Building Vocabulary

Building Vocabulary

Vocabulary is critical to reading comprehension. (Cunningham, p. 95) When we read, if we know the definition of the words we read, then we will be able to understand what we are reading. On the other hand, if we are reading and don’t know the meaning to a lot of the words then our reading comprehension will be greatly impaired. As educators, we really need to focus on helping our students build their vocabulary because in return, it will make them better readers and writers.

One thing Cunningham mentions is providing as much realism as you can in your classroom.  I strongly agree with this. As he mentions, we all learn best when we have real life experiences that we can relate to.  I like the idea of having read aloud posters on the classroom walls that have a picture of something then three words describing it. I want to make sure my classroom has a lot of creativity throughout it.

When I work with kids, they seem to get really restless when they have to sit and write definitions. I have seen some of their teachers incorporate different activities to help with vocabulary along with definitions that helps. For example, for each of their spelling words, draw a picture of what it is, and also put the word in a sentence after reading the definition of it. I think this helps kids get creative and apply the words rather than just writing the definition.

Below are some ideas I would like to have hanging on my wall.