WORD BAG

This is a super idea for a center, homework activity, or partner project. It can easily be adapted to different skill levels and age groups.


Word Bag
Put flash cards with vocabulary words, sight words, spelling words, etc. in a zip bag. Add different multi-sensory materials similar to those below. Children can take the bag and choose any material they like to reproduce the words.

*Wikki sticks

*magnetic letters

*colored pencils 

*alphabet stickers

*alphabet blocks

*dry erase board

*play dough

Mystery Word
Choose a word each day as a “mystery word." Write it on the board and then tape a sheet of paper over it so the children have to “take a peek” as they enter the classroom. At morning meeting discuss the meaning of the word. Can they dramatize the word? Can they use it in sentences?

More?

You could do shape bags, letter bags, etc. for young children.

DICTIONARY DAY

October 16th is Dictionary Day because it's Noah Webster's birthday. However, any day would be a great day to let your kids make their own "personal dictionaries." OWNING their own dictionary would be a meaningful way to reinforce vocabulary, sight words, and spelling words.

MY PERSONAL DICTIONARY
Materials: pocket folder, prepared pages with alphabet letters, markers

Directions: Ask students to tell you what they know about dictionaries. Brainstorm the many uses of dictionaries. Model looking up words and reading definitions. Explain that each of them will get to create their own dictionary that they can use to help them the rest of the school year. First, let the children decorate the outside of their pocket folder. Insert the alphabet pages. As you add new words to the word wall or have new spelling words, ask the children to write them in their dictionary. Encourage students to use their dictionaries when they write independently.

Hint! You might want to go ahead and type your core sight words on the pages before running them off.


Here are some other activities you can play with their dictionaries.



*Play “mystery word” where you give clues about words. 
 Can you find a word that starts with /m/ and ends with /d/? 
 Can you find a word that is the opposite of “fast”?


*Play the “rhyme” game. 
 Can you find a word that rhymes with “bike”? 
 Can you find a word that rhymes with “log” and is a pet?


*How many one letter words can you find? How many two letter words? Three letter words? 


*Ask children to clap out the syllables in words. 


*Can they match up words in their dictionaries with words in the classroom? 


*Sort words that refer to people, things we do, describing words, etc. 


*Have children find a word that starts with each letter in their name. 


*Have children make up sentences (oral or written) with the words. 


*Ask children to illustrate words or find magazine pictures that match the words.

*Demonstrate how to use the dictionary on the internet. How is it like their dictionary? How is it different?

SEASONAL DICTIONARY
Add a separate page each month with seasonal and holiday words children might want to use in their stories and journals.

VOCABULARY PASSWORD

Research continually highlights the relationship between vocabulary and comprehension as children progress in school. We know that:

- Rapid vocabulary acquisition occurs in pre-literate years (before children can read)

- Vocabulary is strongly related to reading and thus school achievement

- Systematic and direct instruction can increase children’s vocabulary

Here are some simple, meaningful strategies to add to your “vocabulary vitamin” bottle.

Attendance
Have a class puppet that gives a password every day. For attendance, the children say the password instead of “here.” Use this chant to introduce the password:
Liberty, Liberty (or whatever your puppet is named),
Oh, what do you say?
What is the password for today?

Hint! Tally the number of times children use the word during the day.

Visor
Write the vocabulary word on an index card and tape it to a visor. One child is selected to be the “supervisor” of the day and wear the visor. The “supervisor” stands at the door every time you leave and classmates must say the word before they can exit.

Name Badge
Put the word in a name badge and wear it (or let a student wear it) all day.
When the teacher says:
“Right now! Right now! Right now! Right now!
Whisper the password out right now.”
Children say the word.
Children then find a partner and use the word in a sentence.

Say, Spell, Sign
Look at the dictionary on aslpro.com to learn how to sign vocabulary words.
1. Children say the password.
2. Children fingerspell the password.
3. Children sign the password.

WACKY WAYS WITH SEASONAL WORDS

Let's have some learning fun with seasonal words. You can use these for October, autumn, Halloween, or any season or holiday throughout the year.

Mixed Up Words
Take vocabulary words, Halloween words, or spelling words and mix up the letters. Challenge children to figure out the words and then try to write them correctly on their paper.
Hint! Colored pencils or smelly markers make this so much more fun.



Word Makers
Give children a seasonal word or vocabulary word. How many other words can they make using the letters in that word? (This might be a good activity for children to do with a partner or in a small group.)

Pumpkin Head
This game is similar to “Wheel of Fortune.” The teacher thinks of a word and makes blanks on the board for the number of letters. As children call out 
letters, the teacher writes them on the appropriate blanks. If a child calls out a letter 
that is not in the word the teacher draws a pumpkin on the board. For each letter 
that is not in the word the teacher adds features (stem, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) to the 
pumpkin. The children try to identify the word before the pumpkin head is completed. 

*Keep a “bone pile” in the corner where you write letters that are not in the word. 


Picture Words
Challenge children to write words in a way that reflects their meaning. For example, write “spooky” in shaky letters, “fall” in letters that go down, “colorful” with many colors, “candy” decorated with sprinkles, etc.

