vocabulary writing assignments

6 Engaging Vocabulary Activities to Try in 2020

Since vocabulary is something English teachers are constantly teaching, it can be easy to get stuck in a routine. I’ll confess that I’ve been guilty of falling into the vocabulary slideshow + guided notes trap. While it’s not an ineffective lesson, it does get boring after a while. I keep the trusty guided notes sheet in my back pocket for those days when an easy, structured “notes” lesson is necessary, but I also work hard to mix up my vocabulary lessons with engaging activities.

If you’re hoping to do the same with your vocabulary instruction in 2020, then here are 6 of my favorite student-centered, engaging vocabulary activities. 🙂 Happy teaching!

1. VOCABULARY QUESTION TRAIL

A question trail is my go-to strategy for making vocabulary instruction more engaging. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a kinesthetic activity that gets students up and moving around the room on a “trail” of multiple-choice questions. At each station on the trail, students answer a multiple-choice question that sends them to the next question “on the trail.” If students answer each question correctly, they will travel to all questions and successfully complete the trail in the correct order. If students answer a question incorrectly, they will eventually end up at a station they’ve already completed, which means they need to backtrack and problem-solve. This also means students AND teachers can get helpful, immediate feedback.

I like to use question trails as a student-centered, interactive alternative to introducing vocabulary words with a slideshow and notes. To do this, I write multiple-choice questions that ask students to use context clues to discern the definition of a vocabulary word in a sentence. A question trail would also work for vocabulary review before an assessment.

For more information on how to create your own question trail, check out this helpful blog post or this editable template. If you don’t have time to create your own question trail, you can check out my print-ready vocabulary in context question trails. You can find one that’s suitable for 7-9th graders here, and a test-prep one that will challenge 10-12th graders here.

2. VOCABULARY TRADING CARDS

I created “vocabulary trading cards” when I got stuck in a vocab rut and was searching for a way to mix up my vocabulary instruction! Vocabulary trading cards ask students to visually represent the word on the front and then record its “stats” on the back: definition, synonyms, antonyms, and connotation. They have to plot the word’s connotation on a negative-positive spectrum, so it’s a great way to practice connotation! As a fun bonus, students even get to “rate” the word out of 5 stars. (This gives them a nice outlet to “complain” about certain words…ha!)

When I do this, each student gets their own vocabulary word (depending on the number of words). After the kids create their trading cards, they have to “duel” other students and decide which word is “better” by discussing the word’s stats and usage. You can make different standards for what “wins,” or just let them argue it out, which is what I do. Sometimes, students conclude that the positive words are stronger, or vice versa. I’ll even hear the kids converse about which words are more versatile, or they’ll make cross-curricular connections.

The “dueling,” challenging, playing, debating, or whatever you want to call it is the most fun part of this (and the part that cements the words into students’ memory). My students seriously act like kids playing Pokemon in the early 2000s (and they’re in high school). It’s hysterical and effective!

You can check out my ready-to-print vocabulary trading card template here or look into ReadWriteThink’s online trading card generator here. Their template is not designed for vocabulary, but I think it could work!

3. VOCABULARY SCAVENGER HUNT OR GALLERY WALK

This idea is so simple but incredibly effective! I created this when I had a vocabulary slideshow ready to present, but I decided I didn’t want to talk at my students for the entire day. Literally all I did was print out the slides from my presentation and tape them up around my room. Each slide had a vocabulary word, its definition, and a picture.

Here’s how it works: Students travel around the room to “find” all of the vocabulary words, jot down their definitions, and draw a picture/write a sentence/come up with some fun way to remember the word. (A simple graphic organizer works well for these “notes.”) When students think of a good example of the word, they can write it on a sticky note and post it by the paper that’s hanging up. Throughout the day, the collection of sticky notes will grow, giving students multiple examples and clever ways to remember each word. The sticky notes will give your students more connections than you could give them in a teacher-led lesson.

