Vocabulary

Below you can find a mix of articles, games, and videos that will help you with developing your students or child's vocabulary. There is a little something for everyone, so I recommend you browsing through each of the links to see which one best fits you.
 * Vocabulary **** Instruction **
 * Authors:** Alonzo and Zach

AmericanGraduateDC. (2012). //Explicit Vocabulary Teaching Strategies//. Retrieved May 3, 2013 http://youtu.be/OetbzrP2QUU

media type="youtube" key="OetbzrP2QUU" width="420" height="315" In this short segment Dr. Curtis goes over different vocabulary strategies educators can use in their classrooms. She notes that children who have a difficulty in vocabulary tend to drop out of school. Her advice is to make sure that all information is explain directly, then guide the students through the new vocabulary, and lastly allow them to work on it by themselves. Dr. Curtis also notes that it is important to inform students that there is more than one way to approach new vocabulary words, and there is no wrong answer. I like this because it seems helpful for new and experienced educators. It reinforces skills learned throughout the year, but also gives approaches that might be overlooked. The idea of making sure that students are aware there are more than one way to approach a difficult word is one that I would take into my practice because I see it as making sure there children know their ideas count. (Alonzo)

Graves, M.F., Juel, C., Graves, B. (1998). //Teaching Reading in the 21st Century//. Order Processing; Des Moines. http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Reading-21st-Century-5th/dp/0132092255 This book looks at different strategies in assisting students develop their reading skills. Authors break it down to twelve chapters, but the chapters of relevance are three, four, and five. Chapter three, titled //Emergent Literate//, speaks on how to best support someone beginning to read. The next chapter, //Word Recognition//, gives tools in how the new reader will be trying to approach new and difficult words, and what the educator can do to assist. Lastly, chapter five, //Vocabulary Development//, touches on what exactly is the best practice to help develop and bring out a child’s vocabulary advancement. In my practice I would use this book to best help me understand different modes of furthering the development of my students vocabulary. This would be another tool I would use to help me become a better educator.(Alonzo)

Kinsella Ph D., K., Stump Ph D, C.S., Feildman Ph D, K. //Strategies for Vocabulary Development.// Pearson Prentice Hall:eTeach. Retrieved May 1, 2013, from [] What the authors are looking at here is how important is basic comprehension when trying to help a child’s vocabulary development. They feel that comprehension and vocabulary development go hand and hand, and no learner can have one without the other, especially students. It outlines practices by teachers that they feel do and do not work. Some practices that they classify as inefficient are, looking up unfamiliar words or memorizing their definitions. They suggest using techniques such as, repetition or integration. I find this website helpful because it gives valuable recommendations of how not only to educate native English speakers, but also English Language Learners. I would use this source for some of its recommendations as to what to do in the classroom when introducing new vocabulary to students.(Alonzo)

My I Spy (Game), Scholastic. Retrieved May 1, 2013, from [] Scholastic is known for publishing kind friendly books and games. Their website allows for individuals to create vocabulary games based off of the popular game “I Spy.” Each one of the games has their own themes which a person can develop a vocabulary list to match the pictures in the game. A game like this would be very helpful in having the children practice their vocabulary at home. I would have the children do these games at home at the end of every week to make sure that all new vocabulary learned throughout the week is reinforced when they are away from the classroom. (Alonzo)

(No Author). //Reading First: A Guide to Vocabulary Instruction//. Retrieved May 1, 2013, from [] This website was developed in Virginia for the purposes of aiding teachers in helping young students with their vocabulary. It advises teachers to use tools such as, concept maps, word cards, and concept sorting. Each tool advises teachers to focus on using themes when introducing a new vocabulary word in order for the students to be able to associate the words with a topic they are familiar with. I like this website because it introduced me to a technique that I was unfamiliar with, which is the concept map. The idea behind the concept map is putting a new word in the middle and surrounding it with familiar topics. I think this can be highly effective if given to the students to come up with their own topics or concepts to surround words with in order to gauge how well they are learning their new vocabulary. (Alonzo)

(No Author), Vocabulary Games, English Vocabulary Word Games. Retrieved May 1, 2013, from [] This website consist of a mix of games designed specifically for helping the development of a child’s vocabulary. The creators of this site took themes that children have the most difficulty with and developed online games to help them better understand the words. The games range from finding words based on roots; to helping ESL learners comprehend common English phrases by matching them to their Spanish counter parts. It looks to expand an individual’s vocabulary in an interactive and fun way. I like this source because it gives students different options in helping them develop their vocabulary, while at the same time giving ELL students an opportunity to get a basic understanding of the English language.(Alonzo)

(No Author) The Challenge. Retrieve May 2, 2013, from [] This site has a game that pops up immediately that tests word knowledge. It is useful because if someone makes the wrong guess reassurance is given in a way that seems positive. The words are fairly advanced, and in taking the quizzes, I had some misses. This might be a good way to bolster vocabulary and understanding of nuances of words for juniors and seniors in high school. It could perhaps be fun for an English teacher to have their students do the quiz to see how many they could consecutively get correct.(Zack)

