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Middle school teachers at Larsen Middle School are focusing in on academic vocabulary words. The process includes an introduction of the word with a discussion that leads to the development of a student-friendly definition. Students then create an illustration of the word that is meaningful to them. Throughout the school year vocabulary activities provide opportunities for students to return to the words and expand their understanding.
The words are a prominent part of the classroom environment. Each teacher has a unique way of displaying the words in their classrooms and creating activities that afford students opportunities to revisit the words.
While it may take longer in the initial stages to institute the academic vocabulary process, all the work with the words in the beginning of a unit make the terms more meaningful to students when they come up. This provides a stronger base for learning than simply rote learning of words that are later forgotten.
All the teachers reported that this type of instruction was particularly helpful for English Language Learners. While they may have trouble with some of the terms they were able to get their point across as an illustration and were able to develop an understanding looking at other students illustrations. The teachers also found they were able to spot students with problems understanding through their illustrations – or lack of. They were able to address problems early ensuring a better understanding of subject matter.
The following examples were found at Larsen Middle School.
Classroom Displays:
Vocabulary Activities:
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