Monday, September 24, 2007

Academic vocabulary

At the August 20 Early Learners Institute Day there many Ideas for introducing and practicing academic vocabulary were generated. Some ideas included using pictures, fotos, video clips, and real objects to introduce new vocabulary. Other ideas were to conduct language experience activities especially those using cooking and science experiments. Games such as I Spy and Memory were great center ideas that require the children to use the vocabulary in authentic and yet fun ways. Other activities such as word walls, venn diagrams, and riddles are also very engaging for children. I'd love to hear what you are doing to introduce the vocabulary or practice the vocabulary or how you are using the Big Book format using these ideas or any others.

Pat Chamberlain

1 comment:

Cindy said...

The first few times I introduce the concept of a Venn-Diagram, I use hula-hoops. For example when we compare two books, we will lay 2 hula-hoops out (Venn-diagram style) on the floor. We'll put a book in each hoop. I write attributes/concepts about the books on index cards as the kids describe them to me. We place the cards in the appropriate place on the Venn-diagram. Sometimes I have my afteroon class listen as I read the cards from the morning class and they have to sort the cards according to what they recall about the stories. The kids also like to compare attributes they found in common with the other class.