BUILDING VOCABULARY

How to Learn New Words

Strategies for Building Vocabulary

In How To Learn New Words students learn how to:

• relate their current word knowledge to the context in which they discover an unfamiliar word;

• use context clues, such as definitions, examples, synonyms, antonyms, and descriptions to find the meaning of an unfamiliar word;

• use the meanings of prefixes and suffixes to bring precise meaning to words.

How To Learn New Words may be used with individual students, small groups of children, or an entire class. It is essential to the success of the program that the teacher introduce each unit so students have a clear understanding of new material. However, after the unit is introduced and discussed, students may complete the exercises independently.

Each unit is divided into four activities.

Be sure to preview each unit before using it. You may wish to complete one unit per week by assigning one activity per day and testing formally or informally on the fifth day. Or you may wish to spread a unit out over a longer period of time. Adjust the pace to suit the ability of your group.

Use these follow-on activities to enhance your teaching.

• After each unit, have a vocabulary bee using words learned so far.

• Invite youngsters to share with classmates any new and interesting words they come across in their independent reading. Encourage children to write these interesting words on their word lists.

• Students learn about dictionaries. Have dictionaries available, and take time to teach youngsters beginning dictionary skills.

• Read stories that contain unfamiliar words. Have youngsters guess at meanings of the words, then check them out in a dictionary.

• Place dictionaries and a supply of crossword and other word puzzles in your classroom. Encourage youngsters to do the puzzles and to create their own word puzzles for classmates to solve.

UNIT 1: SYNONYMS

Meet Jack-In-The-Box

Hi, Girls and Boys! My name is Jack. I dwell in a box. I keep words in my box. Whenever I learn a new word, I flip my lid.
I’ll teach you lots of ways to learn new words. Soon you’ll be flipping your lids over each word you learn too. Now let’s peek at some words I took out of my Word Box and listed in Activity 1.

Activity 1

Study the words. Then go back to the paragraphs at the beginning of this lesson. Match each underlined word to the word below that has the same meaning.

many _____________________________
also ______________________________
look ______________________________
children ___________________________
live ______________________________

Answers: lots; peek; dwell; too; girls and boys

Activity 2

Now find and circle each word you learned in Activity 1 in the Word Search puzzle. The words go across and down. One is done for you.

Learn About Synonyms

Words that have the same meanings are called synonyms. Whenever you learn a new word, try to think of a synonym for that word.

Activity 3

Look at the words in my Word Box. They are synonyms for the boldfaced words.

Read the sentences. Write a synonym from the Word Box for each boldfaced word.

1. A big, bad wolf lives deep in the king’s (forest) ________.

2. The people in the town were (scared) ________ of the wolf.

3. The (clever) ________ prince caught the big, bad wolf.

4. At the ball the prince met a (beautiful) _________ princess.

5. The king and queen lived in a (huge) _________ castle.

6. The king rode his horse through the little (village) __________.

7. The queen’s horse was grazing in the (pasture) __________.

8. It was a (terrific) ________ day for the prince’s birthday party.

9. A (thief) ___________ tried to steal the king’s gold.

10. The little old man wheeled the (cart) __________ of hay through the village.

Answers: 1. woods; 2. afraid; 3. wise; 4. pretty; 5. large; 6. town; 7. field; 8. great; 9. bandit; 10. wagon

Synonym Crossword Puzzle

Activity 4

Look at the words in the Word Box. They are synonyms for words you have learned.
Now read the word meanings below the crossword puzzle. Then choose a synonym from the Word Box for each word. Write that synonym in the puzzle. Remember, synonyms are words that have the same meanings. Be sure to follow the numbers across and down. The letters in the puzzle will help you.

Answers:

Across: 3. children; 5. terrific; 8. huge; 11. field; 13. bandit; 14. town

Down: 1. scared; 2. beautiful; 4. dwell; 6. forest; 7. clever; 9. many; 10. peek; 12. also; 15. wagon

Compiled by Erin Bouma

to be continued