9.++Word+of+the+Week

//9. Word of the Week - During Reading - Constructing Strategy//

· **Rationale: ** I use this strategy to encourage students to develop their vocabularies. This process helps students make new words their own and assists students to construct an ever-widening vocabulary. · **Courses in which it could be implemented: ** Eighth grade Language Arts inclusion, regular Language Arts, and Accelerated Language Arts students use this. It is a great way to help all students develop their vocabulary in any content area to learn the vocabulary of the content and ultimately this will help students create meaning within that particular area. · **Diverse learners: ** All learning styles benefit from this strategy. All students can use this strategy to broaden their vocabulary. Students who have a difficult time with reading will benefit from learning the vocabulary and using it in a variety of ways. When a concept is used in a variety of ways, students are more capable of storing that knowlege in their long term memory which is then part of their pre-existing knowlege. · **Procedure:  ** 1. Students identify a new word that they are interested in adding to their vocabularies 2. Students list the word, the part of speech, the definitions, and a sentence that provides a context that makes the meaning clear. 3. Students use “their word” in all written work for class during that week. 4. Students, in turn, have the opportunity to have their word be the class word of the week. 5. Students are to read a minimum of two selections from the packet or list representing at last two different perspectives. 6. When students are responsible for the class word of the week, they present the word on Monday by pronouncing it for the class, spelling it, telling the part of speech, giving definitions, and then presenting a sentence that provides a context that makes the meaning clear. 7. Students record their word and all class words in their Content Notebooks for future reference. · **Potential Issues: ** I think it may be difficult for the teacher to keep up with all students consistently using their weekly word along with all the other assignments and work being completed. This may be more difficult for the middle school or junior high school student and up, since these teachers have many more students to teach. · **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">References (Bibliography Information & Cross reference the Resource Binder): ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Stephens, E. C. & Brown J. E. (2005). A handbook of content literacy strategies: 125 practical reading and writing ideas. //Strategies for constructing// (pp. 131-132). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">---Each week students select an unfamiliar word whose meaning and use they want to know. They add the word to their vocabulary notebooks. They also use the word regularly during the week, using the word in a sentence on every assignment that they do that week. In addition, each week one class member presents the class Word of the Week. All class members use the class word as well as their own word in their assignments during the week. **