Part 2: My Messy Vocabulary System

By: Summer Garris

If you did not read yesterday’s post, please click here to read Part 1 of Summer’s blog. 

What It Looks Like: It’s Messy

A typical week goes something like this:

Friday: After a quiz on vocabulary words (from the previous week), students individually write at least one new word on a piece of chart paper hung on one wall in the classroom. It cannot be a word that is already written on the chart, so students must cross reference their own word lists with the list on the paper.

New words for the week are collected on chart paper.

Monday: Students decide on master list of words. A student “leader” goes to the chart paper, and students discuss, hone and justify the list of words. In doing this, students have conversations about the words. Which words are most useful? Which words sound cool? Which words have we seen other places? Which words come from a portion of the passage that sound profound or important or especially beautiful? In these conversations, students are using the internet to clarify meanings of the words. They talk about roots, prefixes and suffixes. They remember other places and contexts where they’ve heard the words. 

Ultimately, through process of elimination, students settle on a list of ten words. I randomly distribute ten notecards throughout the class. Small groups are assigned one word and given the task of using internet and other resources to find the following information: 1) the pronunciation of the word 2) the part of speech 3) example of the word from original text 4) a sentence with the word used in context 4) any other “fun facts” about the word. 

On one side of the notecard, a member of the small group writes write the word in large, bold print. On the other side of the notecard, they write the definition and other information. Groups present their words to the whole group, and students individually make a collection of notes. Often, if the word is tricky to say aloud, the class will say the word together a few times to “feel it in the mouth” and hear it aloud. Conversations are lively and engaging. Students find associations to help them remember the words. For example, when defining “turgid” (which means swollen), a student associates old celery. “Did you know,” she explains, “you can put celery in iced water, and it will become turgid again?” When defining “peritoneum,” a student quips, “the membrane lining the cavity of the abdomen and covering the abdominal organs.” “Ewww,” another one chimes in, “you mean like a gut sack?” Students scratch “gut sack” into their notes.

The words are pinned on a bulletin board to hang for the rest of the week that has the heading, “Word to Ya.” Some students make their own set of flashcards to study.

Words to on the “Word To Ya” board to hang for the week.

Wednesday: Among other class activities, random students are given the front face of the cards and have to say the word, define the word, and use the word in context. Students don’t know who will receive a card for the impromptu quiz, so all students have to be ready to present said information on all the words. Students correct each other and agree on contextual sentence accuracy. 

Thursday: Students participate in seminar about the passage, often citing passages that contain their new words.

Friday: The words are moved from the “Word to Ya” wall and onto the “Word Wheel.” This is round wheel that can be spun. We spin the wheel and choose three random words from the week’s list of ten. With these three words, students must construct a sentence and define the word. 

Words are chosen randomly for the week’s quiz
on the “Word Wheel.”

Assessment of the “quiz” ensures mastery. The definition must be accurate, though it can be in a student’s own words (“gut sack” counts as a definition). The sentence must be completely accurate, demonstrating the proper part of speech and enough detail to “prove” the definition is understood. Students receive 10 points per word, 5 for the definition and 5 for the sentence. 

When they finish their “quick quiz,” they put new words on the board from the new reading selection.

At the end of each nine week grading period, all of the notecards are stacked. I perform random card “tricks” to select 10 random words from the stack of all the words. 

What I Love about this System:

• It is fun. From the conversations, games, and immersion in the words, students are engaged and often amused. (Who wouldn’t giggle at the concept of a “gut sack” or when a scorned girlfriend describes her ex-boyfriend as an example of an “inimical dastard”?)
• It enhances the other literary experiences happening in the classroom. No longer is vocabulary time a time to move away from other literacy experiences in the classroom. 
• Students hear and speak the words. They consult dictionary pronunciation guides and use the internet to listen to the correct pronunciation of the words.
• It is student driven: students select the words, discuss, argue and define the words. Student learn the words however they see fit (flashcards, word webs, lists, whatever works for them). 
• It’s easy to assess. Flipping through the three word definitions and sentences per week is a breeze. I am no longer taking home multi-paged packets of worksheets and spending my time mentally hearing, “1-A, 2-E, 3-G. . . “ 
• I’m getting to know my students even more. As I read student sentences, I am getting an inside look into their personalities. Their sentences are creative and often witty or figurative. I comment with little notes and share with the class when I see word usage that seems especially profound. This week, I delighted at one music loving student who wrote how the “DJ could ‘posit’ that beat.”
• Students make the words their own. Because they choose the words and create their own sentences, students often have favorites. The words are showing up in their writing and in our class conversations like never before. 
• I’m learning new words, too. So often, I stop during my reading to look up the definition of a word I don’t know. This system with such immersion with the words really makes the words usable. 

My system isn’t neat and tidy, and it’s not quiet. There are moments of intense laughter and cheers and boos. Since students are leading the discussions, it’s never certain where these discussions might go. For my classroom, though, it’s OK to be messy. Messy is fun!

Summer is a High School English teacher in LaRue county and is a NGID Participant. Currently, The Fund is featuring blogs from teachers in the Next Generation Instructional Design network. They will share their journey, their ideas, and their collaborative work related to being in the network and with building units of study with LDC modules embedded.