Writing and Vocabulary

Is it impossible to be a good writer with a poor understanding of vocabulary? I think so. I think it's also nearly impossible to be a good writer without a certain proficiency in spelling. Why?

Becuase when someone writes, they should be thinking about what they are trying to say and how they are trying to say it.  It's hard to imagine someone without basic spelling skills having the spelling automaticity required to write well.

Or, the cognitive load of trying to spell each word can prevent someone from thinking about what they are trying to write. But if their spelling is automatic, they can think about their writing.

Schools and students develop spelling and writing automaticity largely through practice.  Here's some great resources for practicing for each grade level.  For second grade spelling, third grade spelling, fourth grade spelling, and fifth grade spelling. 

In second grade, and I quote:  Second grade spelling word lists include Dolch and Fry sight word lists and word structure lists (compound words). Second grade students can build sight word fluency and phonics mastery through the use of VocabularySpellingCity’s interactive online games. Second grade games feature both audio and visual elements, an effective learning tool for all maturing readers and writers, specifically English Language Learners (ELLs).

And quoting from the 5th grade materials:

Fifth grade teachers can find hundreds of free vocabulary and spelling word lists on VocabularySpellingCity‘s website. Word lists can be paired with engaging, interactive games to practice fifth grade English language arts concepts. In addition to online learning games, VocabularySpellingCity offers printable worksheets on topics including hyperbole, personification, and metaphors to help make planning fifth grade vocabulary lessons easy.

Fifth grade-level word lists support reading and literacy programs like Journeys and Wonders. Teachers can use lists to supplement fifth grade language arts lesson plans. VocabularySpellingCity can also administer and assess spelling tests and vocabulary tests. Fifth grade teachers can create their own lists to accommodate more advanced spelling patterns that include affixes and multisyllabic words, as well as remedial word lists that include high frequency words and commonly misspelled words.

Maybe the traditional spelling practice really is the way to learn these words and the whole CCSS thing of just read read read is not going to develop the skills needed for writing. No duh!

Writing Requires Strong Vocabulary & Language Arts

Most writers are real technicians fo the langauge. Their mastery of mechanics and vocabulary are an important part of their trade.

Many of them are really fascinated by words and word games.  I'm not saying that if you have a big vocabulary, you'll beocme a writer. I am saying that if you build skills, like vocabulary, you might write better using the exact right word at the right time.

Here's  collection of literacy related learning games for grade one, two, three, four, five, and kindergarten. Share them with your parents and other teachers.

Kindergarten - http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/kindergartenlearninggames

1st Grade - http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/1stgradelearninggames1

2nd Grade - http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/2ndgradelearninggames

3rd Grade - http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/3rdgradelearninggames

4th Grade - http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/4thgradelearninggames

5th Grade - http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/5thgradelearninggames

If you don't know about webmixes, you should, they're great ways to build webpages, and collect resources.

Science4Us Mission

The U.S. weakness in science starts in the primary grades (NAEP, 2009). The mission of Science4Us (S4U) is to revive science education via an original, powerful, and complete online curriculum focusing initially on providing a strong K-2 curriculum. S4U believes that the best possibility of broadly achieving the desired level of student and teacher engagement in science within today’s environment is through an online, digital approach with embedded professional development. There are four key reasons that S4U is positioned to succeed in this mission:

1. The imminence of standardized science assessments and goals creates a need for new curriculum.
2. Today’s students are technologically savvy learners ready to engage in digital learning.
3. The school infrastructure (human & technical) is ready and able to rely on an online curriculum.
4. The S4U team has deep in-house expertise and tried-and-true experience in:

• School science best practices and classroom realities
• Digital education production and game development
• Marketing techniques powerful enough to make a nationwide impact

The goal of Science4Us is to improve STEM education with an easy-to-use investigative online low cost, standards-based, innovative, research-based, curriculum suited to today’s educational system.

As background, the Science4Us model is a based on the 5E Instructional Model.

Elementary Science Program

There's such a huge need for Americans to get solid technical educations and there's such a wasteland and lack of study in today's elementary schools. Sheez!

Enter one nice solution. Have you seen Science4Us? CHECK IT OUT!

The mission of Science4Us is to provide a solid foundation of fundamental science concepts for students in their formative years, on which a deep understanding and interest in science can be built. Science4Us realizes that the teachers are integral to the mission. Teachers can struggle to provide the foundation early elementary students need. Science4Us makes it easy.

The Science4Us curriculum includes pedagogical and content training for teachers, embedded and on-demand, that does not require a large time commitment. Science4Us provides all of the support that teachers need to  lead exemplary science lessons, using the 5E Instructional learning Model for Elementary Science.

 Here is an overview of their curriculum by grade:

• Kindergarten Science Program
• 1st Grade Science Curriculum
• 2nd Grade Science Curriculum
• Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Science

Inspire your students with Science4Us, an early elementary science curriculum that builds solid foundation skills.

