poems, rhymes, and stories to reinforce high frequency words. After reading the text several times to ensure familiarity, students locate and mark specific words. This activity provides the repetition students need to learn new words in an engaging context. Following the model lesson, teachers may adapt this activity by having students work in small groups or independently to locate and mark words in texts. (Author/ncl)

This instructional unit is comprised of seven lessons based on the book, <i>Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type</i>. Each lesson provides opportunities to integrate vocabulary instruction, review basic story elements, and connect to writing. To use this resource effectively, teachers may adapt the lessons to choose the activities that best match the needs of their learners. (author/ncl).

Making and Writing Words is a teacher guided word study activity. A variation of the making words activities developed by Patricia Cunningham, this resource provides regular opportunities for students to learn about the spelling structure of words in order to improve word recognition skills. A step-by-step set of directions and sample student activity forms are available at the site. (author/ncl)

This lesson begins with a shared reading of the story, Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley. After the shared reading, students engage in a paired reading of the online version of the story to build fluency and word recognition skills. They also examine onset/rime patterns by generating word families, review sight words in the story, and play a card game to reinforce high-frequency vocabulary. As a culminating activity, students draw their own big green monsters and write stories about the monsters to publish online. This writing exploration allows an integrated application of phonics where skills can be taught to students individually at the point of use. Ideas for integrating this lesson into learning centers are also available at the website. (author/ncl)

This lesson requires that students create a "My World of Words Journal" that includes definitions and proper usage information. These journals help students to maintain a personalized involvement with language by allowing them to select their own vocabulary words. Through cooperative group discussion, students generate vocabulary word lists and research the words' meanings. Students then participate in an interactive journal share to elicit feedback from their classmates. These periodic meetings motivate students to continue their vocabulary learning and support insightful discussions of vocabulary. (Author/ncl)

This lesson explores ways to foster students' vocabulary skills through direct instruction and small-group discussions. Following a teacher demonstration, students work in small groups to identify words that are unfamiliar to them. Each group discusses the meaning of these new words using context clues from the text, prior knowledge, and print and online resources. They then apply their knowledge of the new vocabulary to further their understanding of the text. This lesson can be modified and reused for other areas of the curriculum, with moderate preparation and researching of topic-related resources. Extensions are included to further expand vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. (author/ncl)

This resource describes two activities for helping students to learn unfamiliar words so they can comprehend texts more fully. The mini-lessons, designed for primary and intermediate classrooms, encourage students to make connections between what they know about words and what they need to know in order to understand texts better. A sample outline for a vocabulary recording sheet is included at the site and can easily be adapted to create vocabulary charts for use with a variety of texts. (author/ncl)

As students begin to develop as writers, they often run into some "word demons" that can complicate spelling and vocabulary. Homophones—words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have very different meanings--are often challenging for students. An integral part of students' vocabulary and spelling development is to learn and understand the meanings of these homophones. This lesson creatively teaches spelling skills by using multiple modalities to introduce and practice many common homophones. Students engage in singing, acting, creative writing, and drawing to demonstrate their understanding of homophones. Following the introductory activities, teachers may wish to adapt the suggested extensions and assessments to more closely match local curriculum. (author/ncl)

After reading and analyzing a novel or another piece of literature, students compile a list of words associated with the text they have read. This list represents a list of words ranging from details about the plot to feelings about a character. Small groups of students then arrange the collected words into at least four categories, which they present and explain to the class. The discussion ranges from vocabulary and comprehension to literary analysis and reader response. This lesson offers an effective way to culminate a novel study and build vocabulary. The activities in this lesson may also be adapted for use with nonfiction texts.(author/ncl)

Using the award-winning picture book,"Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this lesson focuses on the words Dr. King used to express his ideas. Students explore information on King's "big" words then choose one of two options: (1) they write about their own "big" words and dreams in stapled or stitched books, or (2) they construct found poems using an excerpt from one of King's speeches. Students are encouraged to think reflectively about their own dreams and ideas and create a list of their own "big words" either originally or as a found poem. Resources, including links to online materials and student reproducibles are available at the website. (author/ncl)

This lesson engages and motivates students in building content area vocabulary through the creation of ABC books. Students select vocabulary words and terms related to a current unit of study in mathematics, science, social studies or other subjects. They research the meanings of the words and create a reference page for each word within their books. Additionally, illustrations and examples accompany each word to demonstrate full understanding of its meaning. At the end of the lesson, students share their ABC books by presenting them to the class. The collection of books becomes a reference resource for classroom inquiry. This lesson may be adapted to incorporate the study of word origins, roots, and affixes. Detailed plans for implementing this lesson, along with student activity sheets and guidelines, are available at the website. (author/ncl)