(No Author) Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from [] A thesaurus is not a unique tool in vocabulary acquisition, but the site uses a visual method that could be interesting to more visual learners. Rather than simply typing in a word and getting a new one that means basically the same thing, a number of possibilities are suggested. There is a kind of web of words that pops up showing words that a more closely linked. This would be a great tool for a high school teacher to show her students. It would be particularly helpful for more visual learners.(Zack)

(No Author) Learning Games for Kids. Vocabulary Games. Retrieved May, 8, 2013, from [|http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/vocabulary_games.html#post-120] This particular site is geared more towards elementary school learners and mentions that it might be useful for ESL students gaining more breadth in their vocabulary. It has a wide selection of games. As you progress in some of the games the vocabulary gets more difficult. This would be a useful site for students to play with on their own.(Zack)

(No Author) WORD GAMES. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from []

This site has numerous word games that can be played online. These could be used as fun ways to expand vocabulary disguised as games. There are simple word searches that perhaps the teacher could pair with a vocabulary exercise where the students learn the meanings of the words while they are looking to find them. There are also crossword puzzles. I know my dad has done the crossword religiously for decades and it still helps him discover new words and test alternative meanings to words that he already knows.(Zack) (No Author) A Way With Words. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from [] This is the website for the show that I used to occasionally catch on NPR on the way home from work. The show explores how certain words and phrases were developed, putting them into a sort of historical landscape. A teacher might use this site to show that vocabulary, and language in general, is developed over time. There is a portion of the site that shows words that have recently been added to the English language.(Zack)

(No Author) Learn That Foundation. Retrieved May 5, 2013, from [] This site offers a list of root words and prefixes. This could be a useful tool for educators to help their students understand how words can be broken down. In both a biology and etymology course I took as a high school student, root words were taught. This helped me understand words that I had not previously seen without having to look them up and to deepen my understanding of words that I already knew. As a teacher, I plan to include quizzes on biologically relevant root words.(Zack)



__**Authors:**__ Jennifer Kurland, Walleska Lantigua, Carrie Berg, Christina Padilla, Chris Bahringer, Drewe Niehaus, Marina Yubliler, Katie Brounstein __**Page Editor:**__ Carrie Berg, Drewe Niehaus

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 * __Check out these vocab videos to get you started....__**
 * Gupta. (2009). Geometry vocabulary with a PAPER PLATE. (Carrie)
 * Miss Olive. (2008). Tone and mood words visuals! (Carrie)

= __**PRACTICAL RESOURCES**__ = ** Eather, Jenny. (2012). [|A Maths Dictionary for Kids]. Retrieved from [] ** This is an online dictionary with hundreds of mathematical vocabulary terms defined in kid-friendly language. It is interactive as well, in that once a term is clicked upon, there are opportunities to practice using the term or concept defined. Although it originates in The United Kingdom, thus the use of “maths” instead of “math” in the title, there did not seem to be disparities in the terms or definitions that would be problematic for students in U.S. schools. There are also tons of graphic organizers available and other supports for students. (Chris and Walleska) ** Edelson, John. (2012). VocabularySpellingCity.com. Retrieved from ** This is a web site that covers not only math, but all content, across all grades. It is extraordinary in that the math vocabulary section is designed to align with common core standards, and by covering all grades, helps to provide access for ELL students who may be placed in an 8th grade math class, but need to work on higher or lower grade vocabulary. The site also provides games and videos for students, and a plethora of lesson planning resources for teachers. (Chris and Walleska) This web site requires that one have use of a Smart Board in the classroom, or at the very least an access code to the Smart software, which can be used on a PC or Mac. It is excellent, however, because it provides lesson plans in multiple languages, covers all grade levels, and integrates mathematic vocabulary. The lesson plans are interactive, include activities, and build upon each other well. It is not only great for teachers, but for students as well. (Chris and Walleska)
 * [] **
 * SMART Technologies. (2011). Retrieved from [] **

This article highlights how math vocabulary is an essential building block to helping ELLs learn math and language. The author addresses the challenges that ELLs face in acquiring academic language, and examines how teaching math vocabulary can be compared to teaching a second language in addition to English. There are strategies suggested and anecdotes that bring the discussion alive. Finally, the author provides an in-depth list of resources for teachers and families of ELLs. (Chris and Walleska)
 * Robertson, K. (2009). [|Math Instruction for English Language Learners]. Retrieved from [] **

** McBride, W. (2010). , [|Vocabulary development for older students]. Retrieved on April 14, 2012 from [|__http://granitereading.org/Text/Vocabulary%20Dev%20-%20Handouts-1%20Day.pdf__] ** McBride provides worksheets that reaffirm the vocabulary strategies incorporated in August’s article. Her vocabulary sheets and exercises can be taught across various subjects. On page 22, she discusses a variation of the Frayer model called Concept Definition Mapping. In this graphic organizer, a word is placed in the center of the page and students are required to define the word, given any characteristics of the word and give examples and non - examples. On page 23 she provides a variation of this strategy by asking students to find the textbook, dictionary, and contextual definition of a word and then create their own definition as well as an example. What I like about this resource is that it demonstrates that definitions of words can vary depending on the context. In addition, it makes meaning using the prior knowledge of the students. I will use these strategies in my classroom by incorporating aspects of context into the Frayer model and asking students to look at the context in which the author uses the world. (Walleska and Chris)

