2. Why do we use
dictionaries?
• There are probably more than 250,000 English words.
Pocket-sized dictionaries have only the most common
words in them. Most English dictionaries will tell you what
a word means and what class of word it is, e.g. a noun, a
verb or an adjective.
• Think of one instance were you would use a
dictionary...discuss with your partner and report back to
class
• We can use dictionaries for so many reasons, they help us
with a variety of different needs.
Think about a
literacy lesson
Think about an
unknown word
Think of a
difficult spelling
3. How are they useful?
Dictionaries are used for...
• Finding and checking spellings.
• Finding a definition of an unknown word.
• Find out word classes - is the word an noun, adjective or verb?
• Gain extra knowledge of more complex vocabulary.
• Independent learning - you can find out for yourself!
• Research skills.
• Extends your thinking about the
English language.
• Can be used online as well so we
develop our ICT skills!
Did you know... A foreign language
dictionary tells you how to say a word or a phrase in a
language other than your own. It does not tell you
what the words mean.
I like to ride my bike.
Me gusta andar en bicicleta
In the example above you are told how to say 'I like to
ride my bike' in Spanish.
4. How do we use
them?
Finding information in a dictionary...
All dictionaries arrange their information alphabetically. Each piece
of information is called an entry.
For example, in an English dictionary you’ll find words beginning
with a at the front, and z at the back. Because there are lots of
words beginning with a each letter that follows decides which word
comes first. For example, ant will come after ankle because the first
two letters are the same but the third letter is different, and t
comes after k in the alphabet.
To find the word sunny start by finding words beginning with s, then
su, then sun until you eventually narrow it down to sunny.
What do we mean by...
“Definition”?
A definition is a phrase
or sentence that
describes the meaning
of a word.
5. Guess the word from
its definition.
• A person who travels into space.
• The world wide web.
• Trained fighter in Ancient Rome.
Astronaut
Internet
Gladiators
6. How can they be used?
Dictionaries can be used through different types of medium...
1. Online
2. Books
3. Subject specific
4. Foreign
5. Illustrated
Play
http://www.clubbing.com/Pages/Games/GamePlay.as
px?game=Chicktionary&mode=play
7. Using your dictionaries, find
the definitions of...
• Settlement
• Invade
• Roman
• Empire
• History
• Emigration
• Immigration
• Refugee
• Memory
• Interpretation
Write these
words in your
Literacy book
with the date
and title
‘Dictionaries’.
