I teach second grade and have been using a "Word Jar" for several years. The students place a marble in it whenever they use an impressive vocabulary word, are able to articulately define a new word that we encounter, or find a vocabulary word (and sometimes a spelling word or a word that follows a studied spelling pattern) in their own reading. There are other possibilities - but these are the most common. I have found that the students are much more aware of the vocabulary they use and come across. After a while, the students will ask me (or tell me) that another student should put a marble in the word jar because they noticed the use of vocabulary when it has slipped by me. Once they "own" certain words, they are no longer eligible for the word jar. Once the word jar is filled we have some sort of literary celebration. What I particularly like about this, is that the class works together for a common goal. This is not a method for teaching the vocabulary, but I do think it helps to raise awareness and application.
I really like the idea of being "word collectors" and maybe making charts of words and am going to be thinking thoughout the summer how to best implement this. Melissa Second Grade Dallas, TX _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