Worksheets.com. (2010). ** Frayer Model ****. Retrieved on April 14, 2012 from [|__http://www.worksheetworks.com/miscellanea/graphic-organizers/frayer.html__] ** This website helps teachers and students create worksheets using the Frayer model. With this worksheet, teachers and students are able to provide the word they will be reviewing and the paper size and their worksheet is created. The four main segments are definitions, characteristics, examples and nonexamples. What I like about this resource is that it makes the Frayer model more accessible to teachers and students who are not acquainted with technology or do not know how to create an original template. Ways in which I would incorporate this into a classroom is by creating a list of vocabulary words that will be used in an upcoming unit and have students create their own worksheets This can increase student ownership over their work in the classroom. I would add more sections to this worksheet to incorporate more spaces for students to make deeper connections, such as original sentences, their own examples, and a drawing. (Walleska and Chris) ** [|Extending Vocabulary: Getting read] [|y] [| to read – Mathematics]. Accessed on April 14, 2012 from [|__http://oame.on.ca/main/files/thinklit/FrayerModel.pdf__] ** This article discusses way that teachers can assist students in expanding their mathematical literacy. The purpose is to identify unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary, then create a visual reference for these concepts and vocabulary to use in the future. Using this model is helpful because it allows students to make meaningful connections with the vocabulary and concepts based on their prior knowledge. Once completed, these sheets can be placed in a Word Wall or another equally visible place in the classroom where students can reference throughout their work with mathematics. This guide suggests that before beginning a unit, students and teacher would create a preview list of words associated with the unit. Together, they will find connections between the words, and then decide on words that have been most confusing for students as well as those necessary to develop a deeper understanding of the unit. During the Frayer Model activity, students are encouraged to work in small groups to find synonyms for the word and make connections on chart paper. Afterward, students are encouraged to reflect on the activity and to place the chart paper on the board for further use in the future. What I like about this activity is interdisciplinary and the process can be used across all subjects. I have used this model in mathematics and it has been hugely successful in assisting students to answer word problems. For example, there is a question on “bias” every year on the Integrated Algebra Regents. The use of this model assisted students in remembering the word and understanding the meaning in the context of the word problem. (Walleska and Chris)

** Web 2.0 Graphic Organizers. Retrieved on April 14, 2012 from [|__http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxpro5xHoDQ.__] ** media type="youtube" key="yxpro5xHoDQ" height="315" width="420" This video cements the importance of using Graphic Organizers, as teachers can help students organize and focus their thoughts on paper and review content. This video encourages teachers to make a website of all the graphic organizers so that it is in one area and accessible to everyone. What I like about the video is that it offers a great alternative for teachers who are running out of space and time to store the piles of papers produced from the Frayer model. By using the suggestions in this video, teachers can create a webpage that all students and faculty can access in order to study. I would like to incorporate this into my classroom, however, I have modified it so that I can create a book of vocabulary words for my students so that they can use it while they are reviewing for the Regents Exams in June. (Walleska and Chris)

**Diamond, L. & L. Gutlohn. (2006). [|Teaching Vocabulary]. LDOnline. Retrieved on April 14, 2013. [|__http://www.ldonline.org/article/9943/__] . ** Diamond and Gutlohn (2006) explain that vocabulary is acquired both intentionally through direct instruction and incidentally through indirect exposure. It does not identify a single method of teaching vocabulary, but instead highlights important tenets of intentional vocabulary instruction. These include: vocabulary must be presented within a context so that it goes beyond rote definition drills; students must become word conscious, or interested in playing with words; andwords must be seen in multiple contexts. For incidental vocabulary learning, students must read a lot and diversely. The article ends with 3 lesson models for learners and specific guidance on how the lessons can be applied to ELLs. The lessons include word consciousness using animal idioms, word-meaning recall using the keyword method, and contextual analysis by identifying types of context clues. (Carrie and Christine)

**Marzano, R. (2006). [|A Six Step Process for Teaching Vocabulary]. Accessed April 14, 2012. [|__http://www.matsuk12.us/matsu/lib/matsu/_shared/MSBSD_Forms/Education%20and%20Instruction/Curriculum/Marzano%20Vocabulary.pdf__] **Marzano explains concisely his six-step method for teaching vocabulary to students. The first three steps introduce students to the words, while the next three steps focus on reinforcing the new words. While the steps are not surprising and many teachers do these steps already to varying degrees, it is very useful to think about word instruction in this deliberate method. Below are the steps (in the article, each step is accompanied by a more detailed description that teachers can follow): Here is a [|series of resources] to support teachers in implementing the Six-Step Process. Note that these appear to have been developed separately from Marzano. (Carrie and Christine)
 * Stanford University, Word Sift Tool. Accessed April 14, 2012. ****[|__http://wordsift.com/__] **The Wordsift tool can be used to show words that frequently appear in a piece of text. Teachers can paste a piece of text in the Wordsift tool, and it will give student an immediate image showing which word occur frequently in a passage and which words are academic vocabulary. The tool also shows an entry to the visual thesaurus and provides associated images. This tool would work great in combination with a pre-reading strategy that defined or made predictions about words before reading a text. (Carrie and Christine)  media type="youtube" key="0OKthwmAlxA" height="315" width="420"
 * Step 1: EXPLAIN with a student-friendly definition
 * Step 2: RESTATE done by students through description or examples
 * Step 3: SHOW done by students through visual or graphic representations
 * Step 4: DISCUSS in structured vocabulary discussions
 * Step 5: REFINE the definition over time
 * Step 6: APPLY in learning games

