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Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

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Students will identify the meanings of complex words in a first-grade text.

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Examples of Classroom Vocabulary Assessments

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Examples of Classroom Vocabulary Assessments

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This website contains examples of vocabulary assessments for teachers to conduct to drive their future instruction. Additionally, I chose this resource because it  includes examples of practical pre-assessments.

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Classroom Vocabulary Assessment for Content Areas

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What are some ways that we can gauge vocabulary development in the content areas? In this article, the authors explain how the intricacies of word knowledge make assessment difficult, particularly with content area vocabulary. They suggest ways to improve assessments that more precisely track studen…

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This website contains a list, along with descriptions, of engaging iPad apps that facilitate vocabulary acquisition. These apps can be used as remediation activities for struggling students.

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A child's vocabulary can be expanded through repeated exposure to new words and by thinking about word meanings. We've found apps that engage young children in crossword and Scrabble type games. Other apps focus on specific word meaning skills by highlighting word opposites, synonyms, and homophones. Many of the games can be played together or side-by-side. Have fun and encourage new words!

Many of the reviews we link to are from Common Sense Education, a trusted resource for learning about apps and other edtech tools.

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A child's vocabulary can be expanded through repeated exposure to new words and by thinking about word meanings. We've found apps that engage young children in crossword and Scrabble type games. Other apps focus on specific word meaning skills by highlighting word opposites, synonyms, and homophones.

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Sorting Activity - Possible Centers Activity

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Sorting Activity - Possible Centers Activity

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This video displays unique examples of sorting or classifying word activities to test our students' understanding of the words they learned. I love the usage of cut-out keys and triangles to highlight the classification of words.

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This resource is a worksheet of a picture dictionary that students can complete. This worksheet enables them to record and visualize the words.

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Picture Dictionary | Worksheet | Education.com

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Help your students learn new vocabulary by creating their own picture dictionaries! Students will quickly master their new words with this handy chart that has them logging the word, a picture, a definition, and a sentence that puts the word into context.

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This website provides a list of ten games to help ELLs acquire vocabulary words. These games can engage and motivate ELLs with their vocabulary acquisition.

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Building vocabulary is an essential part of learning English.

But without the right activities, learning new words can feel boring or repetitive.

To keep your ESL students engaged and entertained, incorporate some vocabulary games into your lessons.

In this post, you'll get 10 vocabulary games to add to your ESL arsenal that you can whip out whenever the lesson gets dull. It's amazing what a difference a few fun games can make!

Contents

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. Last Man Standing

Materials needed: a ball that can be passed around

This game is fast-paced but allows students some time to think. It also encourages peer learning, as students will pick up on words they hear others speaking.

To play the game:

Grab a ball and have all the students form a circle.

Name a category or theme, such as things found in a kitchen, food, professions, and so on.

Begin by tossing the ball to a student. That student will shout a word related to the theme and throw the ball to another student.

As each person catches the ball, they need to come up with another word that fits the theme. If they repeat a word that has already been said or can't think of a new one within a few seconds, they're out and must sit on the sidelines. Don't worry, they'll still be learning!

Take things up a notch with a different version of "Last Man Standing." Instead of naming a theme for the whole game, each student gives the next student a new theme.

For example, you might start off with "something red." The first student to catch the ball could say "strawberry" and then chooses another topic like "animals" and throws the ball to the next student. This makes the game much more difficult, since students can't think of a word until they know what their theme is.

2. Pictionary

Materials needed: cards from the Pictionary board game (or make your own), a chalkboard/whiteboard and something to keep time

Most English speakers are familiar with the drawing game Pictionary. You can use the cards from the actual board game to create a classroom activity that will thrill your students.

To play in a classroom with many students, it's not very practical to use the game board. This means you'll be using the chalkboard or whiteboard at the front of the room.

Divide the class into two teams and create a small column for each team on one side of the board. You'll record their points here.

Have one person from Team A come up to the front. Have the student draw a card (try using Pictionary Junior cards if the adult ones are too advanced for your class). Alternatively, you can write words on slips of paper for students to choose.

The student must convey the word to his or her team using only drawings. Students cannot use words, symbols or hand gestures.

Limit the time to three minutes maximum. Each correct word is a point and the first team to get 10 points is the winning team.

3. Charades

Materials needed: slips of paper with vocabulary words written on them, something to keep time

Charades is quite similar to Pictionary, but it uses actions to communicate the secret word in place of photos. This is a great game for those days when your class is dragging and people are falling asleep. Get them up and moving!

Write down words on slips of paper for students to choose from. Verbs are likely to be the easiest, but you can also use more complicated words, provided you are sure most of the students know them.

Divide the class into two teams and have one person from each team choose a piece of paper and act out the word.

The teams must guess the correct word before three minutes run out. For each correct word, that team receives a point. The team that hits ten points first is the winning team.

4. Taboo Words

Materials needed: pieces of paper with vocabulary words written on them, something to keep time

Taboo Words helps students practice using synonyms and descriptions.

Separate the class in half and have the two teams sit on opposite sides of the room, facing each other.

Each team will choose a person to sit in front of their team, facing them in the "hot seat." You'll stand behind the students and hold up a piece of paper with a word on it. The students in the hot seats will not be able to see these papers.

Teams have three minutes (or any amount of time you want to set) to get their hot seat member to say the word on the paper. The catch is, they can't say the word under any circumstances.

If you have more than 12 students in a class, things can get a little chaotic with this game. In this case, it's usually simpler to divide everyone into teams of 5-6 people and have only one team go at a time.

5. 20 Objects

Materials needed: a desk or table, 20 small items and a sheet or something similar to cover items with

Test your students' memories and vocabulary at the same time with this fun game!

Arrange the objects on the desk and let students gather around to look at them.

After one minute, cover everything with a sheet (or something similar) and send everyone back to their seats.

Each student should write out as many items as they can remember on a piece of paper, all in English.

When everyone is done, write a list of the items on the board and allow students to self-correct. Alternatively, you can call out the objects and give a point for each one that is correctly written.

6. Categories

Materials needed: a piece of paper and something to write with for each student

Students will beg to play this game once they get the hang of it! It's a great way to fill up the last few minutes of class, too.

Have students draw six columns on their paper and write a category at the top of each column. You can choose categories that fit what you've been studying in class or go with some basics. Popular categories include food, names, cities or countries, furniture, verbs and clothing.

Choose a random letter and write it on the board.

