What’s That Word Again?

I will not lie, I love words!  I really do!  A person that loves words is called a logophile. 

When I was a child, I remember carrying the linen, thick red Webster’s dictionary to the kitchen table and randomly opening a page, to copy down the words and the definitions on paper. 

As a matter of fact, some of my adult friends call me their “Wordsmith”.

Why is Vocabulary Important?

Vocabulary is crucial for reading because knowing word meanings is essential to understanding the text, making the reading process effective. 

I recall in school us having weekly spelling words.  We had to write each word five times, and create them in sentences. We were required to stand up and read our sentences to the class.  It was a joy to do so and as quiet as it was kept (as I look back over it now), this exercise increased our confidence level. 

There was nothing more embarrassing than not being prepared to share your spelling word sentences. A person was only embarrassed once!  Believe me, it didn’t happen again. 

Let me be more specific, the embarrassment was not because you couldn’t pronounce a word, the embarrassment was there if you didn’t come prepared, if you didn’t do the assignment. 

Then And Now

I get it, now the children have electronic devices, cell phones, Ipads, tablets, etc, and handwriting has taken a back seat.  But the children still need to know the words on those devices in order to understand their classroom assignments as well as how to process the information. 

We have incorporated vocabulary building in our lessons at GBOC. 

During one of our discussions, with a discerning ear, we discovered that some children lack social skills because they felt incompetent to participate in conversations.  We observed this more in our male mentees.  

One child admitted that didn’t he didn’t like meeting new people because he feared   he was not smart enough and would appear stupid.

This week, one of the male mentees frowned when he was given the list of vocabulary words and questioned why he had to do the assignment. 

While watching him write the words on index cards (which is required) I noticed a smile on his face as he completed the list.  

I said, “It looks like you like what you’re doing.”  

His response, “I don’t mind writing the words down.”

It’s a start.  Better yet, it’s a great start! 

Picture credit-Pisit-Heng@Unsplash.com