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Though this article appears to be fluffy with all of its exclamation points, it actually contains many strategies for how to use a word wall as a means for vocabulary instruction. The first two sections discuss vocabulary at the early primary level, but the later sections discuss word wall use across grades and for older learners. In the younger grades word walls function as a giant thesaurus or dictionary, while in the older grades word walls are more often used to help master subject-specific vocabulary. Teachers set up word walls differently; for example, the words can be arranged alphabetically, by event, or by unit. While word wall may look and even be used differently, there are consistent best practices: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The site all has links to word wall lessons and ideas in the tab on the right side. Here are [|some examples] of word walls in action. (Carrie and Christine) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0849b9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__www.merriam-webster.com__] ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is an online dictionary that proves to be more than just a dictionary. This site is extremely useful for learners who learn best from words read to them since it has an audio feature, which pronounces each word looked up. On the main page you find various features such as Dictionary, Thesaurus, Spanish-English Dictionary, Medical and Encyclopedia. Aside from these features the website contains links to word games, word of the day, new words and slang and videos. The top 10 lists is quite educational as it teaches students the top 10 ten words across a variety of topics such as phrases, painting, colors, etc. Students can browse the site by topics and words and also see what are the most popular word searches within the past 24 hours up to 7 days. There are no games available, but the site does provide a vocabulary quiz that test how strong is your vocabulary, a visual quiz where you name the thing, and a true or false quiz. This dictionary is great to recommend to students to use when completing assignments, or can be used in the classroom to pre-teaching vocabulary before a specific reading. (Christine and Jennifer)
 * Education World. [|Teachers Say Word Walls Work]! Accessed April 14, 2012. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev086.shtml__] **
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Word walls should stem organically from the class.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Word walls must be referred to frequently in class to maintain relevance.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Word walls must be updated very regularly.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Word walls should be well-organized.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Achieve 3000** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0849b9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;"> [|__www.achieve3000.com__] ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Achieve 3000 provides online, differentiate instruction to improve students reading and writing. Once a student’s level is determined through the online assessments, activities are automatically modified by the system to meet that students level. The program provides a vocabulary feature based on vocabulary contained in that day’s reading. The feature gives the students the vocabulary word, its part of speech and definition. It also has an audio feature that reads the definition to the student and how the word is pronounced. This feature is great to pre-teach vocabulary to students before the reading to help them better understand the reading of the day. It also helps them in developing their vocabulary at their level, and as their level increases based on the multiple-choice activities, the readings and vocabulary get slightly harder. Although articles change everyday and each article introduces new vocabulary based on that day’s reading, a great supplemental activity to do in the classroom is to create a word wall with that day’s vocabulary that students can refer back to and practice. Also if you are working on a specific topic in another content class, you can search for an article within that topic and assign it on a given day to the students. This helps not only reinforce the topic they learned in class, but any vocabulary learned about that topic. (Christine and Jennifer)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A fast paced, multiplayer word game where you try to make as many small words as you can from the scrambled letters of a larger word. The students sign in with their name and once signed in they get to see the other players logged in. The students are given a set of scrambled letters they will use to create words within a minute. Once they submit the words, they gain points based on three to six letter words created (50-400 points). If the student is the first to create a word, they receive an additional 100 points. The higher a student’s score gets, the higher in ranks they raise among other competitors. A great way to keep track of scores and progress is by creating a chart in the classroom that students can view. Word Mayhem is a good vocabulary development game to use with students in the class, as they get to compete with each other and other competitors worldwide who are signed in. The site also provides various free games to use with students such an early learning activities, memory games, language arts and word problems, etc. Aside from the free activities, there are additional learning activities one can access for a small yearly fee, although the free activities seem quite as useful. (Christine and Jennifer) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**VocabAhead** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0849b9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">__[|www.vocaba]__ ****<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0849b9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__head.com__] ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A website used for teaching students elementary to SAT words. It contains a link in which students can watch short vocabulary videos based on different words. The vocabulary videos contain a picture of what the word means as an example, and provides the definition along with a sentence example. A good strategy to have students practice vocabulary building would be to have them make a list of words they are unfamiliar with in an assigned reading. Then have them look up the vocabulary word on this site and using a graphic organizer, write down the definition and examples given on the video. These videos are great for students who are Visual learners to further develop higher-level words they are having difficulties in. (Christine and Jennifer) **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quizlet ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This resource provides an opportunity for the teacher or students to personalize flashcards for units or individual students. Students can use this to look at front and back sides of flashcards (starting with the word or the definition) or to look at both simultaneously. Students can click a button to have words and definitions read to them if they struggle with decoding, pronunciation, or are visually impaired. Three functions exist for students to study these words: speller (students spell the word as it sounds), learn (definition is presented and student must type in the word), and test (open-ended with definition, multiple choice, and True/False). A matching game and a “space race” game that challenges students’ speed draw from each flashcard set. Student can send their results to their teacher to monitor their progress. (Jennifer and Carrie) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This website includes lists and descriptions of activities for use in the classroom for beginning, intermediate, and advanced level learners of vocabulary. Teachers can begin with introductory activities and then guide students through other activities and games as they progress to deeper understandings of words. The variety of activities provides entry points for visual and kinesthetic learners and include both activities that require collaboration and those that allow for individual work. There are activities listed for students of all ages. Teachers can use these activities with vocabulary words of their choice. (Jennifer and Carrie) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This website provides theme based lists of vocabulary words organized by subject area and further subdivided into topics. This could be used to enrich students’ content-specific vocabulary. Puzzles and activities complement these word lists. Additionally, there are activities geared towards teaching word parts. There is also a section for SAT word lists and activities. After completing the activities students can submit their answers to see if they are correct and if so, they can progress to the next level. (Jennifer and Carrie)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Learning Planet – Word Mayhem **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0849b9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;"> [|__http://members.learningplanet.com/act/wordmayhem/free.asp__] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Retrieved on April 24, 2012 from [|__http://quizlet.com/__] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vocab Activities for Students by Level **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Retrieved on April 24, 2012 from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://nclrc.org/teachers_corner/classroom_solutions_yana/vocabulary_activities.html__] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Vocabulary **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Retrieved on April 24, 2012 from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.myvocabulary.com/__] **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This book provides both a theoretical framework and practical strategies for vocabulary development for students at all levels. Topics include rationale for robust vocabulary instruction, choosing words to teach, introducing vocabulary, developing vocabulary, making the most of natural context, and enriching the verbal environment. It provides answers to teachers questions about how and what to teach as well as providing new, hopeful ways to think about vocabulary instruction. (Jennifer and Carrie)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing Words to Life. New York: The **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Guilford Press. **