Struggling readers need instruction in word recognition to improve not only their reading skills but also their writing and spelling skills as well. Applying aspects of the small-group differentiated reading model to a systematic word study of the past tense marker –ed, this lesson helps students identify both base words and suffixes. This model brings together many complex research-based strategies including rereading, word-bank usage, word study, writing, and reading new books. Teachers should also be sure to point out the different sounds that -ed can make at the end of a word. Although this lesson focuses on -ed words found in Henry and Mudge, the procedures may be adapted for other spelling patterns and related texts. (author/ncl)

This article describes the word identification strategy used in the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) program. This program has been successful with learning disabled students and is able to accommodate different learning styles. There are four SIM strategies that relate directly to reading, and word identification is one of the four. Seven steps or strategies are listed to help students identify unknown words. Links to find out more information on this strategy and additional SIM topics are available. If students can successfully identify unknown words, they will be better able to read content area texts and materials. (author/jlkrause)

In this lesson, students explore the grace and beauty of motion in a variety of sports and dance. Examining photographs, students learn about the aesthetic elements of athletics as they use rich vocabulary to describe the images. They then write in reflective journals, view and interpret media, conduct Internet research, take digital photographs, and create original poems that are inspired by movement. The integration of popular media and digital cameras will motivate students to learn new words and compose original poetry. (author/ncl)

Sight words are an important part of reading instruction and word study. Strong knowledge of sight words improves readers' fluency and aids comprehension. This list of 300 high-frequency words can be used to develop activities aimed at boosting students' sight word recognition. (author/ncl)

Word Maker provides a simple, engaging way for students to generate dozens of different words by first choosing an ending (for example -an, -ed, -at, -op) and then adding a beginning letter or blend. When a correct word is created, the word is stored in a Word Bank where students can read and review their words. For each ending, Word Maker prompts students to create between 6 and 14 different possible words, adding an element of fun and discovery. It uses animation and sound to guide students through the steps of creating words, and employs prompts that are clear and easy to master. This interactive tool could be used individually or in small groups, either in one session or across multiple lessons. (Author/ncl)

This vocabulary game helps students to understand common Greek and Latin roots. Using an engaging and interactive approach, this game teaches knowledge about word origins and reinforces the connections among related words. Game boards are available for download, but may be adapted to include a different set of roots or other word parts. (author/ncl)

The Literacy Center features web-based interactive literacy activities for preschool-aged children. Designed to support early reading skills, the activities provide opportunities for children to learn colors and color words, letters, numbers, phonemes, shapes, writing, and high frequency words. Teachers or parents may select activities in Spanish, French, or Dutch for children who do not speak English as a first language. All exercises require the Flash Player 5 plug-in; a free download of this plug-in may be accessed at the website. While these online activities may reinforce important early literacy skills, each online lesson must be supported by appropriate offline instruction, either at home or in school. (author/ncl)

This resource provides access to lists of high frequency words. The Dolch words are the 220 most frequently found words in books that children read. Students in first and second grade who learn these words have a good base for beginning reading. Many of these words cannot be sounded out because they do not follow regular decoding rules. (author/ncl)