Give students enough time to write down a word for each category that starts with that letter. Or, make it a race to see who can write a word for each category first. When they're done, they yell "Categories!" and everyone must stop.

You can repeat with new letters as many times as you like.

For more advanced students, you can push them to come up with more unique words by awarding 10 points per completed category if no other student wrote the same word or 5 points if more than one student wrote the word.

7. Letter Scramble

Materials needed: a list of vocabulary words

This is a fun game that you can use at the end of class when you need to fill time but also want to make it educational. Beyond working with the vocabulary your students are learning, this game will stretch their brains and make them think in a different way.

Take a list of words that your students have recently learned and write a scrambled version of each on the board.

Allow students to unscramble the words on their paper.

The first student to finish deciphering all the words wins.

You can also have each student find a word in their book or materials and write a scrambled version on the board one at a time. Then have the whole class try to figure it out together!

8. Chalkboard Acronym

Materials needed: a chalkboard and chalk or whiteboard and markers

This is a fun way to see how many words your students have learned-the result might surprise them!

Write a word vertically on the board.

Ask students to come up, one at a time, to write a word starting with each letter of the vertical word. For example:

C ute

U nder

P orcelain

Make this tougher by requiring the words to be related to the acronym. Or add some competition by dividing the class into two teams and having them race to finish filling in the words.

9. What Am I Thinking Of?

Materials needed: blank pieces of paper and something for students to write with

If you've ever played 20 Questions, you already know how this game goes. To make it a little easier on your students, however, you're going to include some clues.

Pair students up and have them think of an object.

Each student should write 5-10 words describing the object on a piece of paper.

When you call time, the students swap papers and try to figure out what the other person described.

The first team to have both words guessed correctly wins.

10. Word Bingo

Materials needed: bingo sheets with a 4×4 grid and a vocabulary word in each square, something to cover squares with (or pencils with erasers)

You'll need to do a little preparation for this game, but it's well worth it.

Hand out your bingo sheets (each one should be unique) and have students mark the correct word (and repeat it out loud) when you call it out. The first person to finish marking their entire page wins.

There are some fun variations to Word Bingo!

Picture Bingo: Use pictures on the Bingo card and call out the words that relate.

Synonym Bingo: Get those brains working by giving students a word that means the same thing as a word on their card.

Antonym Bingo: This is just as it sounds. Call out the antonyms of words on their cards and see how many students get it.

Video Bingo: Instead of calling out individual words, make the game more challenging by playing a video that has the words on students' bingo cards. This will encourage students to listen closely and provide a more natural way to practice.
You can use FluentU for this variation of the Bingo game. Choose from over 1,000 authentic videos in English by searching for specific words to find a video that features them, or choose a video aligned with your students' interests (like a scene from their favorite movie).

Each video has a key word list before you play it, which you can use to populate your Bingo boards. And with the program's interactive subtitles, the students won't have a problem catching each word on their Bingo sheet as it comes up!

These vocabulary games will make your ESL lessons a little more exciting. They also incorporate a variety of different language skills including reading, speaking and listening.

Whatever game you choose, try to maintain a good balance of fun and productive learning. And keep in mind that games make great rewards for when your students do well in class!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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10 Fun Vocabulary Games for Your ESL Classroom | FluentU English Educator Blog

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Vocabulary games can up the excitement level of your ESL lessons and keep your students engaged. From a variation on Pictionary to word Bingo and more, these 10 games will make vocabulary practice more fun and help your students remember the words you've taught them. Check out the list with helpful tips for playing!

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The teacher can use Google Translate to incorporate a student's native language into his or her instruction. For example, teachers can find what certain English words mean in Spanish and incorporate them in their  vocabulary lessons.

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Google’s service, offered free of charge, instantly translates words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages.

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Because I plan to use the read-aloud strategy to teach vocabulary words, I can create an  audiobook of the literature with Spark Video (only for personal, classroom use).

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Ways to Integrate Technology into Vocabulary Instruction

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Ways to Integrate Technology into Vocabulary Instruction

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This article provides technology-enhanced vocabulary strategies or activities for teachers to implement. One example is for students to create media of the vocabulary words. Overall, the strategies encourage students to be independent word learners.

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An eVoc strategy is an electronic or technology-based strategy that teachers can use to develop students' vocabulary learning and interest in words. We use the term eVoc both to highlight that the strategies rely on digital tools and resources and to suggest the evoking of learning potential that is possible when technology and media are part of the instructional mix.

As literacy educators, we need to use the tools that 21st-century technologies afford us (International Reading Association, 2009). Nearly 100% of schools in the United States have Internet access (Wells & Lewis, 2006). In 2010, we can assume that access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) will continue to improve with the increased availability of inexpensive mobile devices and the U.S. Department of Education's inclusion of technology in education reform (National Education Technology Plan, 2010).

Although the pervasiveness of ICTs in all aspects of 21st-century life is quite clear and well accepted, it is less clear how teachers might successfully integrate technology into literacy instruction and specifically vocabulary instruction. Improving students' vocabulary is an area of urgent need if we are to develop the advanced literacy levels required for success in school and beyond (Biancarosa & Snow, 2006; Graves & Watts-Taffe, 2008). Vocabulary is also an area where teachers are asking for guidance on instructional approaches, strategies, and materials (Berne & Blachowicz, 2008). We believe that digital tools and media are available in most schools that teachers could harness now to improve vocabulary learning, tools that capture the interest of students and that provide scaffolds and contexts in which to learn with, and about, words more profitably.

The purpose of this article is to highlight 10 eVoc strategies that hold promise for improving vocabulary learning in intermediate grades and that employ digital tools and resources that are readily available and feasible to implement in today's schools. Given the fast pace of technology innovation, not all of these eVoc strategies have direct research evidence; however, they are all supported by research on effective vocabulary instruction, much of it carried out with print materials (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2000; Pearson, Hiebert, & Kamil, 2007), and multimedia learning (Fadel & Lemke, 2008; Mayer, 2001).

We encourage teachers to select one or more of these eVoc strategies to try out and adapt to their particular students, curricula, and teaching context. We hope that they share their successes and limitations with their colleagues and with the broader literacy community on the Internet. In the following sections, we first summarize research on vocabulary learning and then present 10 eVoc strategies organized by three principles of vocabulary instruction applied in a digital context. Across all three areas, the role of interest and engagement with words and word learning is addressed.

What does research tell us about vocabulary learning?