= = =[|Free Rice]= World Food Programme (2012). //Free Rice.// Retrieved from http://www.freerice.com Free rice kills two birds with one stone. It provides increasingly difficult multiple choice vocabulary quizzes. For each question that is answered correctly, ten grains of rice are donated to the World Food Programme. (Drewe, Marina, Katie) =[|Brainpop]= Brainpop (2012). //Brainpop.com// Brainpop is one of the best websites I have found for enhancing my science curriculum. This website covers almost any topic you can think of- science, math, ela, esl, social studies. It is in a very kid friendly voice and the content is very well understood. It has 5 minute or less video clips for each topic and then offers activities and a quiz after viewing the video. I use this almost every day in my classroom. (Drewe, Marina, Katie)

=[|Fresh Tracks]= Urban Arts Partnership (2011). //US History Fresh Prep Tracklist.// Retrieved from http://www.myfreshprep.org ====Fresh Prep is a Regents prep curriculum created by Urban Arts Partnership, and associate musicians, artists, and teachers. It is a condensed program that teaches Global and United States History through hip hop songs. Important vocabulary words are highlighted in the on-screen lyrics, and I’ve found my students are much more likely to remember words like “détente” and “containment” when set to a rhythm. The entire curriculum is expensive and takes training, but both students and teachers can create a free account to access all of the tracks and lyrics on the website. (Drewe, Marina, Katie) ====

=[|100 Words for Freshmen]= Vocabulary.com (2012). //100 Words a high school freshman should know.// Retrieved from __[]__ This list was originally compiled by the editors of the American Heritage Dictionary, but it much more usable in its online form. Students can click on a word to see definitions and multiple uses in sentences from submissions and articles in the New York Times. Any word can be added to a personal list after creating a free account. (Drewe, Marina, Katie)

=[|Boggle's World ESL]= Chris Gun (2012). //Bogglesworld ESL Programs. Retrieved from// [] This is a great resource for homework or supplemental classwork worksheets. It has a lot of cloze activities (filling in the blanks with vocabulary words) which are very helpful for ELL’s learning new vocabulary. The website offers printable versions and also has games the kids can play online. (Drewe, Marina, Katie)

= [|Quizlet] = = quizlet.com = Quizlet offers a broad range of vocabulary lists and quizzes that can alse be turned into flash cards and printed for practice offline. It also allows both teachers and students to create their own quizzes and flashcards from class vocab lists or content units. (Drewe, Marina, Katie)

