Vocabulary

Vocabulary is very important to a reader's ability to comprehend the text. However, in schools today the most common form of vocabulary learning is copying and memorizing definitions from a dictionary. This tool does not work; students will learn nothing about the word's uses in the real world. When I was in school, I distinctly remember just copying vocabulary words and using the shortest definition possible. This did not teach me anything. It is important for students to be able to see or hear word and be able to associate it with a real world connotation. Here's an example...


What do you think of when you hear the word purple?
Now you could have thought that you hate the color purple, that purple is your favorite color, you could have imagined the different colors of purple, or you could have thought of a family member's purple heart that they received.
Now here is the dictionary definition of the word purple: a color made by mixing red and blue.

The dictionary definition carries absolutely no importance or understanding like your cognitive image of the word carries.

This is why it is important to teach children the first example of vocabulary recall.  The text examines how it is important to connect the word with a real life example. Such as if you are talking about words such as hammer, screw driver, or nail, it is best to bring in actually examples of these things so students get a better example. Another great technique the readings provide is to pick three words out of a book you are reading in class for the students to work on. The students can use the context clues and the actually story line to help them learn the new words. Word walls are also a great thing to do as long as you explain the meaning of each word with your students.  

Let's do an example of how showing real world examples helps our understanding,

Take the word camomile:

Dictionary Definition- any aromatic plant of the Eurasian genus Anthemis, esp A. nobilis, whose finely dissected leaves and daisy-like flowers are used medicinally: family Asteraceae 

Real World Example-

The real world example is much more useful to our understanding of the word camomile, and this is the kind of learning that we, as teachers, have to initiate with our students. 

What would you use to teach vocabulary in your classroom?

 Do you think that copying definitions when you were in school was of any use at all?

Why do you think a good vocabulary is so important for growing readers?