The reason that I like this book so much is that it not only incorporates vocabulary and writing, but also different genres of reading: poems, tall tales, folktales, book reviews, etc. Each story contains specific skill building activities.
I think that vocabulary is very hard to teach. Background knowledge, in my opinion, is key. In the area where I live, there are children who have done extensive travelling and students who have rarely left the county. It is important to be able to anchor new vocabulary with an image or experience that they already possess.
How do you introduce/teach vocabulary? Do you follow a specific program?
Happy Saturday!
I love that book. I went to an rti conference several years ago and took a class on introducing vocabulary and I have used that method ever since. It involves using the word in sentences to define it. Then, having the students define through sentences. After I read this it sounds confusing but it is very straight forward.
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I found your blog while looking for ways to help some of my (TK and 1st grade) students from China expand their English vocabulary (I teach in an ad hoc enrichment program). My mother was a first-grade teacher (now retired) and taught ESL for a few years, but aside from having grown up in her classroom I don't have any background in early childhood education (I taught at a progressive private high school and abroad, but without going through a teaching program). Having stumbled on your blog, I wanted to thank you for having all this up here! Your experience and perspective are a great help!
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