I’ll admit it, I’m guilty of the cardinal sin of English teachers.
I have given out a list of vocabulary words, told students to define the words, and given out a quiz the following week. Most English teachers have. It’s not because we’re trying to be lazy, I’m sure. It’s just that between bell-ringers, learning targets, taking attendance, engaging mini-lessons, ongoing lessons that focus on content that align with the common core, and homework that engages critical thinking, sometimes it can be hard to find time to teach vocabulary.
I do include vocabulary in several of my literature units, but those words are not based on age but on the content it’s being pulled from. Over the years I had been looking into ways to incorporate more vocabulary, preferably based on suggested words from the SAT list, but it always seemed to get put on the backburner.
An idea struck me one year when teaching Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. I was trying to explain how Brutus was a stoic, and I wrote the word and definition on the board behind me. It stayed up there all week and we referred to it a few times.
The next week, we discussed the very topical (for the time) discussion of Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric. I told him that he was the definition of “bombastic,” and that word made it up on the whiteboard. As we discussed it later in the week, students attempted to use the word “bombastic” in a sentence to earn a star (a silly sticker reward in my class). And from there, Word of the Week became a regular fixture in my classroom.
It’s not a complicated procedure. Every week I choose a word from an SAT list, such as this one. I write the word on a small whiteboard in the front of my classroom. Monday mornings start with a quick review of the definition and some example sentences. Starting Tuesday, students can attempt to use the word in a sentence in class, and if they do so correctly, I give them a star.
I do not give any quizzes or require any homework with the words of the week. However, I do collect the words and definitions on a Quizlet list and include the Word of the Week words on our final exam.
It may not be preparing my students to ace the ACT, but each week my students learn an age-appropriate word, learn how to apply it in a sentence, and hopefully, most of them make it into their long-term memory. It’s certainly better than my previous method of vocabulary…which was basically nothing.
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sabrina22 says
Hi ! I really like this idea and my students hate me for giving them a list of words lol I will definitely use it. I was wondering if you could give me some feedback I’m a new AP teacher and really looking for help. If you have time if you don’t I know we’re busy :). Love your post and it was very helpful. I did give a list of words but then I gave them two small projects and vocab checks more AP exam style questioning in between.
small project 1: Give them the list of words with the definitions and have them find synonyms or antonyms.Then use that word in a sentence that displays their ability to use it in the right context.
small project 2: 350-1000 short story on a topic of their choice they must find a way to integrate the words into their story and use it in the right context while also telling a compelling/at the very least a story that makes sense.
I’m wondering if this is not rigorous enough how do I make it more challenging? And would you steer away from creative projects like this completely in AP lit? I’m finding myself bored with where I can go with my lessons and I enjoy using creative writing to build vocab but if it’s not hitting the skills what can I do?
gina.litandmore says
I think these projects sound like great ideas! Word of the week is simple and hands-off, but making it more rigorous and creative is wonderful!