When you think about it, it’s not really a “scavenger hunt,” or even a real gallery walk; it’s students taking notes while walking around. But don’t call it that. Trick your kids into a little bit of kinesthetic and student-centered learning! Trust me…it works!

4. “HEADS UP” GAME

If you want a low-prep but high-impact activity, try this fun spinoff of Ellen DeGeneres’ popular “Heads Up” game. All you need is a set of cards with your vocabulary words (one per card), but the cards don’t have to be fancy. Just create a table on a doc, type one word per card, print, and cut! I recommend using a rubber band, paperclip, or plastic bag to keep each set together. Students will be grouped in partners, so you’ll need one set of cards for each set of partners.

Once in partners, students will pick one person to go first. This person will pick up a vocabulary card (without looking at it) and place it on their forehead. Then, the partner will give clues about the word, and the first person will have to guess the word. It’s that simple!

I usually have students play 2-3 “rounds” of the game to give them lots of practice. Here’s how I structure it:

Round 1: Students can use definitions as clues.
Round 2: Students can use only synonyms or antonyms as clues.
Round 3: Students can use only examples/sentences as clues.

If your students love playing this game for vocabulary, you can try it with figurative language, literary devices, characters, and more. It’s always a hit in my classroom!

5. QUIZLET/QUIZLET LIVE

I can’t write a blog post on vocabulary without mentioning my all-time favorite tech tool, Quizlet Live. For those days when you have no time or energy to prep, Quizlet Live has your back. I have been known to strategically plan Quizlet Live for the first day after a break, so if you’re looking for something to do when you go back to school in January, this is it.

Quizlet Live is an engaging, collaborative game that helps students review vocabulary words. It is as simple as one click if you already have a deck of virtual flashcards set up. If you don’t have flashcards set up, it takes less than 5 minutes to make a set of 10-15. When you have a set of flashcards, click on “Live” (under “Play”) and follow the instructions to begin. Students will join with a code, and then Quizlet Live will automatically organize them into groups.

If your students are tired of Quizlet, some fun alternatives include Kahoot , Quizizz, and Gimkit. These are live learning games that are similar to Quizlet Live but just different enough to mix things up.

6. VOCABULARY LEARNING STATIONS

Last but certainly not least is one of my favorites: learning stations! Vocabulary stations are essentially a mash-up of the above activities (or any other activities you want to substitute).

Here’s my go-to set-up for vocabulary stations. You can easily add or substitute your own activities to mix things up:

Station 1: Vocabulary Charades
Station 2: Vocabulary Trading Cards
Station 3: Vocabulary Pictionary
Station 4: Writing Task
Station 5: Quizlet/Your Choice

If you’re looking for an editable, print-ready set of vocabulary learning stations, you can check out mine here. These including the trading card template I mentioned above. 🙂 For more information on how to create your own learning stations, check out this blog post.

I hope this list helped you brainstorm some vocabulary ideas for 2020. While you’re here, let me know your favorite vocabulary activity in the comments so I can add to my collection of strategies. 🙂

You may also enjoy:

10 activities for any dystopian novel, how to use the “what do you …, 10 activities for teaching the hunger games, back to school activities for middle & ….

All of these vocab ideas are BRILLIANT!! I have been wanting to try something new, and I think my kids would love all of these! Thank you for sharing – I can’t wait to try each one!

Hi Abby!!! Is it posible to turn these lovely activities into digital ones? I mean, as we’re working virtually I’d like to teach vocab with another tool different from Quizizz or Quizlet. Thank you so much!!! Your posts on Google Classroom aré extremely useful!!! Love, Cin

Check out my most popular posts!

August 5, 2018: why i don’t review the syllabus on the first day …, december 16, 2018: 10 ideas for planning engaging novel units, december 11, 2017: comfort in the classroom with flexible seating, july 21, 2018: teaching american literature: my units & favorite lessons.

