Michelle Khatib
B.Ed., M.Ed
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Tools to Increase Vocabulary in an Online Setting

1.  Word Clouds - Use such tools as Wordle or Tagxedo to create a cloud of vocabulary words.  Save this picture and upload it to Thinglink.  Thinglink allows you to interactivity to your picture by adding text, video, music etc....  Students can add their comments as well.  Have students create their own clouds as part of an assignment using these tools.  For differentiation, the teacher could create a video of themselves talking about the vocabulary and embed it into Thinglink for students who might be challenged completing the above task.  An example is below:


1. Words to Music (Set the Tone) Thinglink

Definitions in a Picture (You could include video as well)



Touch Cast - Describe your Vocabulary through Touch Cast

Word Sift

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).  From (http://www.readingrockets.org/article/10-ways-use-technology-build-vocabulary)

Wordle - 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.


Vocabulary Activity Ideas to Embed into Your Lesson

1. Discussing Target Words

Situate the identified words within the context of the passage and facilitate a class discussion online about the words.
For example, ask the class, “In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Atticus tell the jury the stakes are high in his closing argument?”


2. Word Wall at the beginning of your lesson after teacher introduction. - Make with wordle.
Highlight these words as you come to them in the class.  Have students record a word journal - typed or recorded.
This is the MOST important!! Students formulate their own definition of the word. Dictionary vs friendly definitions.

Example: Stake

Dictionary: a personal or emotional interest, concern, or involvement

Dictionary: an interest or share in an undertaking (as a commercial venture)

Friendly: When the ending or outcome of something really matters to you


6. Character Traits

Provide a list of tier two words (somewhat challenging words) used to describe people. Ask students to identify an existing character (TV, Movie, Book, Magazine, Real Person) who has these traits.

Ask students to develop a character map and/or description explaining why these traits describe the character.


7. Creating a New Character

Ask students to create a character that exemplifies a list of traits using your vocabulary words. 

Ask students to compare/contrast their character to somebody they are reading about in the curriculum.


10. Word Maps

Semantic word maps: Create word maps of words that have similar meanings/opposites jointly using Google Docs.  (Create rich contextual web of meaning)


11. Sound-A-Like

What words sound similar to this word? Ask students to identify similar sounding words by prefix, suffix, or root word, to show relationship with target word. 

            For example:

            Unmitigated

            Unlikely

            Unusual

            Uncanny

 


12. Ask students to create:

Examples and Non-Examples

Example: The stakes were low so Dan didn’t spend much time studying for the test.

Non-example: Ben put the stakes on the grill for dinner.

 

13.Ask students to create:

Continuum Examples

The stakes are high

when you shop for new shoes

when you flunk a class

when you decide to spend rather than save money

when you want to win a contest where the prize is $2,000.00

 

14.Ask students to create:

Alike/Different word pairs

http://www.synonym.com/synonym/

cynical: trustful

 

15. Ask students to create:

Consequences (something that follows as a result)

Justin had to take the high stakes test the next morning. How did he prepare?

Justin decided to have several beers and then drive home. What was at stake?

 

16. Ask students to create:

Relationships between words or ideas

Why might a person in a high stakes situation be described as overwrought?

 

17. Ask students to create:

Questions, reasons and examples

Describe situations in your life that you consider to be high stakes. Will these situations be high stake situations when you are 25 years old? Why or why not?

 

18. Ask students to create:

Choices

If you decided not to study for a high stakes test, would that be rational or inane?

 

19. Ask students to create:

Sentence Endings

            How much energy does it take to be …..in a high stakes situation?

            How much energy does it take to be ….. sitting on a porch on a summer day?

            How surprised, happy/mad, excited etc. would you be if …


20. Ask students to create:

Sentence matching

Match the beginning of each sentence with an appropriate ending.

If Carlos won the competition he would receive $1,000.00, so he worked very hard because….the stakes were high.

            David was very cynical about the contest because ….. he thought it was fixed.

 

21. Ask students to create:

Sentence stems

Carlos felt the stakes were high because…..

Because the stakes were low, Dianna did not …..

 

Ideas for Extra Credit

22. Their Own Words

Ask students to identify words they have read in magazines, heard on TV or in a movie that they would like to learn. They receive extra points for learning the word.

 

Ideas for Extra Credit

23. Using and Hearing Words

Ask students to look and listen for target words in their environment. To receive extra credit points, they must identify where they heard the word and describe the context in which it was used.

 

Example response:

Last night I heard the word stakes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The man was going for $250,000 and Regis said to him, “You might want to use your last lifeline since the stakes are so high.”

 

Other Possible Vocabulary Teaching Ideas

- Socrative - Online polling
- Google Forms - for assessment
- Voicethread - Have students comment on a vocabulary word or a picture and have them describe the picture using enriched vocabulary words.
- Live binders - Have students build a binder of Vocabulary words.
- Create a comic strip - Students create a comic strip to illustrate the use of the vocabulary words that you have given them.
- Concept Mapping - Students create a concept map branching out from the main vocabulary word.
- Teach students how to use the synonyms and thesaurus with highlighting and right click.
- Word Journal - either digital or they can record their voice  (Voicethread)
- Vocabulary Videos - Students can create a video depicting vocabulary words and submit it.  Vocabulary Video Contest!!
- Word of the Day
- Gamification - use games to teach vocabulary like vocabulary.com.  See sample - chrome course.