Enrich students' vocabulary by providing visual tools as a valuable
resource for anchoring vocabulary instruction. Give students a mental
image of a word's meaning through placing a new word such as the name of an
animal in the center of a concept web and identifying types or traits of the
animal in the areas connected to the center of the web.
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. Reading A-Z offers many
printable or projectable graphic organizers that are appropriate
tools in vocabulary instruction.
How to Use Vocabulary Graphic Organizers
Review each student's Vocabulary Graphic Organizer carefully.
Common traits will be seen when students fill out their graphic
organizers, but no two graphic organizers will be exactly alike.
Use Vocabulary Graphic Organizers as a before, during, or after
reading activity. Set a purpose for reading by asking students to
list words they don't know on a graphic organizer and look for
evidence in the text to fill in their graphic organizer.
Use Vocabulary Graphic Organizers as assessment tools to get a
quick reference on your students' vocabulary knowledge.
Use them when teaching a foreign language to help students
memorize words and phrases and the context in which they were
found.