Fun Vocabulary Activities: 10 Ways to Boost Word Skills

Meet David De’ Ath , founder, editor, and writer at Wonderful World English. With his extensive background as an English teacher, David provides valuable insights and practical tips on ESL for students and teachers alike.

Engaging students in the development of their vocabulary can be a challenging endeavor.

Traditional methods like memorization may not always resonate with every learner.

However, by integrating fun vocabulary activities into the learning process, educators can enhance students’ engagement and help them make meaningful connections with the words they’re learning.

Activities that are both enjoyable and educational can transform vocabulary learning from a tedious task into an exciting adventure that students look forward to.

To effectively expand a student’s lexicon, an array of activities that cater to different learning styles can be employed.

Vocabulary games, interactive strategies, and creative learning tools introduce new words and reinforce their meanings and usage in various contexts.

The goal of these activities is not just to broaden students’ word banks but also to deepen their understanding and ability to apply vocabulary in real-life situations.

Through the deliberate use of these methods, vocabulary acquisition becomes a dynamic aspect of everyday classroom activities, promoting better communication skills across all subject areas.

Key Takeaways

Variety in vocabulary activities boosts engagement and understanding.
Games and interactive strategies support diverse learning styles.
Continuous application of vocabulary enhances real-world communication skills.

Foundations of Vocabulary Activities

Students’ success in developing vocabulary skills hinges on systematic instruction and engaging activities.

This section explores the foundations that are integral for learning and boosting student confidence in vocabulary mastery.

Understanding Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary instruction goes beyond mere memorization of word meanings.

Effective vocabulary teaching involves strategies that encourage deep understanding and usage of words in various contexts.

Such instruction offers students the essential tools to interpret and convey nuanced meanings, leading to more precise and powerful communication.

Activities are designed to expand a student’s lexicon and enhance their ability to apply vocabulary knowledge practically.

Educators must select activities that facilitate repeated exposure to new words across different settings.

This reinforces word learning and helps integrate new vocabulary into a student’s active language repertoire.

For example, having students use new words in original short stories or discussions can solidify their understanding and retention.

For some insights into how to teach vocabulary to students, the guide below has you covered!

Related: How to Teach Vocabulary to ESL Students: Teacher’s Guide

Key Principles of Engaging Vocabulary Activities

When curating vocabulary activities, engagement, and interactivity are key principles.

Activities that encourage active participation will lead to higher levels of student engagement and, ultimately, greater learning outcomes.

Involved in collaborative tasks that require communication and peer interaction.
Challenged with creative and context-rich exercises like writing prompts or role-playing scenarios.
Provide immediate positive feedback to affirm correct usage.
Offer varying levels of difficulty to cater to diverse learning abilities.

Educators must thread these principles into the fabric of their vocabulary teaching methodologies to create an environment where students thrive.

Engaging vocabulary activities are potent tools that teach students new words and empower them with the confidence to use their expanding vocabularies effectively.

The goal is to transform passive learners into active users of language, enabling them to articulate their thoughts and ideas with clarity and precision.

Effective Vocabulary Games and Activities

Educators often integrate games that make the learning process dynamic and engaging to enhance students’ word mastery.

These activities enrich students’ vocabularies and sharpen their recall and application skills in a lively, interactive setting.

Vocabulary Bingo and Jeopardy

Vocabulary Bingo melds the thrill of competition with learning.

Students mark their bingo cards with the correct vocabulary words as definitions or synonyms are called out.

This game enforces not only word recognition but also comprehension.

Adapted from a traditional format, Vocabulary Bingo can be tailored to suit any grade level vocabulary list.

In a similar vein, Vocabulary Jeopardy challenges students to apply their knowledge in a game-show-style format.

Categories can range from word definitions to usage in context, broadening students’ understanding and retention.

Classroom Pictionary and Charades

Transforming vocabulary review into an artful activity, Classroom Pictionary has students illustrate vocabulary words, promoting a deeper connection between the word and its meaning.

