Mrs. Gawn is asked by the reading coach at her school if she teaches specific vocabulary words to her fifth-grade students. "Of course I do," she answers. "We have a spelling list every week. These words are our vocabulary words. I use words with similar spelling patterns and have the students look up their definitions." What can Mrs. Gawn do to make the vocabulary instruction in her class more
effective?
What will be an ideal response?
Spelling words are not always the best words to use to teach vocabulary. Vocabulary words should be high utility words, words that are encountered in multiple situations and allow the students to better comprehend the text. These words should be carefully chosen and introduced within context. Rather than having the students look up definitions, Mrs. Gawn may introduce them in context, provide a synonym for each word, and then have the students actively form connections with the words (e.g., semantic maps). By actively using and manipulating the words in various contexts, the students are more likely to retain word meaning than if they simply copied definitions.
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Picturebooks are many children's main exposure to fine art
a. True b. False