This professional resource includes a list of ten vocabulary websites for use in the classroom: (1) "Vocabulary University" (offers students aged 8 to 17 puzzles and games that build their vocabulary and help them to earn a site "diploma"); (2) "Ask An Expert" (allows 8- to 17-year-olds to contact real world experts for help in answering questions about particular subjects and learning the meanings of new words); (3)"DiscoverySchool's Puzzlemaker" (provides a clip art gallery and the tools needed to create and print customized puzzles in a number of different styles for students aged 8 to 13); (4) "Encyclopedia.com" (contains information on many subjects, including important events in world history that happened on the date the site is accessed. The site, useful for 8- to 17-year olds, also provides links to dictionaries, almanacs, and thesauruses); (5) "Surfing the Net with Kids" (provides students aged 8 to 17 a game directory that includes games listed by type--i.e., crossword or jigsaw--and topic--i.e., science or history--and a search function for specific games); (6) "Merriam-Webster Online" (introduces a new Word Game of the Day in different puzzle formats. Designed for 8- to 17-year-olds, the sites features games such as "Transform Brainstorm," which lets players change a word into another word using clues about the word's meaning); (7) "Wacky Web Tales" (creates a story using 10-15 words (focusing on different parts of speech) supplied by students and publishes these "Wacky Web Tales" for visitors to read. This site is geared toward students aged 8 to 11); (8) "Words@Random" (presents 8- to 17-year-olds with technical vocabulary, slang, and other new words, organized by decade they began to be used. It also provides answers to students' questions about words, accepts suggestions of new words, and features a variety of vocabulary games); (9) "A.Word.A.Day" (introduces a new word every day, centering around a weekly theme. The site, useful for 11- to 17-year olds, also provides definition, pronunciation, etymology, usage, quotation, and other information. Students can sign up to have a new word e-mailed to them each day); and (10) "The Acronym Finder" (defines the meaning of acronym and nested acronym, and features an acronym finder database with meanings for 232,000 acronyms, like NASA, NATO, and many others. A great resource for students aged 8 to 17). (author/bcbrown)

This question asks students to use their understanding of affixes to determine the meaning of a word. In this case students are asked to differentiate between the comparative and superlative forms of a word and use the correct suffix to express that difference. This is a sample multiple choice test item used in a past Ohio Reading Achievement Test (for more information, see IMS: Assessments). From this test item, a visitor may view the reading passage and information regarding general student performance on this item. The Ohio Department of Education's IMS website allows visitors to search for test items and build a printable database of questions by choosing the "Add to Your Backpack" function. ODE Reference Information: 2005-Grade 3 Reading, Annotated Item 2. (author/ncl)

This question asks students to identify the synonym, or word that means about the same thing, for the bolded word stop. This is a sample multiple choice test item used in a past Ohio Reading Achievement test (for more information, see IMS: Assessments). From this test item, a visitor may view the reading passage and information regarding general student performance on this item. The Ohio Department of Education's IMS website allows visitors to search for test items and build a printable database of questions by choosing the "Add to Your Backpack" function. This resource is also available in Word format. ODE Reference Information: 2004-Grade 3 Reading, Annotated Item 3. (author/ncl)

This question asks students to use their knowledge to determine the words or word parts that make-up a specific contraction. At Grade 3 students are expected to go beyond simple identification and apply full understanding of what makes up a contraction. This is a sample multiple choice test item used in a past Ohio Reading Proficiency Test assessment (for more information, see IMS: Assessments). From this test item, a visitor may view the reading passage and information regarding general student performance on this item. The Ohio Department of Education's IMS website allows visitors to search for test items and build a printable database of questions by choosing the "Add to Your Backpack" function. This resource is also available in Word format. ODE Reference Information: 2004-Grade 3 Reading, Annotated Item 1. (author/ncl)

This question asks students to use their understanding of affixes to determine the meaning of a word. In this case the prefix un- is connected to the base word load. The prefix un- means not. This is a sample multiple choice test item used in a past Ohio Reading Achievement Test (for more information, see IMS: Assessments). From this test item, a visitor may view the reading passage and information regarding general student performance on this item. The Ohio Department of Education's IMS website allows visitors to search for test items and build a printable database of questions by choosing the "Add to Your Backpack" function. ODE Reference Information: 2005-Grade 3 Reading, Annotated Item 1. (author/ncl)

This question asks students to identify an antonym, or a word with an opposite meaning, for the bolded word noisy. Learning synonyms and antonyms for words is an important part of extending a student's vocabulary. This is a sample multiple choice test item used in a past Ohio Reading Achievement Test assessment (for more information, see IMS: Assessments). From this test item, a visitor may view the reading passage and information regarding general student performance on this item. The Ohio Department of Education's IMS website allows visitors to search for test items and build a printable database of questions by choosing the "Add to Your Backpack" function. This resource is also available in Word format. ODE Reference Information: 2004-Grade 3 Reading, Annotated Item 4. (author/ncl)

This question asks students to use dictionary entries to determine word meaning. Using resources to find meanings, spellings, word parts and derivation is a valuable skill in both reading and writing development. This is a sample multiple choice test item used in a past Ohio Reading Achievement Test (for more information, see IMS: Assessments). From this test item, a visitor may view the reading passage and information regarding general student performance on this item. The Ohio Department of Education's IMS website allows visitors to search for test items and build a printable database of questions by choosing the "Add to Your Backpack" function. This resource is also available in Word format. ODE Reference Information: 2004-Grade 3 Reading, Annotated Item 5. (author/ncl)