=[|ESL Tower]= Futungo Fusito (2012). //ESL TOWER.// [] ESL Tower is a wonderful website for students to practice their vocabulary skills in a gaming format. Kids can choose various different games that allow them to utilize their newly learned vocabulary. (Drewe, Marina, Katie)


 * [|Word Central] **

Merriam-Webster. //Word Central//. Retrieved May 9, 2014 at [|__http://www.wordcentral.com/games.html__]

This site offers several animated vocabulary games that are appropriate for middle or high school students. The game Robo-Bee asks the player to choose an appropriate word to complete a given sentence. This game particularly focuses on homonyms and words with similar spellings. The animations are fun and each game or round is limited to a finite number of questions that will allow students with limited stamina to complete the entire game without frustration. The game BigBot tests the players vocabulary knowledge of synonyms and antonyms and adds an extra element where the player has to find the right angle to “launch” the word into the robot’s mouth. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz)



= [|Knoword] =

Blades, T. (2012). Knoword. Retrieved May 10, 2014 from []

This is a simple, fun vocabulary quiz game for students with more advanced vocabulary skills. Players are presented with definitions and must type the appropriate vocabulary word that matches the meaning. The first letter of the word is always given, and players have one minute to identify as many words as possible. There is an option to skip over words if the player cannot think of the answer. Students will enjoy the fast pace of this game and the option to share one’s final score on social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter. This is a great independent activity to use as an extension for students who complete classwork early. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz)



= [|Visuwords] =

Visuwords online graphical dictionary. Retrieved May 10, 2014 from __http//__ [|__www.visuwords.com__]

This website is an online graphical dictionary that allows the user to type in any word and see a graphic word web that shows associations between the word and other terms. In order to see the definition of any word in the web, one moves the cursor over the word and the definition pops up. It can serve a thesaurus, showing synonyms and antonyms, and helps reinforce parts of speech through various graphic distinctions such as colors and qualities (shape, color) of the lines in the web. There is also an option to have the website produce graphic representations of random words. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz)



= [|PBSkids.org] =

PBS Kids. Word Girl Games. Retrieved May 11, 2014 from [|__http://pbskids.org/wordgirl/games/__]

PBS offers a wide variety of educational games on this site, particularly for elementary age students. The Word Girl character’s section provides many vocabulary-building games that are visually appealing, animated, and fun. The games include identifying antonyms in a “super hero-super villain” battle called Word Girl/Miss Power Face-Off and choosing appropriate words to complete an animated story called Power Words. The site features repetition, pronunciation of words as the cursor passes over them, and positive reinforcement for correct answers. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz)



= [|Tyrannosaurus Prep] =

SAT Tyrannosaurus Prep. Retrieved May 11, 2014 from [|__http://sat.tyrannosaurusprep.com__]

This is a simple site devoted to vocabulary building for the SAT examination. TO score points, the player must match a given definition with the correct one of five word options. After the player clicks on their answer, the definitions for all of the words are shown. The game keeps score of the player’s correct answers and allows the player to share their results on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This is a great tool for students to use either independently or on teams in a classroom or at home for extra vocabulary enhancement. There is also a GRE Tyrannosaurus Prep for even more advanced vocabulary skills. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz)



= [|eWord Game] =

Houghton Mifflin Company. eWord Game. Retrieved May 11, 2014 at

[|__http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ne/books/bkc/ewordgame/index.html__]

This site builds content-specific vocabulary for United States History and Government. The animated graphics are aimed at middle school aged students, but could be enjoyed and used by high school students as well. There are ten options for games that address various content and skills such as map reading vocabulary and specific eras in U.S. history. Players match definitions with their proper vocabulary terms in order to win a tic-tac-toe style game and move on to the next round. Players can hear the vocabulary terms by moving the cursor over them. This is an excellent independent activity for middle schoolers, but could also help high schoolers to review for the U.S. History and Government Regents examination. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz)

PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES media type="youtube" key="yTX-HTeMLX4" height="315" width="420" Frayer Model Method of teaching Vocabulary.

[|Colorin Colorado] American Federation of Teachers (2011). //Colorin Colorado.// Retrieved from [] This helped me to understand how important teaching vocabulary really is. It offers various strategies for teaching vocabulary in the classroom. It gives a pretty good base on how to teach- from the pre-understanding phase to the comprehension phase. Also, this offers quite a few resources to use with the kids in the classroom. (Marina, Drewe, Katie)

[|Susan Fitzell] Susan Fitzell (2012). //The Learning Strategies Guru.// Retrieved from [] This page is chock full of resources for the ELL and special education teacher. It provides vocabulary teaching strategies as well as strategies for use in your classroom everyday. She has a well organized site with many strategies insisting on the use of technology. (Marina, Drewe Katie)

[|Susan Hentz] Susan Hentz (2011). //Valuable Innovative Educational Wisdom.// Retrieved from [] This site is useful for finding strategies for a diverse group of learners in the classroom. She provides vocabulary teaching interventions for ELL's and students with special needs. She provides lesson plans, activities, various teaching products and strategies that can be used to help all types of learners. (Marina, Drew, Katie)

