Why Vocabulary?

This is taken from Reading A-Z

Vocabulary is one of the 5 pillars of reading comprehension as set forth in No Child Left Behind. Reading comprehension depends upon the meaning readers give words. The more vocabulary words students know, the better they are able to comprehend. A large vocabulary opens students up to a wider range of reading materials. A rich vocabulary also improves students’ ability to communicate through speaking, listening, and writing.

Researchers have stated that vocabulary deficiencies are a primary cause of academic failure in grades 3 through 12 (Baumann & Kameenui, 1991; Stanovich, 1986; Becker, 1977). These researchers profess that direct and explicit instruction of a set number of vocabulary words will improve academic success in all content areas. Stahl and Fairbanks (1986) suggest that teaching students 350 words each year may improve learning by as much as 10 to 30%. Further, in 1982, Beck, Perfetti, and McKeown found that students who were given direct instruction in word meanings were better able to discern the meanings of untaught words than control subjects.

Though no particular method for teaching vocabulary has been identified as best (Beck & McKeown, 1991), a number of instructional strategies such as identifying synonyms and antonyms, providing examples and nonexamples, and relating words to one’s own life, have yielded growth in students’ vocabulary. For these reasons, Reading A-Z provides a number of different resources for teachers to use to enrich their students’ vocabulary.
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With that being said, my primary focus with all Non English Speakers is VOCABULARY! We work on it for 45 minutes each day. Please check back weekly for a list of the vocabulary words we are focusing on each week!

Click below for the lists of words we are learning:
September 7-11 School Words
September 14-18 More school words
September 21-25 Colors and Shapes
September 28-October 2 Family, Letters, and numbers

Proud to be a Gator!

For those of you who have been following my blog, I will be teaching at College Station's newest elementary school. This is a very exciting change for me because I have the opportunity to teach in the mornings and be home with my children in the afternoon.

The first day of school is August 24 and I couldn't be more excited about the upcoming school year. If you would like to contact me, please send an email to: sarnold@csisd.org. I'll be back soon to post our curriculum for the 2009-2010 school year.

GO GATORS!

May 4-8 Ocean

This week we will be learning about things in the ocean such as animals. We will not be meeting after May 8 so that I can test all students with the Oral Language Proficiency Test to chart their progress this year.


anemones
blubber
clam
coral reef
crabs
crustaceans
dolphin
eel
fin
fish
gill
hermit crab
island
jellyfish
lobster
lobsters
manatee
oyster
penguin
porpoise
puffin
scales
sea otter
sea turtles
sea urchins
seahorse
seal
seaweed
sharks
shrimp
squid
starfish
sting ray
tail
walrus
waves
whales

April 20-24 and April 30-May1 Beach Words

We will not be meeting on April 27, 28, 29 due to LAT and TAKS testing.

Beach vocabulary

bathing cap
bathing suit
beach
beach bag
beach ball
beach chair
beach seaweed
beach towel
belly flop
binoculars
boardwalk
boogie board
cannon ball
collecting
crab
crocodile
deep
dive
dive for toys
diver
drown
fish
flip flops
flippers
float
frog
goggles
hat
ice chest
ice cream
inner tube
jet ski
jump
kick
kickboard
kite
life jacket
life preserver
lifeguard
lighthouse
lotion
mask

noodle
octopus
pail
palm trees
picnic
picnic basket
pier
raft
refreshment stand
salamander
sand
sand dollar
sandals
sandcastle
sea shell
sea turtle
seagull
seaweed
shallow
shark
shovel
shrimp
snorkel
snow cone
splash
starfish
sun
sunblock
sunburn
sunglasses
surf
surfboard
swimming
umbrella
visor
volleyball
wading
water ski
water slide
water wings
wave
wet suits

March 23-27 and March 30-April 3 Verbs

ask answer
bend
bite
bounce
breathe
brush
bury
catch
change
chew
clap
clean up count
climb
close
color
cook
cover
crawl
crush
cry
cut
dance
dial
dive
draw
dribble
drink
drink-sip
drop
drown
eat
empty
exercise
faint
find
glide
glue
go
grin
hit
hop
investigate
jog
jump
kick
kill
kiss
kneel
laugh
learn
lie down
line up
look
lose
make
match
move
mumble
open
pack
pat
peek
pick
play
poke
point
pour
pray
press
pull
push
put
raise
read
ride
rub
run
scratch
scream
seek
shake
shoot
sign
sing
sit
skate
skip
sleep
smash
smear
smell
sniff
spit
squeeze
stand
sting
stretch
study
swim
tag
talk
tap
tear
tell
think
throw
tickle
tip
touch
trip
tug
turn
vanish
walk
wash
watch
whine
whisper
whistle
wiggle
wish
work
wring out
write
yell

March 9-13 Camping and Park

Things in a park:

bench
duck
fountain
hopscotch
jungle gym
kite
merry-go-round
monkey bars
picnic basket
picnic table
pond
rock
sandbox
seesaw
slide
swings
trail
trash can
tree
tricycle
water fountain

Things you need to go camping:

air mattress
backpack
beehive
boulder
cabin
cactus
campfire
canteen
cave
compass
cot
feather
first aid kit
fishing
fishing line
fishing net
fishing pole
flash light
flask
grill
hammock
hiking
hook
horseshoe
ice chest
knife
lantern
limb
log
magnifying glass
map
matches
moon
nest
park ranger
pebble
picnic basket
picnic table
pinecone
pit
pocket knife
raft
rapids
roast marshmallows
rock
rope
saddle
sleeping bag
s'mores
stick
sunrise
sunset
telescope
tent
thermos
trail

March 2-6 Weather

This week we will be learning about the weather.


bright
climate
cloudy
cold
cool
drizzle
drought
dry
flood
foggy
forecast
freezing
frost
hail
hot
humid
hurricane
iceberg
icicles
icy
lightning
melt
partly cloudy
puddle
rainbow
rainy
shade
slush
snow
snowflake
stormy
sunny
sunrise
sunset
temperature
thermometer
thunder
tornado
tornado drill
warm
wet
windy