Even within our increasingly visual world (Kress, 2003), words remain our pr imar y means of communicat ion. The Nat ional Reading Panel Report (NICHD, 2000) and the RAND Reading Study Group (2002) heightened the importance of vocabulary instruction for student literacy learning. Books and articles on vocabulary instruction are popular (e.g., Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2008; Blachowicz & Obrochta, 2005; Graves & Watts-Taffe, 2008), and research on vocabulary is enjoying renewed attention.

Why is vocabulary learning so important? To understand a text, one must understand the words that represent the ideas or concepts. Studies confirm the high correlation (0.6 to 0.8) between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension (Baumann & Kame'enui, 2004; Pearson et al., 2007). We also know that there are degrees of word knowledge, from "I've never heard this word before," to "I know this word and can apply it in multiple contexts" (Lubliner & Scott, 2008), as well as metacognitive knowledge about how to apply prior knowledge and strategies to vocabulary learning (Beck et al., 2008).

Of particular concern to educators is the development of academic language. Although we learn oral language that enables us to speak to one another fairly easily, learning academic language is more complex because it involves abstract literacy tasks and language not customarily used in oral speech (Fang, Schleppegrell, & Cox, 2006; Zwiers, 2007). Academic language is a second language, because all literate people must learn it to enable them to access academic content (Solomon & Rhodes, 1995).

For English learners (ELs), academic language may represent the task of learning a third language. Thus, special care must be taken to give them every advantage in learning academic language, particularly in content areas. For example, research suggests that Spanish-speaking students can be taught to recognize cognates (i.e., words with similar meanings that look and sound alike in two languages, such as operation [English] and operación [Spanish]) and use cognate information to comprehend English texts (Lubliner & Grisham, in press; Proctor, Dalton, & Grisham, 2007).

We know that there is a wide range in students' word knowledge and that as early as age 5, there is a 30-million-word exposure gap between "haves" and "have nots" (Hart & Risley, 1995). The results of this gap are manifested in students' literacy learning, particularly reading comprehension. The Matthew Effect, where strong readers get stronger and weak readers get weaker (Stanovich, 1986), as well as the fourth-grade reading slump (Chall & Jacobs, 2003), can be attributed, at least in part, to a less developed store of conceptual knowledge and vocabulary.

The good news is that we can improve vocabulary learning and address the gap by actively and systematically teaching vocabulary to our students (Pearson et al., 2007; Zwier s, 2007). Teaching words, morphology, and word origins is an important component in any vocabulary learning program. It is also necessary to provide multiple exposures to the word in different contexts and to teach word learning strategies, such as using context clues, cognate information, and deciding when a word is important to know and remember. Although teaching can make a real difference in vocabulary learning, explicit teaching of vocabulary is not enough; a dedicated teacher can teach perhaps 300-400 words per year (Beck et al., 2008).

Direct vocabulary instruction is essential, but research indicates that students with well-developed vocabulary learn many more words indirectly through reading than from instruction (Cunningham & Stanovich, 2001; Nagy & Herman, 1985). Two strategies that encourage children to read widely and deeply are to provide an array of reading materials that capitalize on their interests and to set aside time for reading during the school day and at home (Trelease, 2006). Conversations about their reading with adults and peers also strengthen students' word learning (Biemiller & Boote, 2006).

Whether directly teaching vocabulary and word learning strategies, or increasing students' volume of reading, an important research-based principle that applies across the board is to promote a lively interest in words through student expression and participation in a learning community that enjoys playing with words, builds on individual interests as well as curriculum needs, and emphasizes self-efficacy in word learning (Beck et al., 2008; Graves & Watts- Taffe, 2008).

These recommendations to improve vocabulary by encouraging wide reading, teaching words and word learning strategies, and promoting active learning and interest in words are not new. The purpose of this article is to encourage teachers to apply these research-based recommendations in new ways, using digital tools, media, and the Internet-that is, to deploy technology in service of vocabulary learning.

Despite the ubiquity of technology and media, it is not on teachers' priority lists of vocabulary instruction strategies and materials (Berne & Blachowicz, 2008). We address this gap by offering 10 eVoc strategies organized into three instructional areas. First, we offer strategies for teaching words and word learning strategies. Second, we focus on on-demand digital language tools to support just-in-time strategic vocabulary learning and reading. Third, we suggest ways to increase the volume of reading to support students' incidental vocabulary learning. Along the way, we offer ways to stimulate students' interest in words and self-efficacy. Technology, when used flexibly in response to students' varied needs and interests, can and should be part of the solution to the vocabulary gap.

Teaching and learning vocabulary

The first five eVoc strategies focus on explicit teaching of vocabulary and helping students become independent word learners.

eVoc strategy 1: Learn from visual displays of word relationships within text

Developing breadth and depth of vocabulary depends on building connections between words and developing elaborate webs of meaning (Boulware- Gooden, Carreker, Thornhill, & Joshi, 2007). Graphic organizers and visual displays highlight the relationships between words (Baumann & Kame'enui, 2004). Two of our favorite word mapping tools that support visual representation are Wordle and Wordsift.

Wordle is a free Web application that allows you to create a word cloud based on the frequency of words in a particular text. It can be used to stimulate students' thinking about the meaning, importance, and relationship of words as they analyze, create, and publish Wordles. To create a word cloud, you paste text into the applet and then manipulate the visual display by selecting the color scheme, layout, and font. Word clouds can be used to highlight keywords and themes to prepare students for reading, as well as prompt discussion after reading.

For example, we created the word cloud in Figure 1 based on an online National Geographic Kids article about the troubling disappearance of honeybees in North America. Questions about this Wordle might include the following:

What does the word cloud suggest this article is about?

What seem to be the most important words?

How do these words go together?

Why do you think the Wordle designer chose this shape of word cloud? (Hint: Think of what bees look like when they swarm.)

Figure 1: Word cloud for bees using Wordle

Students will most likely conjecture that the article is about bees. Some students may notice the less prominent words-dead and poisons-and wonder if the bees are sick. When asked about the color choice, they may speculate that the author/designer chose bright colors to get your attention, or that black goes with poison. What is important in this kind of prereading discussion is students' close attention to the words and how they might relate to one another and to the larger text that they represent. Students actively engage with meaning as they draw on background knowledge about words and concepts as well as on visual literacy skills.

The same bees word cloud could prompt a discussion after reading the article, guided by questions such as,

Do you think the word cloud captured what was most important to learn?