As they draw, fellow pupils wager on the intended word, intertwining learning with creativity.

This visual approach often suits visual learners and adds an element of fun to the learning process.

Vocabulary Charades takes a kinetic approach by having students act out words for their classmates to guess.

This activity is especially beneficial for kinesthetic learners and helps anchor word meanings with physicality, making vocabulary recall more instinctive.

Roll-a-Word and Vocabulary Relay

With Roll-a-Word , students cast dice to engage with vocabulary in various ways—defining it, using it in a sentence, or identifying synonyms or antonyms.

This randomness injects an element of surprise into vocabulary practice, ensuring that students remain attentive and invested in the activity.

Vocabulary Relay brings movement into the learning process.

Students race to a board to write sentences incorporating a vocabulary word, fostering quick thinking and teamwork.

The competitive element encourages speed and accuracy, and physical activity aids in memory retention.

Check out the guide below for our list of some of the BEST classroom games to play!

Related: Fun Classroom Games: Engage and Educate with These Ideas

Creative Vocabulary Learning Tools

In today’s classrooms, educators emphasize the importance of enhancing vocabulary through interactive and visual methods.

These tools enrich the students’ understanding of new words and encourage creativity and critical thinking.

Word Walls and Word Maps

Word Walls and Word Maps transform passive learning into an active exploration of language.

A Word Wall is a visual collection of words displayed on a classroom wall, categorically or alphabetically, to enhance a student’s vocabulary knowledge.

Students absorb words and their meanings subconsciously by frequently interacting with the Word Wall.

Word Maps , on the other hand, visually depict the relationship between a word and its features like antonyms, synonyms, and sentences, further cementing its usage and context.

Semantic Maps and Graphic Organizers

Semantic Maps and Graphic Organizers are pivotal in organizing thoughts and relationships between words.

Semantic maps graphically represent the meanings and relations of words, allowing students to see connections and hierarchies.

This encourages deeper understanding as students link words to concepts and categories.

Graphic organizers can vary in complexity, from simple Venn diagrams to intricate flowcharts, which serve to visually represent ideas and definitions, guiding students through the process of integrating new vocabulary into their existing knowledge base.

Frayer Model and Crossword Puzzles

The Frayer Model is a type of graphic organizer tailored for vocabulary acquisition.

It typically consists of a square divided into four sections, where students note a word’s definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples.

This structured approach aids in comprehensive understanding and retention of words.

Crossword Puzzles blend the challenge of problem-solving with vocabulary practice.

As students fill in the blanks with correct words based on clues provided, they engage in critical thinking and apply their knowledge of sentence formation and word meanings.

Crosswords not only reinforce vocabulary but also make the learning process enjoyable.

Crosswords are just one of many excellent games for learning English.

For a complete guide of the BEST games to learn English, check out the link below!

Related: Best Games to Learn English: Ultimate Guide

Interactive Vocabulary Instruction Strategies

Engaging students effectively in vocabulary learning can be a key factor in language acquisition and comprehension.

These interactive strategies reinforce word knowledge and enhance retention through playful and focused activities.

Tic-Tac-Toe and Concentration Games

Tic-Tac-Toe can be adapted for vocabulary instruction by requiring students to define or correctly use a vocabulary word in order to place their X or O on the game grid.

This method turns a simple game into a powerful tool for reinforcing word meanings and usage.

A classic game of Concentration , also known as Memory, can be played using pairs of vocabulary words and their definitions.

Students flip cards over, trying to find matching pairs, which promotes memorization and recall of vocabulary terms.

Vocabulary Hangman and Word Search

Vocabulary Hangman encourages students to remember the spelling and meaning of words through a process of elimination and strategic guessing.

In a classroom setting, this classic game can be played with a focus on new vocabulary, providing an entertaining way to reinforce word learning.

Similarly, Word Search puzzles serve as a fun way for students to become familiar with the appearance and spelling of new vocabulary.

