Word Web Vocabulary Review
Interdisciplinary Word Lessons Teach Terms without Rote Memorization
Nov 19, 2007
Word Web Vocabulary Curriculum
In Word Web Vocabulary, veteran teacher and curriculum specialist Elinor Miller, M.Ed., imparts the wisdom of more than twenty years in education. Combining ancient word origins, tried-and-true learning strategies and playful graphics, the Word Web Vocabulary series encourages students in grades 5-10 to make meaningful connections between words they are learning and words they already know. As a result students learn vocabulary for the long-term.
Learning Prefixes and Root Words
Five-day units are structured around common prefixes and root words. Following a step-by-step instructional flow chart, the teacher's guide illustrates strategies for interdisciplinary vocabulary study. Each weekly lesson begins with the instructor's introduction Latin or Greek prefixes or root words.
Students are then encouraged to think of related words. For instance, for "extra-" and "extro-" students might suggest "extracurricular", "extraterrestrial," or even a product name like Wrigley's "Extra" sugar-free gum. The teacher records the student-generated words on the board.
Students are then encouraged to compare the class list with a graphic "word web" in the student workbook. The graphic includes word roots -- in this example, "extra" and "extro" -- surrounded by related words that are coded by level of difficulty.
Differentiated Curriculum
Because the graphic webs contain words of varying difficulty, teachers can easily differentiate the curriculum to individual student needs. For advanced students who enjoy an extra challenge, many of the webs include "Bonus Blast" words to "try" on friends and family. For instance, a lesson on prefixes like hemi- and semi- (meaning "half") includes the term "hemidemisemiquaver," a term that combines mathematical acrobatics with music knowledge in order to describe a 64th note.
Although the graphically rich workbook may be visually overwhelming for students who have visual-spatial deficits, the information is accessible enough that it could be restructured for learning disabled students who require a more a more linear approach.
Acronyms, Interdisciplinary Connections and Writing
Units continue with acronym study, sentence writing and research-and-write assignments. At every turn, root words are connected with words from science, social studies, music and common consumer products. "Think Links," or questions that encourage critical and creative thinking, are integrated with word lists. Students are encouraged to find examples of vocabulary in newspapers, periodicals and online sources. These "Periodical Perls" encourage students to notice the use of learned words in an everyday context.
All in all, Word Web Vocabulary is a comprehensive vocabulary curriculum that, in the hands of a competent teacher, should encourage students of all levels to better understand and use new vocabulary in a way that rote memorization may not.
 |