Are there keywords or ideas that are left out?

What superordinate terms reflect the main ideas?

As students manipulate the word cloud's layout, color, and font, they integrate verbal and visual representations, strengthening the multimedia learning effect (Fadel & Lemke, 2008) while developing an important digital literacy skill in our visual society.

For some students, the creative design aspect serves as the hook to engage them in meaning making; for others, it is the words themselves that entice them to explore meanings and relationships. Although Wordles can be published to the public gallery and printed, another option is to use a screen capture program to save the Wordle as an image, creating a bank of images on your desktop or school server. They can then be inserted into a document, PowerPoint, class blog, or other text.

WordSift is another free word cloud tool available on the Internet. Like Wordle, a word cloud is created based on text that is cut and pasted into the application. Although WordSift does not support artistic design of the display, it offers important learning supports. Each word can be clicked on to show a collection of related images, a word map, and a listing of sentences from the text that present the word in different contexts. WordSift also sorts words by difficulty and identifies academic words. Note that both Wordle and WordSift support several different languages, a feature particularly helpful to ELs (Adesope, Lavin, Thompson, & Ungerleider, 2010).

eVoc strategy 2: Take a digital vocabulary field trip

In the original vocabulary field trip (Blachowicz & Obrochta, 2005), the teacher begins with a large poster of a topic, such as weather. Students are seated on the carpet, and the teacher leads a field trip that includes having students observe and record what they saw as they read books and other materials. As students volunteer weather words, the teacher records them on sticky notes or tag board and puts them up beside the poster. After the observations are concluded, the teacher returns the students' attention to the words, repeating them and linking them to the poster. Next, students sort the weather words into conceptually related groups and engage in other semantic activities.

Teachers can create a digital version of a vocabulary field trip using a free online program called TrackStar (trackstar.4teachers.org). Like the popular WebQuest (Dodge, 1995), TrackStar allows you to collect a series of websites and annotate them so that students follow the online journey.

On the left side of the figure you can see the questions and multiple websites that we selected to guide students in finding out about weather in Alaska, where the Iditarod takes place. We selected a context where weather is extreme to heighten students' interest and to provide a dramatic contrast to their own local weather. We begin with a website featuring photos and video of dogsledding in Alaska and asked students to respond with descriptions of the weather conditions.

Next, students visit a website on the aurora borealis and look for connections between the aurora and Alaskan weather. They complete the virtual field trip with a visit to a website on weather comparisons, where they examine the differences between local weather and Alaskan weather. Throughout this process, they visit several teacher-selected websites and gain knowledge about words through multiple exposures in different contexts and through different media, including reading, viewing, writing, and conversation.

eVoc strategy 3: Connect fun and learning with online vocabulary games

No list of technology applications for vocabulary would be complete without mention of the vocabulary games that are available for free on the Internet. We recommend two sites that offer a variety of activities to engage students in playing with words and word meanings: Vocabulary Games and Vocabulary. Games include crossword puzzles, picture-word matches, word scrambles, and 8 Letters in Search of a Word (a game that can draw you in unexpectedly as you race to create as many words as possible from eight letters within the time limit). The games are supplemented with themed word lists, test preparation items, and activities on prefixes and suffixes. These sites can be bookmarked for students' independent practice and can provide a basis for whole-group instruction.

eVoc strategy 4: Have students use media to express vocabulary knowledge

The previous eVoc strategies all require student interaction, from manipulating a visual word map to taking an online vocabulary field trip. This strategy focuses on students' vocabulary representations in multiple modes-writing, audio, graphic, video, and animation (Nikolova, 2002; Xin & Rieth, 2001). The first set of examples draws on promising research with universally designed digital text (Dalton & Proctor, 2007), suggesting the benefit of having students develop word meaning as they read a definition, view graphics, listen to the word, write or audiotape a personal connection to the word, create a caption for a graphic, and complete an interactive word map (Proctor et al., 2007; Proctor, Uccelli, Dalton, & Snow, 2009). Figure 2 illustrates how students communicate word knowledge as they create a caption for an image. These types of activities offer students different modes of representation and expression and can be created with a variety of composing tools and formats, such as digital stories, photo essays, podcasts, and so on.

Figure 2: Students create captions to illustrate their understanding of contribute

Note. From Dalton, B., Proctor, C.P., Snow, C.E., Uccelli, P., & Mo, E. (2008, September). Improving reading comprehension for struggling readers: Understanding the role of vocabulary development, guided strategy use, and Spanish language supports in a digital reading environment. Final report to the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

A multimedia composing and presentation tool that is often underused is PowerPoint. We have certainly seen many poor PowerPoint examples (e.g., the ubiquitous three bullet points and silly clip art approach). However, we have found that PowerPoint can be used creatively for expression. In addition to benefiting from reading and viewing multimodal representations of vocabulary, recent research suggests that students may also benefit from creating multimedia representations of words in PowerPoint slides that are hyperlinked together (Pritchard & O'Hara, 2009). Working with fifth graders, Bridget (first author) created an example of a multimedia glossary item for camouflage, a word from the science curriculum (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Multimedia glossary example of camouflage using a PowerPoint template

The model elaborates word knowledge in context and illustrates how design influences the message. To provide a structure to guide students in creating their own entries, Bridget created a template that students could fill in and adapt. The template includes a space for the word, a short definition, an explanation for why the word is important, a graphic, an audio recording or sound, and a source. As students create and revise their entries, they reflect on the word's meaning (What does this mean?), its representation (How does this particular graphic and sound effect illustrate this word?) and process (What images did you consider and discard?).

Students' glossary items can be combined into a master document and sorted by word to show multiple meanings and representations (Pritchard & O'Hara, 2009). Another approach to compiling students' individual work is to teach them how to hyperlink their slides so that a view of one version of a word includes hyperlinks to others' versions of that word. Although this example uses PowerPoint as the media format, these types of vocabulary collections can be created in different modes and published online as a word wiki or word blog. This kind of collaborative publication and engagement with an external audience is characteristic of successful multimedia learning (Fadel & Lemke, 2008). There really is no end to the creative possibilities when students use media to develop and celebrate the wonder of words.

eVoc strategy 5: Take advantage of online word reference tools that are also teaching tools

Many online word reference tools are also excellent teaching resources. For example, the Visual Thesaurus website complements its fee-based content with free information such as the Behind the Dictionary and Teachers at Work columns and teacher-created themed word lists. Many use multiple distribution platforms to reach learners wherever they are. For example, the Back in School webpage of Dictionary.com (dictionary.reference.com/studenthandbook) links to Facebook, has an iPhone application, a free toolbar application, a word of the day that is communicated on Twitter or as a text message on your mobile phone, and a free weekly word explorer audio podcast on iTunes.

