November 11th Blog Post

Vocabulary is such a crucial concept in our day to day lives. Our homes, schools, teachers, and peers

have all helped to shape and expand our vocabularies. According to the article written by Blachowitz, C.L.Z., and Fisher, research has shown that many pre-school aged children receive little support with vocabulary growth in their lives. As an educator, you can help give students the skills for them to be able to experience growth in the vocabulary development that they need.

You have to realize that some children may not be receiving help with vocabulary in their homes, so it is your responsibility to help them learn it in the classroom. An example that I absolutely LOVE that was mentioned in the article was the idea of Word Walls. I seriously think that Word Walls are fabulous and I cannot wait to have one in my classroom. Another helpful strategy for helping expand vocabulary is choosing a wide variety of books for your students to read. By having your students read different types of books, they will in turn gain a higher vocab level. After they read you can give them a vocabulary test to see if they are understanding each type of book.

What are some activities that you did as a child that helped expand your vocabulary? Do you have any idea of activities to help develop your students' vocabulary skills in the classroom?

http://myheartbelongsinfirst.blogspot.com/2012/01/vocabulary.html
I found this link on Pinterest to an awesome blog written by a first grade teacher. She talks about her outlook on teaching vocabulary to her students and ways that help her teach in a fun way. I definitely recommend you take a look. I love the idea of making a word wall from each book the students read. You can post the title of the book then have students add words under the specific book they are working with...genius! I am loving all these fabulous classroom ideas I am finding on Pinterest! :)