This tutorial is a sample lesson from a Scholastic professional development session on vocabulary development. It is part of a comprehensive course on how to improve student comprehension. This resource contains three sections: "Owning" Words and Word Knowledge, What words to teach, and a model lesson on a Concept Definition Map. Video clips of classroom instruction and sample lessons are available at the website. (author/mcg/ncl)

This video which is part of a K-2 workshop, explores the foundations of early literacy through a review of research-based principles for effective teaching of word study and fluency.  Boston University professor, Jeanne Paratore guides teachers as they analyze a word study lesson plan, discuss their own experiences, and compare approaches to teaching phonics. This video requires a free log-in to be viewed online.  (author/jlkrause)

This professional development video is focused on reading fluency and vocabulary with children in the middle grades.  Richard Allington discusses specific instructional practices that support the development of fluency and vocabulary.  The main points highlighted are: 1) the selection of appropriate texts or "just right" books, 2) opportunities to practice, and 3) a non-interruptive reading strategy.  All these techniques are demonstrated with classroom excerpts. (author/jlkrause) 

This professional resource is a classroom video of Angie Zapata's third grade class as they discuss a passage from Charlotte's Web by E. B. White and discover the meaning of unknown words.  The  teacher guides the students to read reflectively, use context clues, and "mind-mapping"  to make connections that will reveal clues to the meaning of unfamiliar words.  Several grouping strategies are demonstrated.  (author/jlkrause)

This professional resource is a terrific find for teachers and educators looking for vocabulary strategies that work. A chapter excerpt from Help! My Kids Don't All Speak English: How to Set Up a Language Workshop in Your Linguistically Diverse Classroom, this resource includes photographs of students participating in classroom vocabulary activities, student writing (word walls, vocabulary journals, et al.), charts and graphs to assist teachers, and a host of vocabulary strategies with research- and classroom-tested effectiveness. The author speaks knowingly and from experience about the struggles of setting up a linguistically diverse classroom and offers practical, helpful classroom tips. (author/ebm)

This professional resource includes a list of ten vocabulary websites for use in the classroom: (1) "Vocabulary University" (offers students aged 8 to 17 puzzles and games that build their vocabulary and help them to earn a site "diploma"); (2) "Ask An Expert" (allows 8- to 17-year-olds to contact real world experts for help in answering questions about particular subjects and learning the meanings of new words); (3)"DiscoverySchool's Puzzlemaker" (provides a clip art gallery and the tools needed to create and print customized puzzles in a number of different styles for students aged 8 to 13); (4) "Encyclopedia.com" (contains information on many subjects, including important events in world history that happened on the date the site is accessed. The site, useful for 8- to 17-year olds, also provides links to dictionaries, almanacs, and thesauruses); (5) "Surfing the Net with Kids" (provides students aged 8 to 17 a game directory that includes games listed by type--i.e., crossword or jigsaw--and topic--i.e., science or history--and a search function for specific games); (6) "Merriam-Webster Online" (introduces a new Word Game of the Day in different puzzle formats. Designed for 8- to 17-year-olds, the sites features games such as "Transform Brainstorm," which lets players change a word into another word using clues about the word's meaning); (7) "Wacky Web Tales" (creates a story using 10-15 words (focusing on different parts of speech) supplied by students and publishes these "Wacky Web Tales" for visitors to read. This site is geared toward students aged 8 to 11); (8) "Words@Random" (presents 8- to 17-year-olds with technical vocabulary, slang, and other new words, organized by decade they began to be used. It also provides answers to students' questions about words, accepts suggestions of new words, and features a variety of vocabulary games); (9) "A.Word.A.Day" (introduces a new word every day, centering around a weekly theme. The site, useful for 11- to 17-year olds, also provides definition, pronunciation, etymology, usage, quotation, and other information. Students can sign up to have a new word e-mailed to them each day); and (10) "The Acronym Finder" (defines the meaning of acronym and nested acronym, and features an acronym finder database with meanings for 232,000 acronyms, like NASA, NATO, and many others. A great resource for students aged 8 to 17). (author/bcbrown)