Develop strategic digital readers with "on-demand" vocabulary help

This section highlights two online tools that provide just-in-time support while reading. Students can develop their strategic learning repertoire as they customize their own collection of supports.

eVoc strategy 6: Support reading and word learning with just-in-time vocabulary reference support

Whether avid or reluctant reader, we all encounter unfamiliar words in our reading and need strategies for what to do when this occurs. Rather than using print dictionaries or asking the teacher, students can learn to use online dictionaries and thesauri. When they have access to word help on demand, at the point of need, both monolingual (Reinking & Rickman, 1990) and bilingual (Yoshii, 2006) students tend to use them more often than print references and improve their understanding. Many of these Internet-based tools are free (they vary in difficulty, so try out different applications to determine the best fit for your students).

Some word reference tools can be mounted on the browser toolbar, allowing you to right click on any word to look it up and have a brief definition display. More comprehensive dictionaries can be bookmarked for easy access while reading on the computer. The increasingly popular e-book readers, which are becoming more common in schools and homes, usually provide dictionary help in the form of audio pronunciations of the word and brief definitions.

Two popular free online dictionaries/thesauri are Reference.com and Merriam-Webster. Tools expressly designed for students include Word Central from Merriam-Webster , Back in School from Dictionary.com, and Yahoo Kids! American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

A strength of digital text is its capacity to communicate in multiple modes, enhancing understanding by providing two channels of input, visual/spatial and linguistic (Mayer, 2001). Merriam-Webster offers an online visual dictionary (visual.merriam-webster .com/index.php), and Enchanted Learning provides a picture dictionary for young children. Be on the alert for educational sites that offer specialized picture glossaries, such as NASA's online space picture dictionary. These sites can be added to your browser favorites. And, finally, it is important to teach students to notice and strategically use the vocabulary help that is offered on various sites, such as the word wizard that pops up when students are reading Scholastic News Online.

eVoc strategy 7: Use language translators to provide just-in-time help for ELLs

Successful ELs leverage first-language knowledge to develop their English (Adesope et al., 2010; Jiménez, García, & Pearson, 1996). Online dictionaries often support multiple languages (e.g., the Yahoo! Kids dictionary supports 90 languages), and EL students should be taught to look for this option. Another resource is the language translator. The value of a translator is that it supports learning words as they occur naturally in authentic text and allows students to view bilingual versions of a text side by side so that they can use their first-language knowledge to develop their English vocabulary. You can paste text into the translator field, select the input and output languages, and view the translation (see Babelfish, Google translator, and Bing Translator). You may also download a toolbar extension that translates any webpage automatically. Although these tools are not perfect (and may never be, given the nuances involved in translation), they are a good place to start for ELs. In fact, students often find the translator's mistakes both humorous and an entry point for discussing the nuances of word meanings.

Expand wide reading and incidental word learning with digital text

Reading widely and deeply is important for vocabulary development and reading comprehension. These two strategies help increase students' volume of reading and, indirectly, their incidental word learning (Cunningham & Stanovich, 2001; Nagy & Herman, 1985).

eVoc strategy 8: Increase reading volume by reading digital text

Class libraries, read-alouds, book clubs, and independent reading time during the school day can increase the amount and variety of student reading. However, it is challenging to find the resources and time required to provide up-to-date material, to be responsive to students' interests, and to accommodate readers at different reading levels. Teachers can dramatically expand text options for students by including reading on the Internet and other digital texts. A high percentage of students already use the Internet for homework; we can extend their learning and exploration of words in context as they read and view varied text genres on the Internet, or read texts downloaded onto a class computer, an e-book reading device, or a smartphone.

Increasing the reading of informational text is especially important for learning in the content areas, and informational content reigns supreme on the Internet. To use current events as one example, the currency of information and use of media to communicate the news is unparalleled. To begin, we recommend bookmarking quality sites that students read on a regular basis. Many educational publishers and organizations provide free online content, including articles and media about current events, some of which are generated by students themselves. A few of our favorites include the following:

A recent visit to some of our favorite sites included articles about the top stories in the news, a student blog about animal myths featured in the animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox, and an explanat ion of threesided snowflakes. The texts include graphics, video, and sound, along with written text, providing many ways of engaging with the content. Students can rotate taking on the role of Internet news repor ter, scanning bookmarked sites for interesting news to share with the class or post to a class blog. Students can also pursue individual interests as they read digital text during sustained silent reading.

A second example is based on literature students read in the classroom, generating interest in more reading by developing intertextual connections (Hartman, 1992). Using a digital poster or PowerPoint screen to show a splash of book cover images and screen captures of websites, movie trailers, and blogs invites students to pursue their interests in particular authors, books, genres, popular culture, and media.

For example, a screen displaying a book that the class is reading, such as Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux, links to several screens, one featuring her website and online interviews, another to a site with video clips from The Tale of Despereaux movie, and still another highlighting other fantasy books and comics. The splash screens can be printed out to build a wall mural that students expand as they continue reading.

These examples highlight the value of teachers previewing Internet content. However, students will also need support in learning how to search and find their own reading materials on the Internet. This will necessitate teaching Internet safety, something that is now required to obtain E-Rate funding (Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, 2009), as well as strategies for searching and evaluating Internet content (Henry, 2006).

eVoc strategy 9: Increase reading volume by listening to digital text with a text-to-speech tool and audio books

A common concern among educators is the readability of websites and Internet content. One powerful strategy is to allow students to listen to text with a text-to-speech (TTS) tool or, when available, listen to audio narration. This provides students with access to age-appropriate content and grade-level curriculum, a right mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. For struggling readers, TTS increases their reading speed, reduces stress, and for some, but not all, improves comprehension (Elkind & Elkind, 2007).

Fortunately, there are free TTS tools that can be mounted on the browser toolbar for easy access while reading, such as Click, Speak for Firefox (click speak.clcworld.net), or downloaded to your desktop, such as the NaturalReader free TTS utility. Balabolka is a PC-based TTS application that can run off a thumb drive. Some e-book readers such as Microsoft Reader are free to download and can be used with public domain content that is part of their e-book library.

