Thinking about how to teach students some skills and techniques for learning vocabulary

1. Spelling 101
‘How to...’

2. How to learn....
(or ‘Oh, Robert, how I do love thee’)
Teacher explaining
Student re-telling
Robert Marzano
Student creating non-linguistic representation
Student engaging in activities to deepen knowledge of
the word.
Students discussing the word
Students playing games to reinforce the words
Robert Marzano

3. Teacher explaining
prior knowledge
imagery
tell a story
sing a song
sing and dance
gapfill definitions
visuword

4. Student re-telling
verbally and/or in writing
brainstorm
individual/pair/group/whole class

5. non-linguistic
representation
www.weboword.com
poster/illustrated
many different drawing/moodboard/
cartoon apps

6. activities to deepen
knowledge
create a class dictionary in google docs or
comparison wallwisher
classification create a personal dictionary
metaphor Write a poem http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/
newpoem.htm
analogy
Create gapfill tests for other students
weboword

7. discussing the word
explain classifications, comparisons
and representations
share metaphors and analogies
share findings and discoveries

8. reinforcement games
jeopardy
blockbusters
classtools.net
www.spellingcity.com
www.quizlet.com
make as many small words as possible out of big words
simon says
pictionary

9. reinforcement games
matching pairs
celebrity heads
I went to the supermarket and I bought/I went to the
museum and I saw/I travelled to the Galapagos Islands
and I saw
What is it?
Who wants to be a millionaire
call my bluff
mastermind

10. jeopardy
crocodile
Robert
latitude

11. Blockbusters
r m u j h m s b
e p r c i c g p
a c a b v p m g
s i w k w f i f
m f b d g s w p
b a p c u s w a
o v f q s w m l
w p d a w b c g

12. classtools.net

13. www.spellingcity.com

14. www.quizlet.com

15. www.testmoz.com

16. Simon says
drawing app
agreed actions
stand up/sit down

17. Pictionary

18. mastermind
mitosis exact
1 nucleus reproduction
2
division cellular
3
replication ??
split ??

19. call my bluff - lyre
Someone who does not tell the truth
A musical instrument
A liquid used in household cleaning

20. matching pairs

21. celebrity heads

22. I went to the
supermarket

23. Who/what is it?

24. Who wants to be a
millionaire

25. How to assess?
Focus only on what we want students to
know

26. Ideas from my
students ...
Finding out how successful students learn and
brainstorming ideas for learning vocabulary.
‘Look cover say check’/‘Look cover write check’
Take a photo of your list of spellings and use them as
background on your iPad/laptop.
Make up rhymes.
Write out copies of your list and stick them in
different places around your house.
Break words into different sounds.
Ask someone to test you. Test your friends.