As an elementary literacy specialist, I often find connections between my personal life and work. Sometimes it’s a good book I read that I can’t wait to recommend and share with a student to expand their love of reading and vocabulary comprehension skills. Other times, it’s more personal, and the journey allows me to pause, reflect, and make changes going forward professionally. One such event was the day we discovered my youngest daughter’s allergy.
The experience that placed me back in the position of a learner happened soon after my daughter’s first birthday when we introduced cow’s milk. Everything seemed to be going well until she became suddenly unhappy after spilling milk on her shirt. At the time, this made sense as she was likely cold and wet. However, it became apparent that something wasn’t quite right. Her neck, chest, and stomach were covered in hives – everywhere the milk touched.
After a visit to the emergency room and later her pediatrician, we found ourselves sitting with an allergist. Feeling unprepared and knowing very little about food allergies, I felt immediately flooded with new vocabulary words that I couldn’t process quickly enough, as each word seemed to be the glue that held the entire diagnosis together. I was somewhat familiar with each word, but I wasn’t yet aware of how each new word impacted our daughter. Yet, I understood very clearly that each word would have to be mastered – quickly, just like when I was a student.
The Role of Vocabulary Comprehension
Vocabulary plays an integral role in reading comprehension, as a reader cannot make sense of the text without understanding the meaning of the words. Simply put, the more words students know and understand, the better they can comprehend. Researchers have consistently found strong correlations between student performance on vocabulary and reading comprehension assessments.
However, so often, when vocabulary instruction, as with this scenario, the pressure to cover as many words as possible gets in the way of strategies, students need to naturally nurture word awareness. In order to move students from memorizing words, as teachers, we need to provide the space for them to play and bring words alive throughout the day. In doing so, we are aiding in developing a love of words and creating meaning.
Word Play For Vocabulary Comprehension
A common misconception is for students to learn words, they need to write down definitions for these words to be committed to memory. Instead, consider allowing time for students to play with words to create an understanding of how they work. The following are quick and easy to incorporate with low preparation:
- Word Ladders: This is a word game in which you begin with one word. To change the word, letters must be added and deleted.
- Tongue Twisters: They are fun and require us to focus on the sounds of the words we are saying to enunciate them.
- Puns: Everyone loves to laugh. Students need to know what the words mean and what they mean within the given context. This quick activity creates another opportunity to develop word knowledge.
Activities for Student Vocabulary Comprehension Practice
- The Florida Center of Reading Research offers free vocabulary activities ranging from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. These activities can be completed individually, in small groups, or pairs.
- FlipGrid (this link no longer available): The video-sharing tool is perfect for students to record and share their understanding of vocabulary words. Videos (Play video) uploaded require students to practice the script created for the word they share, increasing the chances of it being remembered.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Students need a wide range of activities to get them actively thinking about words and how they can be used in different situations. While drawing, students can draw and easily revise vocabulary.
- Sketch Vocabulary: Drawing words allows students to construct meaning personally. The sketch itself doesn’t have to be detailed, just something that the student can explain and actively think about the meaning.
- Describe and Draw: One student has a word and describes the word, while the other attempts to create a picture. This activity also addresses speaking and listening skills, as both are required to complete this activity.
A traditional approach, in which a vocabulary list is provided and tested in isolation, doesn’t promote students to actively encounter words repeatedly and in various contexts. And as I was reminded, vocabulary learning is ongoing, complex, and certainly never complete.