There are also commercial TTS tools that range in price depending on the features, such as those from Kurzweil, Aeques, TextHELP, and Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D). Note that students who have a documented print disability may obtain digital versions of core curriculum texts from organizations such as Bookshare and RFB&D. To explore strategies for listening to text, check out the Learning Through Listening website. Johnson (2003) also offered suggestions for using audiobooks in the classroom in her Reading Online article, "Audiobooks: Ear-resistible!"

eVoc strategy 10: Combine vocabulary learning and social service

Many of these eVoc strategies use Web 2.0 technologies to promote social learning. They also tap into students' natural desire to create, to participate in communities, and to develop strategic competence. Recent reports on students' digital literacies highlight the importance of this kind of learning (Ito et al., 2010). This final eVoc strategy is a free online vocabulary game, Free Rice that has attracted millions of users, young and old. We believe it offers an opportunity to promote students' engagement with words while contributing to the social good.

Free Rice presents a word and four answer choices on the screen. For each correct answer, the United Nations World Food Programme donates 10 grains of rice to countries in need. The game adjusts its difficulty level based on the response, filling a bowl with rice as the player adds to his or her score. As a class activity, the teacher could project the website on screen and guide students in playing the game for 5 minutes daily, discussing choices (e.g., "I think it must be 'x' because 'y'") and strategies (e.g., "Any words we can eliminate? Does the root word give us a clue we can use?"). Students can play individually or with a partner, reporting back to class on their rice earnings and sharing intriguing new words.

In closing, we invite you to go digital with word learning. These 10 eVoc strategies use technology to support the wide reading, direct instruction, active learning, and interest in words that we know are essential to vocabulary development. In a digital world, knowing how to use the tools and resources available online is part of becoming a strategic learner. We hope that this list provides a useful and evocative jumpingoff point for integrating technology and media into your students' vocabulary learning experience.

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10 Ways to Use Technology to Build Vocabulary

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Drawing on research-based principles of vocabulary instruction and multimedia learning, this article presents 10 strategies that use free digital tools and Internet resources to engage students in vocabulary learning. The strategies are designed to support the teaching of words and word learning strategies, promote students' strategic use of on-demand web-based vocabulary tools, and increase students' volume of reading and incidental word learning.

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This article includes a brief description of how word walls can benefit ELLs. I intend to use this article as reference. Furthermore, I can include visuals that illustrate each  words to provide pictorial support for my ELLs.

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Language Arts

Ask students to hunt for words in their reading and writing that fit the phonic or word study pattern being studied. These words can create a word wall that illustrates examples of the different patterns studied. Students could keep a word study notebook to record the known patterns and their new understanding about words, and can play games and activities that apply their word knowledge.

Math

Word walls in math can provide visual cues and graphic representations of content. Consider using a math word wall that has three parts: key vocabulary, "in your own words" definitions, and a variety of ways to portray a function. For example, multiplication is portrayed by the following symbols: x, *, and ( ).

Number sense, concepts, and operations word wall
The purpose of the mathematics word wall is to identify words and phrases that students need to understand and use so as to make good progress in mathematics. Mathematical language is crucial to children's development of thinking. If students do not have the vocabulary to talk about math concepts and skills, they cannot make progress in understanding these areas of mathematical knowledge. They need to be familiar with mathematical vocabulary and mathematical terms to understand written and spoken instructions. See math word wall resources ›

More ideas for word walls in math
Many teachers are familiar with basic word wall strategies including the use of a flashlight (to put the light on words) and a fly swatter (to highlight words). Teachers are also familiar with tested favorites like bingo; I Have, Who Has; and Mind Reader, but they really wanted other ideas. The purpose of this post by Dr. Deborah Wahlstrom is to identify additional ways to use word walls with mathematics content. More math word wall ideas ›

Science

Using interactive word walls in science
Science is a vocabulary-intense subject that is dependent on students learning new and often times difficult vocabulary to increase comprehension and help them make connections between and among concepts. When science students are given the opportunity to interact with the vocabulary, they are more likely to remember it.

Ideas for using the words on your wall are only limited by your imagination. Some examples include:

Students categorize and sequence from largest to smallest (cell, bacteria, yeast, tissue, ribosome, organ, organism, organ system, protozoa, virus) Variation: Students are given vocabulary words, and their classmates must arrange them in the correct order and justify the placement.

Students remove words from the wall and make connecting statements about the words. The class can then create a summarizing statement, for example: cells make up tissues, and tissues make up organs.

For more ideas like these, read the full post by Toni Enloe.

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A word wall is a collection of words that are displayed in large visible letters on a wall, bulletin board, or other display surface in a classroom. The word wall is designed to be an interactive tool for students and contains an array of words that can be used during writing and reading.

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This resource contains information on how to assess knowledge of specific words (see pp. 33-34). This pre-assessment is practical for usage with first-grade students, especially those with learning disabilities.

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Effective Vocabulary Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities

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Effective Vocabulary Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities

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This website contains a list of practical, research-based strategies that I can implement for my students with learning disabilities. The strategies are also effective with all types of learners.

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Effective Vocabulary Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities - LD@school

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The earlier vocabulary strategies for students with learning disabilities (LDs) can be applied, the better. Foundational learning takes place in kindergarten through grade two. Research suggests that the adoption of one strategy alone is not a best practice, and that multiple modalities of strategic instructional approaches work best in unison.

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This website discusses the "vocabulary menu" activity to provide multiple exposures of teacher-targeted vocabulary words. I chose this activity because it is beneficial to use with any word list.

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I have always loved words and am a self-proclaimed word nerd. I actually read the book Word Nerds, met the authors at a conferencea few years ago, and got to lead a PLC in my school all about it! Research shows that a child's vocabulary is a key component to their success in school, on standardized tests, and in life in general! Those three reasons alone should be proof enough to any educator that VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION IS IMPORTANT!

What I love about vocabulary instruction is that it's cross-curricular. The words found in children's literature are just as important as those found in content areas, like science and social studies, which, in my opinion, makes it almost effortless to incorporate into your instruction. However, the hard part of vocabulary instruction is making it interesting and engaging to students. Merely writing definitions can only go so far.

One way to make vocabulary instruction more engaging is to provide your students a variety of ways for them to engage with a vocabulary and then allowing them to choose what type of activity will help them best learn the word and internalize its meaning. A vocabulary menu can accomplish this.