[|Reading Rockets] WETA Washington, D.C. (2012). //Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle.// Retrieved from [] This website provides students with activities and videos about various content related vocabulary. They are actively engaged in the vocabulary learning process while on this website. It also has helpful strategies for teachers, parents and any other helpers of those with learning difficulties. (Marina, Katie, Drewe)

[|ELL Kids] Apple Area School District (2012). //ELL Kids.// Retrieved from [] This site provides parents, students and teachers with interactive strategies for teaching vocabulary. You can use this site for kids in the classroom as a teaching tool, assign parts of it for homework, instruct parents to perform activities with their kids at home. (Marina, Drewe, Katie)

Books Beers, K (2003). When Kids Can’t Read. Heinemann. Portsmouth, NH Chapter nine of Beers’ book gives whole class examples of ways teachers can implement vocabulary instruction into their classrooms. She recommends vocabulary trees, logographic cues, and various exercises to deepen students’ understanding of new words and arm them with the skills to figure out unknown words. (Marina, Drewe, Katie)

Tovani, C. (2000). I Read It, but I Don’t Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Strategies. Stenhouse Publishers, Portland, ME. Tovani offers practical suggestions for helping to make the reading process transparent for students and relates vocabulary discovery back to reading comprehension. (Marina, Drewe, Katie)

Short, D., Vogt, M., & Echevarria, J. (2012). //The siop model for teaching science to english learners//. Allyn & Bacon. This book is from the same company who publishes the SIOP model of training for teachers. It is a way to teach vocabulary through the content. It is focused entirely on ELL’s and offers ways for ELL’s to be successful in the science specific classroom. It provides ways to teach vocabulary, giving suggestions for specific methods and procedures, as well as activities that can be done in order to reinforce the learned vocabulary. (Marina, Drewe, Katie)

Vogt, M., & Echevarria, J. (2008). //Ninety-nine ideas and activities for teaching english learners with the siop model//. Allyn & Bacon. This is a great resource for teachers. It is part of the SIOP model of teaching which focuses on teaching English through the content subjects. This particular book offers 99 different strategies to teach vocabulary and difficult concepts to beginning English Language learners. It has activities and strategies that can be used in any subject area.

Group, G. S. E. (2004). //Sciencesaurus, a student handbook//. Great Source Education Group Inc -This is a book I use to introduce topics to the students. It’s very user friendly to them, the print is larger than usual, the main words are found in bold, and the vocabulary is presented in a beginner English format. It covers almost all of the topics I have covered in my class throughout the year. I only use this when I need the kids to read about something in an elementary way. Otherwise, we stay away from textbooks.

__**PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES**__

** Simmons, E. (2002). Visualizing Vocabulary. National Writing Project, The Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 3. Retrieved on April 14, 2012 from [| __http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/403__] ** In this article, Simmons describes a series of activities that were successful in aiding her high school students’ vocabulary acquisition. She states that it is not enough to ask a student what a word means, and that teachers must realize that fewer students are obtaining meaningful vocabulary while at home.. As a result, she affirms activities that are used in the Frayer model, which are to make vocabulary visual by involving students in making personal meanings and helping them understand the relationship among words. She describes these activities as participating in “a kind of literacy detective work,” because students are asked to find the prefix and suffix of words and are also asked to draw an example of the word on the card, making another connection. Finally, after completing the graphic organizer, students are directed to the text to find out how the author used the word. Likewise, another activity she uses is “illustrated opposites,” where students are asked to visual fonts as people, and to use these fonts to illustrates opposite words on a page. For example, the word “naughty” would be written at the top of the page and “nice” at the bottom of the page, each in their own distinct font. This relates to vocabulary acquisition because it uses aspects of the Frayer model to help students make connections to the words. What I like about this resource is that it is very student-driven and positions students at the center of making meaning. I incorporated some of the strategies that Simmons offered by adding another sections to the Frayer Model that asks students to draw an example of this word and write antonyms of the word on their graphic organizer. The drawing section is optional. (Walleska and Chris) ** August, D., Carlo, M., Dressler, C., & Snow, C. (2005). The Critical Role of Vocabulary Development for English Language Learners. Volume: 20:1, pp. 50-57. **** Retrieved April 14, 2012 from ** ** [|__http://macmillanmh.com/LAUSD_econsultant/rla/assets/papers/vocabdev_ell.pdf__] ** This article highlights the obstacles that Emerging Bilinguals or English Language Learners (ELLs) face during their content acquisition. August et. al underscore that the slow vocabulary acquisition serves as a barrier to grade level texts, putting them at a further disadvantage as compared to their monolingual peers. As a result, Emerging Bilinguals are more likely to be recommended for Special Education as a result of their low test scores. The authors identify problems with teaching vocabulary to ELLs, such as deciding which words to teach and working with the limited time afforded to vocabulary instruction during the academic school day and year. This article offers lessons in effective vocabulary development rooted in using the students’ first language as a point of access to English by ensuring that Emerging Bilinguals know basic root words. The second method is to provide sufficient reinforcement within the lesson and make connections to the life of each student. This heavily relates to my topic because the Emergent Bilinguals in my classroom are consistently being left behind in many lessons. This article cements the idea that the student’s first language must be used as a point of entry for instruction in vocabulary. I will use this in my classroom when attempting to teach a new word to Emerging Bilinguals who also have limited educational experience in their native country. (Walleska and Chris)

