Building the Natural Vocabulary

Skill: Acquiring Vocabulary

Strategy: When you find a new word, add it to your sticky note. Then, add it to our interactive word wall. On Monday, present your words to your classmates. On Friday, we have a vocabulary quiz!.

Rationale: Teaching them not to wait for the teacher to give them a vocabulary/spelling list but to be able to identify unknown/unfamiliar words when they read, independently. That way, they’ll continue learning new words, forever and always! This strategy transcends beyond a classroom..

Standard: CCSS Language 8.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (For those that ask how I balance the standards with their independent reading books!)

As you can see, in this video, some of the words are not “8th grade” words.. which is even more of a reason to do this strategy, in addition to teaching them “grade leveled” vocabulary words. They need to know both.