Janie Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 If so, please share how you have it arranged. I'm pondering having my middle schoolers keep one throughout their MS years, but cannot decide the details--keep in alphabetical order or in order learned, etc. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I heard a great idea once from a lady learning another language. She bought a telephone book organizer (what is it called? Address book?) and listed words in them by alphabetical order. It would work great if it was one where you could add pages in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez J Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 With CLE Reading, there is a ton of vocabulary alone. That does not include all the vocabulary from other programs. And, we will be adding a root/endings study this year to replace SWR as we finish this year. By the end of this year, I was giving my dd review words from the beginning of the year. I settled on this for the review exercise: I wrote a list of words at the top of the page, then had her write the word, definition, and an example sentence. If she got it right with the review, then we dropped it. If she missed it, then it goes onto the next review rotation. The review list gets shorter and shorter. Next year, having struggled so this year, I am going to have a vocabulary book. Some people alphabetize. But, I'm not convinced I need it alphabetized based on what I wrote above. I just need a notebook to store our work. If you want to alphabetize, I like the idea above of pre-alphabatized pages for an address book. The other idea is alphabetized dividers. But both of these require binders. Personally, we work better with spiral notebooks than binders. DD doesn't like writing in a binder, and I never get pages put into binders!!! This year, I am planning to have my daughter build a notebook with all the vocabulary and make a master list of the words that is not in abc order but in order learned. That way I can review from the master list knowing which words haven't been reviewed in a while. The master list will be on looseleaf paper that I can put into a sheet protector for me (which will be in a simple folder with brads). Then, the spiral notebook pages will have the definition, an example sentence, and examples of synonyms, antonyms and homonyms where applicable. If it a grammar or math term, then I will likely have her write "cues" to remembering how to use, such as direct object - follows an action verb. I may divide the spiral notebook into vocabulary, grammar terms, math terms, bible verses. I am thinking for bible verses, I'll have her copy them several times on the page, but I need a review plan similar to the vocab. review I did this year. I won't start a new page per day as the notebook would be too big for her to write in. So, bible verses can just accumulate down the page, maybe divided by a few lines with a heading for date or lesson number. I need a system like this for memory work too. We have not done well tackling memory work due to lack of a system. Good luck! Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I gave the kids binders and bought the A-to-Z tabs to insert. They arranged their words alphabetically using the tabs. I found words on the net...I just searched for Xgrade vocabulary lists and got tons of hits. Then, I chose words that I thought they would actually see/need to know. We stopped the notebook, though, after one year as it wasn't effective. Neither child retained the knowledge....the same happened with spelling. They would know it for tests, then dump it. They both just can't learn spelling/vocab for the sake of it. We realized they did better with lots of reading. Their vocabulary & spelling took off that way. I do know that many kids do well with separate spelling & vocab. Mine just don't fit that category. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 (edited) I think WTM recommends beginning this in 9th grade, having them jot words they don't know in their reading, the context sentence, and the definition. I've been doing this for my Omnibus reading (the books I'm reading myself to prepare for Omnibus in two years), and now I see why she (SWB) recommends waiting until then. They need to have enough of a vocab base that they aren't having to look up a LOT of words in their reading. Also, they need the maturity so they don't get overwhelmed, slack, and develop bad habits. So with my dd, a rising 5th gr, I've thought of a few options: -punt, wait till she's older -separate vocab study, not connected to her reading, using this cool test prep dictionary I have (read 2-page spread, pick 4 words to study) -teacher-generated list of vocab words that they look for in the book while they read (I think this is probably what I'll do the first few years of Omnibus) -student-selected words to teacher specs, say 2 words per chapter For now I have her doing the BJU Reading 6, which does some of that in the accompanying workbook. She'll be into the BJU Lit 7 some time in the fall, and it includes vocab quizzes, etc., though I don't know if I'll use them, haven't looked at them yet. I'm probably going to do that vocab study using that dictionary I mentioned, because it will be a combo spelling and vocab for us, sort of our transition from the one to the other. I'll have her mark the words the way our spelling program does, then do the vocab techniques. Then the next year we could transition to straight vocab. Don't know if that will work, just what I'm pondering doing. Vocab is just the outgrowth of spelling, so it seems good to me to merge them. BTW, I don't think the point of vocab study as WTM outlines is to create a dictionary. The point is to begin NOTICING when you know a word, when you don't, and just pulling some attention to it. When kids don't know words in reading, they often just plain skip them. You want to break the skipping habit and get them to start thinking. I don't think fancy, alphabetized notebooks necessarily help with that. Any old list will do or any process that helps them start to notice words. But you have to narrow the expectations down to fit the age of the student. Edited June 8, 2009 by OhElizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I gave the kids binders and bought the A-to-Z tabs to insert. They arranged their words alphabetically using the tabs. I found words on the net...I just searched for Xgrade vocabulary lists and got tons of hits. Then, I chose words that I thought they would actually see/need to know. We stopped the notebook, though, after one year as it wasn't effective. Neither child retained the knowledge....the same happened with spelling. They would know it for tests, then dump it. They both just can't learn spelling/vocab for the sake of it. We realized they did better with lots of reading. Their vocabulary & spelling took off that way. I do know that many kids do well with separate spelling & vocab. Mine just don't fit that category. Good luck! My high school lit teacher did something that to this day I think was brilliant. Instead of a full definition, she would give us a list of words and then a synonym to that word. We would memorize the list and have a test every so often, almost like a spelling test. Now, 17 years later, I still remember learning that a pariah was an outcast. There really is no need, in my opinion, to have to know the actual definition, as long as you know what it means when you encounter it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Ooo, I like that idea of studying via synonyms!!! That would be VERY good for testing, which may be why your teacher did it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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