Free Science Educational Widgets. Students are taught physical science, life science, earth/space science and inquiry skills with over 350 online, animated activities as well as tons of offline material. Science4Us also includes hands-on projects, investigations and cross-curricular math and language arts activities that maximize the learning process and help students gain further understanding. We have compiled these early elementary science resources for you to use at home or in the classroom.

Science Songs

These educational songs are found throughout our K-2 curriculum. Through fun, catchy lyrics, science concepts are presented in a way that young learners will enjoy and remember. You can find more Science4Us videos on ourYouTube channel.

View Science Songs >>

Animated Lessons

Science4Us covers four “books” of science – Physical Science, Life Science, Earth/Space Science and Inquiry. The comprehensive curriculum includes 28 modules with over 350 online, animated activities.

Elementary Science Lessons >>

Hands-On Projects

Students will enjoy learning fundamental science principles through engaging, hands-on experiments. These fun projects for elementary students use easily attainable, everyday household items such as balloons, magnets and eggs. (Warning: Some experiments may get a little messy!)

Elementary Science Fair Projects >>

Best Educational Games for Back to School

Many schools and teachers post a list of recommended websites for learning games for their students.  Here's a curated list of educational and engaging learning games for schools to post on their website and send out to teachers.  Obviously, it can be adjusted by the teacher's or school's focus and their types of students.

Spelling Games

http://www.spellingcity.com/spelling-games-vocabulary-games.html 

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/spelling-games.html

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/spelling/

Phonics Games

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/phonics/

http://www.familylearning.org.uk/phonics_games.html

Syllables and Segmenting Games

http://www.spellingcity.com/syllables-segmenting.html

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/syllables/

Analogies

http://www.spellingcity.com/analogies.html

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/analogies/

Writing Lessons and Activities

http://www.time4writing.com/writing-essays/

http://www.time4writing.com/writing-paragraphs/

http://www.time4writing.com/sentence-writing/

Typing/Keyboarding Games

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games/typing-course.html

http://www.time4writing.com/writing-essays/

Vocabulary Games

http://www.spellingcity.com/spelling-games-vocabulary-games.html

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/vocabulary_games.html

http://www.spellingcity.com/Games/matchit.html

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/english-language-games/

http://www.vocabulary.co.il/context-and-definitions/

Brain Training Games

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/miscellaneous_games.html

Bookmarking Sites

Symbaloo's Visual Bookmarking has some great webmixes!

http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/wordgames2

Flashcards

At first glance, flash cards are very retro. I mean, like who still needs to memorize anything?  And why use paper for it.  But, in fact, flashcards are currently used by most students since there's still, and probably always will be, loads of memorization as part of education.  One big issue, is learning math facts.  These need to be done by heard and math fact flash cards are a perennial.

There are also online Flashcards, for spelling, vocabulary, and more,that allow users to study words in context, learn definitions, parts of speech and more. Use this VocabularySpellingCity activity as your own personal flashcard maker. Creating flashcards for kids using their word lists gives them a fun, interactive way to study for tests.

Online Flashcards Instructions: Click on each flashcard or tap the spacebar to view the reverse side of the card. To customize your flashcards, click on the Customize link at the bottom of the card. Choose which information (word, definition, sentence, part of speech, synonyms, or antonyms) you wish to display on the front side of the flashcards, and which information you wish to display on the flip side. Flashcards can be shown in alphabetical order, the order in which you entered the words, or in random order. 

Printable Flashcard Instructions: The flashcards can be printed in a variety of sizes ranging from Jumbo flash cards (one to a page) to mini (fourteen flashcards per page).  

Help Google Pick the Best Latin Games

Sometimes, I agree with Google. I just googled “Typing Games for Kids” and number one is a page with 20 different typing gameson the Kids Learning Games website. It is a great collection of keyboarding games. I only regret that when I learned to type, it was with boring exercises on a typewriter.

But, I don’t agree with Google’s choice of the best Latin learning games. I think the best set of Latin games are on Vocabulary.co.il’s site but Google has them listed on the third page. Here’s where you can help! First, try these games and see if you think they’re fun and effective. If so, you should help Google rate them higher.  To help move these games up in the search engines, and to help your friends find them, you should share the page to your Facebook page or tweet about it. You could also link to the page from your website or blog. This all helps Google decide to move the site up in the engine. It’s yourcivilis officium (civic duty) to lend Google a hand. BTW, do you know any Latin? I’ll bet that you might surprise yourself. You might find that you know more than you thought! For example, I bet you already know that status quo is Latin for the current state of affairs. And I’ll give you this thought pro bono (without charge). You’ll soon see that Latin roots are sine quanon (indispensable). Especially if you want to graduate magna cum laude (with high honors).