A New Way to Learn Vocabulary

We have completed two weeks of school and have accomplished plenty.  Learning to utilize only 45 minutes to teach vocabulary, literature, grammar, and writing has been challenging.  I decided to try something a little different with vocabulary.  I introduce four new root words each week.  One student (in each of my classes) is assigned the job of being the scribe. The scribe must open up a Google Doc, define each root word, write its origin, and list 5-6 examples for each.  Here is a sample of one scribe’s assignment for the root word geo:

ROOT                           Meaning                            Origin                       Examples

Geo                               earth                                 Greek                          Geography

                                                                                                                         Geocratic

                                                                                                                         Geodynamics

                                                                                                                           Geodesy

                                                                                                                            Geochemistry

Once this part of the assignment is complete, the scribe must then share the document with all of his/her classmates and myself.  The rest of the students are to choose an example listed for each root word, define it, find its synonym and antonym, and write a sentence using each word.  They also have the option of writing an analogy instead of a sentence.  After the first quarter, I will probably require analogies once a month.  After three weeks of root words, I will assess the students on the meanings.

When I first came up with this idea, I was trying to find some way to have weekly vocabulary, without it taking away too much teaching time.  The beauty of this technique is that it is completed individually at home, and simultaneously provides each student with a comprehensive study guide.  I thought it would be complicated for the students to understand the procedure, but after one week of modeling it each day, they got it.  Each scribe completed their jobs before I even gave a reminder.  Each week a new scribe is in charge.  I am hoping that it will be effective in learning the meanings of many root words, which from my summer reading, I discovered is the key in teaching vocabulary.

I am using mini-grammar lessons to start each class, and then we jump into literature analysis or writing.  My 6th graders will be writing short stories, my 7th graders will be writing modern myths and legends, and my 8th graders will be working on a research project.  We are definitely staying busy.

Here is one student’s work for the root words bio, phon, dict, and port: