Strategy 2

Your Name: Erin Mcintosh

Name of Strategy: Vocabulary Squares                           

 Source: Greece Central School District: Tools for Reading, Writing, and Thinking

 Link:  http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Tools/Index.htm

http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Tools/vocabsquares.pdf

(worksheet/template)

Description: This a graphic organizer that can be used to help students understand important words from their reading or from your curriculum in general.  Students are given a worksheet with squares separated into 5 parts in which they are asked to identify characteristics of the word.  They have to tell the part of speech, antonyms, synonyms, and variations, symbol, icon, or logo, and definition.  Then they must use the word appropriately in a sentence.

SCOS:  Family and Consumer Science: Vocabulary

Why will this work and how will it help students to learn?

I would use this strategy to introduce a unit.  Before I even get into a new unit, I go over new vocabulary because if students don’t know what the words mean, they will never understand the content of the unit.  I would use this to give them a deeper understanding of what the words mean, what they don’t mean, and how they are and are not used.  I would have them keep these worksheets in their required notebook to have for reference during the unit study.  They could also use these as vocabulary study sheets to have for review of their exams.  It may help some students by giving them a visual of the word.  I have one student who has a photographic memory and never writes anything down, but he always can recall what I wrote or a worksheet I gave him.  These would work well for him when recalling knowledge because he will be able to visualize the structure of the squares.

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