This inclusive first chapter, "Anchoring Word Knowledge," emphasizes that students need a more comprehensive, deeper conceptual understanding of words. Author Kellie Buis then details the role that anchored vocabulary instruction plays, pointing out that it assists our students in holding on to this deeper conceptual understanding. Buis advocates using an explicit, systematic, and extensive system of vocabulary instruction to anchor students full-concept knowledge of words. She discusses in depth the three levels of understanding students possess (verbal association, partial concept, and full concept), focusing especially on fledgling readers and those students who struggle to make meaning when they read. Buis explains that this plan of vocabulary instruction gives students at least eight to ten systematic passes to anchor the vocabulary learning of between six and eight key words each few days. Additionally, students learn related word-family members, multiple meanings, ways to extend the meaning, ways to discriminate the word from similar words, and ways to integrate the word into personal use. Her plan includes semantic mapping, STRETCH charts, shared reading, and independent word play. Charts are provided to indicate the type of vocabulary instruction and its corresponding effectiveness in terms of context, method, modes of communication, type of instruction, level of instructional support, level of word knowledge, levels of understanding, number of key words learned, kinds of words, group size, modes of learning, processes, semantics, syntax, graphophonics, and pragmatics.

(author/bebrown)

Of the many compelling reasons for providing students with instruction to build vocabulary, none is more important than the contribution of vocabulary knowledge to reading comprehension. The focus of this professional resource is on vocabulary instruction as a component of reading comprehension. The purpose of this professional resource is to examine what research tells us about how students acquire vocabulary and about what instruction must do to help students develop the kind of vocabulary knowledge that will contribute to their reading success. The article provides an overview of research related to vocabulary instruction and a summary of effective instructional practices. (author/mcg)

A teacher from Dublin, Ohio, Max Brand understands the frustration and ineffective nature of assigning weekly spelling lists that students memorize for the test only to misspell later in their daily writing. His book, culled from both research and his classroom experience, focuses on integrating word learning into literacy workshops in ways that are at once practical, effective, and fun for both students and teachers.

Using spelling investigations, word study notebooks, reading logs, and writers' notebooks, students learn to savor new words, puzzle over confusing pronunciations, and test new spelling strategies. Brand, too, moves beyond the concept of the word wall by using the walls in his classroom as a collective writer's notebook where students choose and illustrate words, phrases, and sentences from books to create colorful, ever-changing displays throughout the room.

Thirty-plus sample lessons in Word Savvy detail everything from teaching vocabulary in content areas to developing anchor charts for word learning throughout the year. Teachers will be able to create a reflective classroom environment where language development is at the heart of learning. Discussions, reading, and writing are opportunities for explicit instruction of word concepts, helping students become responsible for their learning as they use these concepts in revising, editing, and inferring the meaning of new words they encounter. (author/bcbrown)

In this excerpt, Janet Allen addresses teaching vocabulary by examining core issues with which teachers struggle, then provides answers for classroom instruction grounded in a plethora of research. She shares strategies that are consistent with research on how we learn new words, connect them to our existing knowledge, and retrieve them when we want to use them in reading, writing, and speaking, and calls for drastic changes in our teaching methods.

Allen sees the role of the teacher as constructivist whereby the teacher creates a language-rich environment filled with plenty of reading, talking, and writing in which varying levels of direct instruction occur. And since research has proven that students' comprehension is not improved by drill-and-skill practice, Allen asserts that it takes more than definitional knowledge to know a word, and that we have to know words in order to identify them in multiple reading and listening contexts and to use them in our speaking and writing.

Allen uses research, too, to support indirect word learning with explicit vocabulary instruction: repeating words in varied contexts; describing words; supporting words with visuals; connecting words to students' lives; extending words with anecdotes; making associations; giving definitions; comparing and contrasting questioning; charting characteristics; rephrasing sentences; analyzing structure; providing tactile examples; giving examples of correct and incorrect usage. Student readers become fluent as they (1) increase reading comprehension, (2) develop knowledge of new concepts, (3) improve range and specificity in writing, (4) communicate more effectively, and (5) develop a deeper understanding of words and concepts of which they were only partially aware.(author/bcbrown)

English Language Learners (ELLs) have the dual challenge of learning new English vocabulary plus trying to catch up with classmates who are native English speakers.  ELLs may quickly learn social English with peers; yet reading, writing, speaking, and understanding academic English is more complex. This professional article is full of strategies, activities and ideas for educators working with ELLs.  The article also includes six ELL steps to follow for learning complex words and concepts. (author/jlkrause)