Words Words Words!

I found the Yopp & Yopp article to be the most interesting reading this week. I liked the portion of the reading that discussed the different levels that a particular word can be on. There are some words that we know really well and use often and there are other words that we have never seen or heard before. As stated in the article, knowing a word is not all-or-nothing, there are various levels that a word can be on for each individual person. For a word to reach the highest level, the word must become very familiar to the person. That is where our job as the teacher comes in. Teachers must introduce their students to as many words as possible so that each child can begin to develop a diverse vocabulary. Without being constantly introduced to words, the words will never reach that top level of familiarity. Throughout the school day, students should continuously be introduced to vocabulary, no matter what the content area is. Teachers can also enhance this process by showing enthusiasm and excitement when a child uses a new or unique word. The Ten Important Words activity is an excellent example of a way to get the students interested and engaged in their vocabulary development. What other activities would get the children excited about learning new vocabulary?