Around we go the Vocabulary Carousel

Vocabulary. The word alone can bring instant boredom to any student. But, research (Marzano) has proven that the more opportunities students have to interact with words, the better they retain the meaning and acquire a richer vocabulary. So, put away those dictionaries and try a vocabulary carousel during your next vocabulary instruction! The best part about this activity is that you can use it for just about any subject and it's fun!

 Before introducing new words for a story or unit, I first type out the words and find a picture to represent the word. 

I also type the definitions to the words and place it under the document camera for the students to see.

I then scatter the vocabulary cards around the student desks. My student desks are arranged in groups, so my students travel to each table group and read the vocabulary card that is on that table group. The students' goal is to see if they can figure out the meaning of the word on their own. Notice that the vocabulary words are not included with the definitions above? The students look at the picture on the vocabulary card along with the part of speech and try to figure out the meaning of the word by using the definitions I typed to help them.

My students then record their guesses on the paper I provided below. They record the word from the vocabulary card and write which definition number they think belongs to that word. The students work in teams of four and I give them about 2 minutes at each table group. Once time is up, they travel to the next table group and so on until they've made it around to each word. I love the discussion the students have when trying to figure out the meaning of the vocabulary terms!

Once they are finished, we discuss the words and what the actual definitions are. I definitely see my students grasp the vocabulary words with this activity much more than they would if I were to simply tell them the meanings on my own.

What do you do to introduce or teach new vocabulary terms in your classroom?

Prefixes and Suffixes (I can't think of an interesting title for this, so this is about as creative as it's going to get!)

Hello bloggy buddies! We are so thrilled to have some new followers! Thank you so much for following our little piece of the blog world. We are happy you're here. 

Part of our word study in third grade is to understand the meaning of prefixes and suffixes. Prior to third grade, the students come in with some basic knowledge of prefixes such as -un, or -re. To help teach my kids about prefixes and suffixes, I have a new prefix or suffix that we focus on for the week. On Monday morning the students see a new set of prefixes or suffixes on the bulletin board.

Before being introduced to the new prefix/suffix of the week, the students rate their understanding of the prefix/suffix in their vocabulary notebook (this is a Marzano strategy). 1 = they have never heard of this prefix/suffix 2 = maybe they have heard of the prefix/suffix, but they're not too sure about what it means 3 = they have some knowledge of the prefix/suffix we're studying 4 = they know everything their is to know about this week's prefix/suffix. 

Next, I call them over to the rug and we will talk about the prefix/suffix of the week and some of the words associated with it. The students share their new knowledge of the words with an elbow partner at the rug.

The students add the prefix/suffix in their vocabulary notebook as pictured above. Throughout the week they have many opportunities to add to their word list and share their knowledge with others. I encourage the students to come up with new words containing the prefix/suffix we're studying. I'm often surprised by the lists they bring to me!  We continually go back and review previously learned words as well through games or short discussions. 

One way that students share their understanding of words with each other is through a simple strategy called, "Stand up, Hand up, Pair up."  I am all for any activity that allows students to get out of their seats and get some oxygen to their brains! Once I say, "Stand up, hand up," the students walk around the room with their vocabulary notebook. I usually play music on my ipod while they circulate the room. Once I say, "pair up!" they high-five the person closest to them. When they're paired up, I may ask them to share something with their partner, like the illustration they drew for instance. 

In addition to teaching a weekly prefix or suffix, I also teach these in context as they show up in reading or spelling. Many students will point out the prefixes/suffixes we've learned when they're reading. 

I also provide the students with other opportunities for review and exposure to words. In the activity below, the students match the words with the corresponding prefix or suffix in the "Prefix and Suffix Families" book. There is Velcro on the words and the houses.

I have some of the activities shown in the pictures above available for download, but they're on my school computer. I will hopefully get those uploaded for you next time. Please share ways that you teach vocabulary in your classrooms! We would love to hear your ideas! We hope you have a great week!