Students are instructed to choose from the menu and engage with the vocabulary word using the given activities. This menu includes twenty activities - everything from the generic define and draw to including the word in a conversation and recording the dialogue to drawing pictures that would use the word as a hashtag! (This particular menu is found HERE and will fit on a standard sized poster board.)

If you wanted to make a bulletin board or even introduce the activities during whole group instruction, these 8.5x11in posters will help you do just that!

If you don't have the wall space for a poster or bulletin board, another option is to add the activity strips or the smaller posters to a metal ring. Students could either maintain their own set or you could print several copies for a literacy station or writing center.

Once students are familiar with the instructions for each activity, provide them with a bookmark that they can take home or keep in their desk for easy access. The activities are numbered so that students can easily reference which activities they complete on their work mats! Alternatively, the non-numbered bookmarks can be laminated and students can simply check them off with a dry erase marker and paperclip them to their vocabulary notebooks or work mats when they turn them into you.

Lastly, for those of you who use a vocabulary notebook, you can either use the print-and-cut activity strips or the printable sticky notes for students to use! This is a great way for students to show their work on a regular basis no matter the content area.

This complete resource can be found HERE so that you can create your own vocabulary choice menu for your students. You can also download a FREE sample using the form at the end of this blog post.

Don't forget these activities by pinning the image below!

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Vocabulary Activities for Any Word - The Inspired Apple

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I have always loved words and am a self-proclaimed word nerd. I actually read the book Word Nerds, met the authors at a conference a few years ago, and got to lead a PLC in my school all about it! Research shows that a child's vocabulary is a key component to their success in school, on standardized tests, and...

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This website contains examples of fun vocabulary activities to implement with first-grade students. I love how developmentally appropriate the activities are and can potentially engage all learners.

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Vo-BACK-ulary?
Here's a vocabulary-reinforcing game that your students will beg to play! Write a list of new words on the board and on index cards. Review the words and their meanings with your students, then ask for a volunteer. Tape a word card onto the volunteer's back, without revealing the word to the child. Ask the student to turn so that the class can see the card. Have the child call on classmates, one at a time, for helpful informational clues about the word. For example, if the word is gargantuan, a good clue might be "as big as a giant." When the child guesses the word correctly, it's time for the next volunteer. Or, have everyone play at once by taping a word card on each student's back. The children move about the room quietly asking for clues. When a child discovers the word, he or she sits down.

ABC Books
Are your students slow to use the dictionary? Try writing and compiling your own class dictionaries! At the end of a study unit in science, social studies, or another subject area, alphabetically list key words from the unit on chart paper, leaving space to add more words under each letter. Review the list with the children and encourage them to come up with even more words, at least one for every letter of the alphabet. Once you have your final list, write each word on a slip of paper and place it in your "word jar." Pass the jar around and invite each student to choose a word slip. Once all the children have their words, ask them to design dictionary pages complete with definitions written in their own words, sample sentences, pronunciation clues, and synonyms and antonyms. Collect and alphabetize the pages, bind them together, and you have the first of many specialized classroom dictionaries.

Vocab Match
This quick whole-class game is a great way to practice and reinforce new vocabulary. To prepare: Take your list of vocabulary words and definitions and write each word on a separate note card. Then, shuffle your stack of note cards, turn the cards over, and write a definition from your list on the back of each card. (Hint: Write the words and definitions in two different colors so kids can tell them apart easily.) To play, give each child a card. The first student begins by reading his or definition (asking, for example "Who has bravery and courage?"). The student with the word that matches that definition responds with "I have valor." Then that student turns the card over and asks "Who has marsupial?" The game continues until everyone has had a turn.

Drawing Word Sticks
This word practice game is perfect for center time. To make Word Sticks: Write 12 vocabulary words on individual strips of tape, or print the list onto address labels. Stick each tape strip or label onto a craft stick. Add two strips labeled Sorry! Place all of the sticks in a shoebox and the game is ready. To play: Two to four children place the sticks word-down in the shoebox. One at a time, each student chooses a stick. If the stick has a vocabulary word, the child reads the word to the group, uses it in a sentence, and then keeps the stick. If the stick is labeled Sorry! the child returns the Sorry! stick and any word sticks he or she may have to the box. (This gives the children the chance to practice words more than once.) The game continues until all 12 vocabulary word sticks are gone.

SCUBA Dive!
This six-step strategy helps children figure out unfamiliar words they encounter as they read. To introduce the strategy, share copies of the SCUBA Dive Bookmark Reproducible (PDF). Read a story with challenging vocabulary aloud as the children cut and color their bookmarks. Ask students to raise their hands each time they hear an unfamiliar word. Then model the SCUBA strategy using the new word. Tell the children: Just like scuba divers, we are going to start from the top (with S) and work our way down together. With each step- from sounding out the word to diving into the dictionary-ask for a student volunteer. After practicing the strategy together several times, ask students to try the next word by themselves. Review it together. And be sure to laminate these useful bookmarks for daily reading.

A Model for Word-Learning
As you teach vocabulary, keep in mind that successful word-learning is:

Personal. Individuals are unique in their knowledge and learning styles.

Active. Students learn words by using them. Thinking, saying, and writing new words help us make new words our own.

Strategic. Word-learning works when students move beyond memorizing and use a variety of learning strategies.

Flexible. Word-learning comes easily for some students, others struggle. Teaching vocabulary sometimes requires intense instruction.

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Vo-BACK-ulary? Here's a vocabulary-reinforcing game that your students will beg to play! Write a list of new words on the board and on index cards. Review the words and their meanings with your students, then ask for a volunteer. Tape a word card onto the volunteer's back, without revealing the word to the child.

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This PDF file contains a variety of vocabulary activities to implement with students. Even though the document mentions that the activities are for extended student practice, I can use them as initial activities.

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Vocabulary Activities for Struggling Students

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Vocabulary Activities for Struggling Students

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This article discusses examples of remediation activities to implement with struggling students. The activities are engaging and can potentially motivate these students.

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Today I want to discuss how to help struggling readers build vocabulary! In this article, you'll find over 10 free printables reading specialists and literacy coaches can use to help struggling readers build vocabulary. Before I share strategies and activities for struggling readers, lets discuss the role of reading specialists and literacy specialists.

