Wordstruck or Wordstuck : The Power of Words

1. Wordstruck or Wordstuck: The Power of Words Alice De Dominicis KMWP 2011

2. Inquiry: • How can we teach student what words are all about? • What are some ways to make learning new vocabulary fun and multiply vocabulary at the same time? • Why is word connotation important in vocabulary acquisition and what are some ways to teach it?

3. Context of Teaching • High school Spanish Levels 1, 2, and 3 • Demographics • English aptitude • Foreign language = vocabulary + grammar

4. What are words all about? • Words are a writer’s tools. • What are your favorite words? • Teachers need to model their own curiosity with words. Ralph Fletcher explains the importance of words, “A rich vocabulary allows a writer to get a richness of thought onto the paper. However, the writer’s real pleasure comes not from using an exotic word but from using the right word in a sentence.”

5. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis • Dictionary use • What are some of the tools the dictionary gives us to help learn new vocabulary?

6. It’s all Greek to me.Greek and Latin Stems • pandemonium • How do stems help you with defining the word? • panchromatic pandemic Pangaea

7. What do the experts say? “Knowledge of Latin and Greek word roots is potentially a very powerful aspect of generative vocabulary knowledge. As students learn meanings for the most frequently occurring roots in core academic vocabulary (such as –struct “build”) and in content-specific academic vocabulary, they may generate an exponential boost in their vocabulary growth.” Templeton, Shane; Bear, Donald R.; Invernizzi, Marcia, and Johnston, Francine. Vocabulary Their Way: Word Study with Middle and Secondary Students. (2010). Boston, Masssachussetts: Pearson Education,Inc.

8. Let’s play with stems! • Put together as many words as you can that you already know using prefixes, suffixes and bases (roots). • Write these on a piece of butcher block paper. • Now, see how many new words you can create and write these on your paper as well. • What are some new words you created and what do they mean?

9. Exploring Words • Choose one of your favorite words and look it up in the dictionary. Note if it has any Greek or Latin stems. • Create a concept map to further explore your word and portray all its possible components and uses.

10. Concept Maps Definition Characteristics Word/Concept Examples Non-examples

11. Playing with Words Homonyms- Words that are spelled the same and sound the same but can mean different. Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo... The King Who Rained A Little Pigeon Toad

12. Connotation of Words Word connotation is learned as we acquire vocabulary. difficult ------- challenging stingy -------- economical headstrong --- determined nitpicking ----- meticulous childish ------- childlike

13. What I learned. • What’s important to remember is that to be a good writer, you have to fall in love with words first, if not at least pretend. • A rich vocabulary will enhance your craft. • Play with words. Before you know it, your students will be the ones taking notice of new words and new ways to use them. • Language is not fixed. Like desert sand dunes, language shifts and changes throughout time. Be open to using words in new ways