Vocabulary

I wanted to take a moment to explain what is currently happening in regards to vocabulary instruction in our classroom.  Our first vocabulary quiz should be making its way home for you to see.  

We do a vocabulary word a day.  It is up on the screen when students enter the room, and students are responsible for copying the word into their notebooks, thinking about the word while we go over it in class, asking questions if there is confusion and preparing for the quiz by reviewing the words in a way that works for the student.

We are really working on the responsibility behind this task, and we have been building on this responsibility all year, which is now entering into taking quizzes over the words. This first quiz was a great indication of a few things that we have been talking about in class and will continue to talk about.  We are asking ourselves these questions right now:

1) Am I really thinking about the word and it's usage/meaning when I write it down in my notebook at the beginning of class? (This includes spelling it right and organizing my notebook in a way that will be useful for me in the future.)

2) Am I adding information to my notes while the class talks about the word to help me understand even better? (This includes examples we might talk about, synonyms for the word or ways to use the word in my life.)

3) Am I finding a system for reviewing words and trying to look for words/use words in my everyday life? (We are talking about several ways to review content/study and kids are encouraged to try out and choose what works best for them.)

I really want students to become independent with this as these strategies and skills will be important to be able to independently utilize in upcoming grades/classes.

Vocabulary quizzes will be coming home two to three times a month.  Our second quiz will be right before winter break.  We will use these quizzes to track growth in vocabulary development and study skills.