Vocabulary/Dictionary skills

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Home : 2004 : October : 10

Vocabulary/Dictionary skills
By Margaret

I teach 2nd grade, and I do both with my children. This is an in-class activity that goes on all year long. I use dictionary skills activities both as writing lessons and as reading lessons, teaching the children all the
necessary skills for finding words they use and need. I also teach using a Thesaurus, particularly in conjunction with creative writing. The children LOVE using both the dictionary and thesaurus. I recently found and adapted a "new word" sheet that I am teaching the children to use. On the sheet, they state the "new" word, the context of when and where it was found (ie., a science lesson),

the specific context of the word, the dictionary definition of the word, another word it reminds them of, and a sentence they write with the word in it. They really liked using the form, and I plan to have them use it extensively this year. We will do all these activities multiple times each week, with the exception of the "new" word. I hope soon to have them independently using the form as often as they need or want, with a minimum number of times expected per week (probably one per week).