2. Rationale
O Vocabulary is essential as students
develop their reading and writing
skills, yet many students consider it
boring. Technology offers teachers a
range of new techniques and ways to
make expanding students’
vocabularies more interactive and
engaging.
O The websites, blogs, podcasts,
videos, and apps that follow will
expose students to new words, test
what they already know, and practice
applying what they’ve learned to their
own reading and writing as their skills
in those areas grow.
Click on the link to
watch a video of
me reading the
Rationale.
3. Content
• Brief descriptions of the use of
the site, graphic, or medium are
also available in the Notes
section.
• All sites used are reliable sources of
information related to teaching vocabulary
lessons.
• Clicking on graphics will direct you to the
original site.
• Links and sources are cited in the Notes
section below.
4. Blog
The Sadlier School runs this blog, intended for
teachers and students nationwide. The blog is full of
fun activities and features an SAT Vocabulary Word
of the Week. There is even a section where students
can connect with an expert, an English teacher at
the school, via Facebook or Twitter to ask questions.
5. Podcast
Click to listen to the podcast.
This podcast is from the International
Reading Association. It focuses on
selecting vocabulary to teach at age-
appropriate levels, as students are already
on the path toward better literacy.
6. Resources
O International Reading Association
O This association focuses on literacy at all
ages, providing a number of resources for
teachers to build their students’
vocabularies. Students may also browse
the website to more fully comprehend the
importance of vocabulary; the site features
a number of videos and podcasts on the
topic.
O This site will also keep teachers informed
about recent developments in the study of
literacy.
7. Resources
O Doctor Goodword
O This linguist’s blog features a word of the day
and many games and news events in the
fields of etymology and linguistics.
O The Teaching Channel
O This site offers an abundance of videos where
teachers can view other teachers in action
and get ideas for new teaching techniques.
Some videos include tips for teaching difficult
or “boring” lessons, such as vocab, while
keeping students interested.
9. Teaching Materials
This flash card maker from Scholastic helps
parents and teachers easily create and print
customized flash cards. Students can make
their own for words they are struggling with.
Click the
Hyperlink
to go to
Scholastic.
com
10. Teaching Materials
This online game lasts only a minute and a
half, providing quick and interactive
vocabulary building. It can be played at
school or at home, anywhere there is
Internet access, an unlimited number of
times with different words.
Click the
Hyperlink to
play a sample
game.
11. Teaching Materials
Students can film themselves in a fun
project, creating their own video definitions
and talking about what a specific word
means to them. Then they can upload the
videos here and access them whenever
they need. They log in through their school’s
account, which prevents other users from
seeing their videos.
Click the
Hyperlink to see
a sample video
of the word
“flow.”
12. Teaching Materials
This Interactive Vocabulary Card from
Microsoft PowerPoint can be used over and
over. The class can collaborate or students
can individually fill in the samples, and then
save the PowerPoint. They can do an
unlimited number of words.
Click the
Hyperlink to
view the
interactive
PowerPoint.
13. Subject-Specific Website
This website allows students to choose from
a set of common texts, or copy and paste
any text, and clearly visualize the most often
used terms in that text. This helps students
determine vocabulary they will need to know
before reading the text.
14. Vocab Grabber
This is the result
when the
beginning of
Oliver Twist is
inputted. The
color and size of
the word
indicates its
importance.
Clicking on any
word will bring
students to its
definition.
15. Subject-Specific Website
This website allows students to look up any term they
need, and provides multiple definitions from different
sources. It helps students learn to differentiate what
they are looking for in a dictionary and to know which
they should use looking for.
17. Subject-Specific Website
This website automatically links any typed
word to synonyms and antonyms, creating a
web of potential other terms for use. It can
prove helpful when students wish to expand
the vocabulary they use while writing or
cannot think of the word they want to use.
18. Lexipedia
This is the result
when I typed in
“obstreperous.” I
am presented with
a collection of
formal and
colloquial choices,
and I can clearly
visualize how
“obstreperous”
relates to its
synonyms, helping
me choose the
most accurate
word.
19. Sites Requiring Student-
Teacher Collaboration
This interactive website tracks
students as they answer a series of
questions requiring them to use
words in sentences, match
definitions, and choose the most
appropriate word for a given
sentence. The varied questions
allows them to practice coming
across words in different ways.
Membean seeks
to:
Students can find many games and activities for their grade level, as well as a way to ask English teachers vocabulary-related questions. Teachers can find many ideas for activities to incorporate into their own classrooms. Source: http://www.sadlier.com/school/vocab-gal
Podcast by: The International Reading Association
http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/Podcasts.aspx
Image from: http://discussions4learning.com/high-level-academic-vocabulary.html
Doctor Goodword’s blog is useful for all ages and levels, as it explores new developments in linguistics, helps students navigate different types of dictionaries (online and print), and provides a number of word games. The Word of the Day can also be e-mailed to members for ease of access.
This web chart was created on Kidspiration. This visual tool can help students understand the relationships between words and determine which best fit their uses.
Source: https://www.visualthesaurus.com/vocabgrabber/#
Text: Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. New York: Gutenburg Press, 1839.
This could be a useful resource in teaching students how to navigate the plethora of different dictionaries that is available to them online. Simply looking up a few terms on this website will show them which dictionaries are reliable and which focus on etymology or only offer professional definitions or focus on slang phrases.
Sites that provide vocabulary help as needed, such as this one, can work in conjunction with sites where students focus on vocabulary. Because many students learn vocabulary as they encounter it in reading material, having the option to look up words immediately will help them retain new words.
Teachers can view the students’ average time per question, the number of correct/incorrect answers given, and which questions were missed. That way teachers can help students learn to take more time or repeat certain words. Membean also caters to differentiated learning; some avid readers are ahead in their vocabulary skills, and if they consistently answer questions correctly, the site will automatically move them up a level to more challenging words. Meanwhile, classmates who struggle with vocabulary can answer questions at their own level.
Picture from: www.membean.com
