Academic Vocabulary is a part of instruction in Streamwood High School Classes.

Social Studies, World Language, Music, and Art Divisional Mike Demovsky, at Streamwood High School says teachers in World Language, Social Studies, History and Art classes have made a commitment to incorporating academic vocabulary into their teaching. The Marzano process for teaching vocabulary is used in a number of curricular areas. This research-based method of teaching vocabulary helps students not only learn the word, but learn it in a way that encourages them to develop their own understanding and eventually be able to use as a part of their conversations and writing. 

Perhaps the most innovative approach to incorporating academic vocabulary occurs when you walk down the hall and see the words surrounded by drawings in the art wing.

Practicing their drawing skills, students created pictures that illustrate the words in different content area. They were then challenged in class to look at the drawing and match it to the academic vocabulary words. This activity then moved to the hallway where all students could participate in the activity and practice their vocabulary words.  Click to see more of the students work.

In a history classroom the words appear on a wall with the specific words students are working on pulled out to the side. This changing format keeps students focused on new vocabulary.  Words already taught are not forgotten after the unit but continue to come up in classroom discussions, reinforcing learning.

This process continues in History classes,

And World Language classes throughout Streamwood High School.