** Bresser, R., Felux, C., Melanese, K., Sphar, C, & Willig, C. (2012). 10 Ways to Help ELLs Succeed in Math. Retrieved from www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753593 ** This article combines the expertise of five ELL instructors to briefly assess what strategies work best when supporting ELLS in math, particularly in terms of acquiring and using math vocabulary. Perhaps the most unique and useful information for educators in this article pertains to ways in which differentiation is discussed and approached, not only regarding English proficiency, but also math proficiency for ELLS. As a teacher, one must consider using math vocabulary that not only matches the ELL student’s English level, but also math knowledge level. (Walleska and Chris)

This is a comprehensive guide that integrates literacy research and pedagogical perspectives in direct reference to ELL and math. It is inclusive of both teachers and administrators, lesson planning and assessment, and learning levels as well as ELLs struggling with learning disabilities. While it is aimed at the educational system in Canada, its applicability is apparent not only in the U.S., but elsewhere, as it is grounded in academic research about literacy and language acquisition. (Walleska and Chris) ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kinsella, K., Stump, C., Feldman, K. (2002). Strategies for Vocabulary Development. Retrieved from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0849b9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.phschool.com/eteach/language_arts/2002_03/essay.html__] ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This article provides practical and effective strategies that high school teachers can use with diverse learners to enhance vocabulary development and increase reading comprehension. It provides insight into practices that do not work, based on the limited or rote interaction students have with the new word and concepts and practices that do work based on integration, repetition and meaningful use. The article provides a variety of strategies, from how to briefly build vocabulary development to learning challenging words. It also provides practical strategies on how to teach word parts and root words. The assessment formats are helpful strategies that can be incorporated into any classroom. (Christine and Jennifer)
 * Ministry of Education, Ontario, Canada. (2005). Developing Mathematical Literacy for All. A Focus on English Language Learners. Retrieved from [|__http://mathfocus.hcpss.wikispaces.net/file/view/ELLMath4All.pdf__] **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This article provides a sample lesson session from Scholastic Red, an online professional development program, on vocabulary development. The session is broken up into three parts: Owning Words and Word Knowledge, What Words to Teach, and Model Lesson. The session provides supplemental videos on motivation and focus, self-expectations and teach/model to use as resource. There are also links to a lesson plan and helpful graphic organizers the students can use for vocabulary development. (Christine and Jennifer) **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">PD 360- Professional Development on Demand <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(Professional Resource) ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This web-based resource is available for school subscriptions. It provides a large bank of videos for teachers to use as support for their practice. A search of “vocabulary development” provides 124 results that include videos geared towards both elementary and secondary instruction. Many videos target vocabulary development for English Language Learners. This is for professional use to improve teacher practice. (Jennifer and Carrie)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Alexander, F. Professional Development Tutorial: Increasing Vocabulary. Retrieved from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0849b9; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/professional-development-tutorial-increasing-vocabulary__] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Retrieved on April 24, 2012 from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__www.pd360.com__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This article provides teachers with lesson plans and activities for vocabulary instruction for grades three through eight across content areas. Although these activities focus on elementary and middle school levels, some of the activities and concepts are also applicable for students at the high school level. These activities and lesson plans include working with synonyms, using existing vocabulary to teach new words, and using prefixes and root words to learn new words through games and stories. (Jennifer and Carrie) ** Mixan, M. (2013). In-depth Study of Vocabulary Development. [|Reading Improvement], 50, ** **118-120.** Retrieved from []
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Alexander, F. Teaching Vocabulary: Lesson Plans and Activities from Scholastic Professional Books. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Retrieved on April 29, 2012 from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/teaching-vocabulary-lesson-plans-and-activities-scholastic-professional-books **

=
This article reinforced the idea that an effective way to learn new words is to have continuous exposure to even more words. Embedded within this article is this push to incorporate as many different learning styles as possible to provide opportunities for students to interact with new vocabulary. “Teachers can take advantage of adult-children interactions in the classroom to model the use of sophisticated language.” (Lane & Allen, 2010, p. 366) An example of this would be utilizing a description of a higher-tiered vocabulary word, such as, “weather watcher” and as students become familiar with that word, introducing the term “meteorologist”. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz) ======

** [|Wilhelm, J. D.], [|Ed.] (2013). The question of teaching vocabulary: Which words? In what ways? [|Voices from the Middle] ** **, 20(4), 49-52.** Retrieved from [] What specific words do our students need? What words are most worth teaching? We should choose words that need to be used a lot in the reading, in the inquiry we are pursuing, in disciplinary work now and in the students’ future. The word should also be necessary for conceptual understanding related to what we are doing now and what I hope students will do in the future. The word should be a gateway to learning other words and concepts by helping us to learn root words and concepts and the nature of morphology. (Authors: Mei Ling, Liz)