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD OF HALLOWEEN

I know that some of you are not allowed to dress up on Halloween. I was looking through old blog posts with vocabulary words and I found this idea that Ginny McLay shared when I was in New Hampshire several years ago. It dawned on me that it would be a fun activity on October 31st - or any day.

Vocabulary Word Costume!
Ginny McLay and was inspired by her love of vocabulary to help her kids love learning new words with a costume party.

After focusing on words (synonyms, antonyms, nouns, verbs, and adjectives) invite children to think of a word that they LOVE, ADORE, AND ADMIRE and create a costume for their word.

Easy steps to make a costume!
1. Think of a few words that are really interesting.
2. Choose a word that you can make into a costume.
3. The word and definition must be somewhere on the costume.
4. Practice the word and definition
My word is _____. It means:_________.

Ideas for costumes:
1. Write the word and definition on a headband.
2. Write the word and definition on a piece of paper and make a necklace out of it.
3. Write the word and definition on a t-shirt and decorate with fabric paint.
4. Write the word and definition on a brown paper bag…cut it like a vest!
5. Use a costume you already have at home and think of a great word. Write the word and definition on a sash.


Can you tell? "Mysterious" and "celebrate"?

Great reads for vocabulary include:
Miss Alaineus – A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier
Fancy Nancy Books
Max’s Words by Kate Banks


NURSERY RHYME PARTY
A substitute for Halloween for younger children might be to have a nursery rhyme party. Children could all dress up like their favorite nursery rhyme character and then take turns reciting their rhyme. I'll share some snacks with you tomorrow.

DO YOU HAVE HOMEWORK?

If young children go to school and sit and listen and work and learn for six hours, they deserve to do what they want when they get home. They need to play, move, laugh, yell, imagine, and be KIDS!

Homework should teach children responsibility. Homework should be a tool to help parents see what their child is doing at school. Homework should extend learning from the classroom to the home. Homework should be MEANINGFUL!

Here are some strategies that might encourage children to develop responsibility and positive attitudes about homework.


Tic Tac Toe Homework

Make a tic-tac-toe grid and put a different assignment in each section. Children can do as many activities as they choose, but they must do at least 3 to get tic-tac-toe by the end of the week.
Hint! This is perfect for the parents and children who actually “like” homework because they can do all nine.

Homework Folders
You will need a pocket folder, crayons, and markers to make a homework folder. First, let children decorate the outside of their folders. Trace around their “left” hand on the left pocket. At the end of each day children put completed work in that pocket and it is “left” at home. Trace around their “right” hand on the right pocket. Use a homework sheet similar to the one below. Fill out assignments for the whole week and place it in the “right” hand side of the child’s folder on Monday. On Friday save homework sheets in children’s folders. Review with parents at conferences.

Weekly Homework Sheet

Monday ________________ Tuesday ______________

_______________________ ______________________

_______________________ ______________________

Parent Signature/Comments Parent Signature/Comments

_______________________ ______________________

Wednesday_____________ Thursday_______________

_______________________ ______________________

_______________________ ______________________

Parent Signature/Comments Parent Signature/Comments

_______________________ ______________________

Clipboard Homework
Each child will need a clipboard that she can decorate with her name, stickers, etc. Each night clip the homework assignment to children’s clipboards. (Think outside the box with interactive activities, rather than worksheets!) Make sure parents know that their job is to look at the clipboard each night, help their child with the assignment, and send it back to school the next day. 

Monthly Calendar
Send a calendar home at the beginning of each month and ask parents to complete at least ten activities and return by the end of the month.
Note! You can download these free on my website drjean.org.

https://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2011/07_Jul_css/pg03.html

WORD FAMILIES

Focusing on word families is a powerful strategy for beginning readers, and with the songs and hands-on activities below children will be successful.

Note! “Onset” refers to the initial letter or blend. “Rime” is the vowel and letters following it.

Rime Time (Tune: "The Addams Family")
Chorus:
Rime time, (Snap! Snap!)
Rime time, (Snap! Snap!)
Rime time, rime time, rime time. (Snap! Snap!)

There’s can and there’s pan. (Touch hands to alternate knees to the beat.)
There’s fan and there’s ran.
There’s man and there’s tan.
The “an” family.
Chorus

Pet-jet-vet-net-let-set…
Like-hike-bike-mike-trike-pike…
Pot-dot-hot-not-lot-got…
Ball-call-hall-fall-tall-mall…
Sit-lit-hit-kit-fit-pit…
Book-look-cook-hook-took-nook… Word Family Song
Here's another song to the tune of “BINGO.”
There is word family you should know
And at is it’s name-o.
M-a-t, mat
H-a-t, hat
C-a-t, cat
They end in at you know.

*Write the words on a chart and point to them as you sing.


Block Rimes
Cut paper the size of square and rectangular unit blocks. Write onsets on the squares and rimes on the rectangles. Children put blocks together and read words.

Rime Eggs
Using plastic eggs, write onsets with a permanent marker on one half of the egg. Write a rime on the other. Children twist the egg and read the words.




Flower Rimes
Cut 4” circles out of construction paper. Cut paper petals similar to the ones shown. Children write the “rime” on the circle and then write words on the petals.