I love working with our district's literacy coaches and reading specialists, and I have a special place in my heart for Ms. Long, the reading specialist at my son's elementary school, because she was also his Kindergarten teacher. This year Ms. Long is working with our guidance counselor to host a book group, and, although my son is not an avid reader, he was excited to join his classmates and teachers in such a fun endeavor.

My son has been eagerly reading his chapter book each week and looks forward to discussions. He has shared with me his group's predictions and new words they've deciphered.

So when I sat down to write this post, I wrote it for Ms. Long, and for all the reading specialists who provide amazing opportunities for students every day. Whether your job title actually is "Reading Intervention Specialist," or, because of budget constraints, it is merely one of the many hats you wear in your classroom/building/district, I hope you find these ideas helpful.

A reading specialist has many roles, most importantly assessing where each student is delayed and diagnosing what strategies would help that student improve.

From sight word work and language decoding to fluency exercises and teacher training, reading specialists have to carry around an entire toolbox (or rolling cart) full of strategies and activities to help individual students and classes succeed.

A reading specialist helps students understand word meanings and the function of context clues. If students can gain confidence in reading because they understand what most of the words on the page mean, and can use context clues to figure out the remaining words, then their reading scores jump significantly.

It's important to note that the roles of reading specialists and of literacy coaches have become very similar in recent time. The tips in this post are directed at both types of professional.

This post presents practical, hands-on strategies and downloadables that reading specialists can use in the classroom or in pull-out situations in order to address the multifarious needs of their struggling readers.

Because a significant role of the reading specialist is to augment struggling readers' vocabularies, the lessons and activities for struggling readers suggested here will allow reading teachers to improve their students' lexile levels and will help them gain strategies for recognizing unknown words.

How Reading Specialists Can Identify Struggling Readers

First, in order for reading specialists to be effective, they must discover the struggling readers in the classes they cover. Using test results and teacher feedback, reading specialists should hold one-on-one meetings with these students. Have them read a brief passage on grade-level, ask them questions about their struggles and successes in reading, and get an overall sense of what students can/cannot decode and process.

This website gives useful suggestions for various early reading assessments.

Once the students' level of proficiency has been assessed, the reading specialist should work with each student on strategies for reading development.

A major component of reading development is recognizing and understanding vocabulary. However, many students can be resistant to learning new words and also may feel anger or shame about being pulled out of class or given alternative assignments.

That's why there are many games and vocabulary development activities on the Vocab Gal blog that allow literacy coaches and reading specialists to work with students in fun and practical ways that allow for maximum learning. A few favorites include...

Vocabulary Development Activities and Games to Maximize Learning

#1 VOCABULARY QUESTION CUBE

A great way to talk through all aspects of a new word or group of words in a small group setting. Teachers and/or students can create the cube and then pick a word. Students can then toss the cube around and answer each question until a word has been thoroughly ingrained into their heads.

#2 GO FISH VOCABULARY GAME

A fun, non-threatening game for students that asks students to pair definitions and words together. There is an element of challenge in that students who need a word can't simply ask for it by name, but have to ask for "the word that means..." or "a synonym for..." so both players have to understand each word.

#3 NAME A CAR

A favorite activity among students where they get to design a car and a car advertisement using new words. Students have so much fun designing and describing their cars using as many words as possible that they really start to see how words work in sentences. Additionally, you may want to ask students to read and comment on their classmates' work in order to gain a deeper understanding of new words.

#4 VOCABULARY CHECKERS

Students must use the vocabulary word on any given space in a sentence before being allowed to move to that space. You may require that both spots' vocabulary words be used in a sentence when a student wants to "jump" another player's token and therefore skip over that space. Students often go back to their definitions to really get a sense of how to use each word.

#5 VOCABULARY LAND GAME BOARD

A beautifully-designed version of Candy Land where students must write in and then use vocabulary words to move along in game play. It's wonderful how the artwork in this game can remind students of earlier childhood memories and therefore make word learning seem like child's play.

#6 VOCABULARY VIDEO GAME

This game is great for any student who loves videogames or role-playing, students get to create the actions players take in this game by including vocabulary words in directions for each icon on the path.

#7 VOCABULARY HOMEWORK OPTIONS

Students can also practice both learning new words and reading more fluently through interesting home activities. This assessment allows students to choose the way they most enjoy learning and to connect their learning style with studying new words.

#8 VOCABULARY SHEET OF THE WEEK

The list of words that literacy specialists/coaches study with students can often be overwhelming to those students. Using the Vocabulary Sheet of the Week is a great way for students to see at a glance each word they are learning and how they personally connected to each one. The sheet allows space for student-created definitions, sentences, mnemonic device, and pictures; it pushes students to work with each word significantly before moving on to the next.

#9 DIFFERENTIATED WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT

I may be a little crazy, but my favorite part of the week is the vocabulary quiz. I love this assessment because I can individualize the quizzes quickly for each student, and I love to ask them to write sentences about their lives so I get to know them a little better. Because literacy specialists must keep data on student progress, these small, customized quizzes as benchmarks can be so helpful.

#10 VOCABULARY ASSESSMENT WORKSHEETS

When you aren't sure how to assess students or what to look for, using these handy worksheets is a great way to see what students know and don't know.

As our struggling readers can often be struggling writers as well, here are a few other fun resources that can be placed in student's binders, hung on walls, or laminated for writing workshop stations.

As much as I find that improving one's reading comes from improving one's vocabulary, not everyone agrees with me at first.

If you are struggling to make the connections between vocabulary study and improved literacy levels, or if you have an administrator or teacher who is struggling to see these connections, I highly recommend these quick, thoughtful, and free eBooks that will put these practical ideas in a larger pedagogical framework.

Literacy and reading specialists have the Herculean job of improving the reading (and writing) skills of struggling students, many of whom may not be motivated to learn. Through these easy, practical, and fun activities for struggling readers, students can find the success that has eluded them for so long. At the same time, literacy coaches do not have to feel chained to the miserable, boring book of reading worksheets.

Connecting vocabulary to car designs, checkers, and Candyland provides real-world incentives to students-and the more engaged and valued they feel, the more time they will spend learning, until they can fully overcome any reading struggles.

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Help Struggling Readers Build Vocabulary; 10+ Printables to Get You Started

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Today I want to discuss how to help struggling readers build vocabulary! In this article, you'll find over 10 free printables reading specialists and literacy coaches can use to help struggling readers build vocabulary. Before I share strategies and activities for struggling readers, lets discuss the role of reading specialists and literacy specialists.