Teacher: Good morning. Today we are going to find definitions for some of the words contained in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
Students: <Groan, grimace, guffaw>
Teacher: The paper that I am passing out has 20 words on it. Use the dictionaries from the bookshelf to find the meaning for each word. Hand in the paper when you are finished.
THE END
So, at the end of this vocabulary lesson, I felt a little like Lane Meyer in this class:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdVqCNev6Q&x-yt-ts=1422503916&x-yt-cl=85027636&feature=player_detailpage
I essentially spent 45 minutes copying words from a dictionary onto a piece of paper. Then, after we had read the text, I would be expected to remember the definitions well enough to correctly match each word with a coordinating definition on a multiple-choice test. Can you see where this instruction left me a little bewildered and frustrated?
In the week's vocabulary reading by Harmon, Wood, and Hendrick, it states that teachers must help students do three things in order to effectively teach vocabulary to students: define the terms, put the terms in context, and demonstrate correct application of the terms. What good is it to find the definitions to words we don't know if we will never be able to understand how the words fit into the text or how to use the words correctly or be given an opportunity to use the words? In order to prepare students for college and careers, we must help them develop their literacy. They have to become acquainted with vocabulary specific to various disciplines, but we also need to teach them how to decode new words in their own reading so that they will become independent readers who have the tools to succeed.
You may find this surprising, but I plan on doing my vocabulary instruction in a way that does not resemble the Lehi High instruction in any way, shape, or form because I want my students to actually learn the vocabulary from my class. I plan on having hands-on activities to test students' understanding of words (e.g. Pictionary and charades) in ways that accommodate different learning styles. I also want to be sure and include our vocabulary words in my own communication so students can understand how these words are used in context and become accustomed to hearing them spoken. When students are asked to write in their journals or draft essays, they will be encouraged and expected to use the vocabulary words in their own texts to show me that they truly understand them. I want my students to be immersed in the vocabulary of English so that it becomes a part of them.
As for the definitions from the dictionary, I will save those as punishment for students who don't like "Better Off Dead."
Polly, I loved reading this post!! That video was hilarious! I really like your new and very much needed ideas for incorporating fun into learning vocabulary with your classroom. You hit the nail right on its head with why so many students fall behind with those kind of assignments that do not engage the students or help them apply their new knowledge correctly. Looking forward to your next post!
ReplyDelete-Molly
Ah.... Better Off Dead. Interestingly enough, it was kind of one of those 'rites of passage' movies for my graduating class. You couldn't get out of high school unless you've seen it at least once. Must be that part of the valley. I went to American Fork. ANYWHO! Good for you in breaking the paradigm. I look forward to seeing how your differing assignments work on the students you have! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun clip! And yes, writing definitions is the proper punishment for those who don't like "Better Off Dead." But, in terms of being a motivational and effective tool for learning, writing out definitions is probably the LEAST effective thing we can do.
ReplyDeleteI posted this on my own blog, but I think that English poses special problems because they may never encounter vocabulary words in novels or poems again. So, in disciplines like science and mathematics, the words RECIPROCAL and PHOTOSYNTHESIS are central to understanding the text, but students may be able to understand some narratives without understanding all of the vocabulary words in them.
So, I think your core vocabulary words in English are often things like style, tone, diction, and so forth. But at times, it is necessary for students to understand the words in a literary texts in order for them to really understand the text at a deeper level.
I worked with an English teacher who split up "Self Reliance" into phrases. She gave each student a phrase, such as, "We must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny," and had students make a creative mural of the phase, including applications and photographs. Then she pasted all of the phrases up around the room to create a complete version of several paragraphs of that text. I thought it was a great way to teach vocabulary and to encourage deep thinking about a difficult text.
Thanks for a fun posting!
Well I guess I had better start copying out of a dictionary because I have never seen that movie, but now I want to! haha... I think it is awesome that you want to move away from how you were taught and try something new... sometimes I think we get in a rut as teachers as the "right" way to do something, just because that's the only way we saw it. I love the idea of charades and Pictionary as creative learning that accommodates for different learning styles.
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