They must sift through a grid of letters, finding terms from their vocabulary list that can improve their ability to recognize these words in other contexts.

Assessing Vocabulary Progress

Educators implement systematic assessments that measure a student’s command of academic language to ensure effective vocabulary growth.

These assessments not only gauge retention but also help in forming strategies to enhance word comprehension and usage.

Vocabulary Quizzes and Tests

Vocabulary quizzes and tests serve as traditional tools to assess a student’s grasp of vocabulary words .

They may come in various forms, including:

Multiple-choice questions, where students choose the correct definition or usage of a word.
Fill in the blanks, encouraging students to select the appropriate vocabulary word to complete a sentence.

Such assessments can highlight the direct relationship between the student’s comprehension of vocabulary and their overall communication skills .

Performance-Based Assessments

Performance-based assessments move beyond written tests to evaluate a student’s practical application of academic vocabulary .

Examples of these might include:

Students engage in role-plays or debates using specific vocabulary words, which shows the integration of language into communication skills .
Creating presentations or writing essays that make use of academic and content-specific terms to demonstrate comprehension and success in language mastery.

These methods emphasize the dynamic use of vocabulary as part of expressive language skills, presenting a more holistic view of student assessment .

Integrating fun and interactive activities into vocabulary learning transforms it from a mundane task to an engaging adventure, significantly enhancing student engagement and understanding.

Employing a variety of strategies, such as games, creative exercises, and technology-enhanced tools, caters to different learning styles and helps students make meaningful connections with new words.

This approach enriches students’ vocabularies and boosts their ability to apply language in real-life scenarios, improving communication skills across all subject areas.

The shift towards dynamic vocabulary instruction emphasizes active participation, collaboration, and creative expression, fostering a deeper appreciation for the nuances of language.

As educators adopt these innovative methods, they offer students a more rounded and enjoyable learning experience, preparing them for future success in communication.

Ultimately, the move from traditional memorization to engaging vocabulary activities marks a positive evolution in teaching methodologies, setting the stage for lifelong curiosity and growth in language acquisition.

We hope you find value in this guide; you can contact us if you need any assistance.

Have a wonderful day!

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11 vocabulary homework ideas and how to motivate students to do it, by: vocab gal.

Homework is such a valuable formative assessment for both teachers and students, and yet students are motivated* by many different factors when it comes to their desire to actually complete the work. In this article, I'm sharing how to motivate students to do their homework and 11 vocabulary homework ideas and worksheets that work in grades 1–12. Plus, preview and grab my 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework Kit .

Keep scrolling to find vocabulary homework ideas!

How to motivate students to do their homework.

As a teacher, I try to concentrate students’ learning on activities done in class, because asking some students to complete work at home can be daunting. Many times in my career I have been discouraged when more than half the class does not return to class with their homework assignment complete.

Yet we only have so many minutes with our students, and we need them to practice the concepts and skills they are learning until the knowledge becomes ingrained. Most students have a homeroom, study hall, or other downtime during the day in which they could complete activities, they just have to be motivated to do it.

Many studies cite “student choice” as one of the most important factors in inspiring students to learn. When students have the opportunity to select what questions to answer, what activity to complete or what role to play, they tend to feel more comfortable and confident about performing.

Additionally, research shows that when students are dedicated to a task important to them, like improving their video game scores, or optimizing their success on a playing field, they will go to great lengths to improve. While probably not as meaningful as their video game level, students will be more excited to answer questions about themselves than a generic worksheet.

By providing students with both choice and a topic that is personally meaningful, homework can be a great learning exercise as well as an important formative assessment.

Steps to Ensure Students Complete Homework

There are a few other motivating factors that can help establish homework as a meaningful part of a student’s educational experience. Here are suggested steps a school, parish, department, or teacher might take to ensure successful homework completion.

Step One First, confirm that students have a strong rapport with their teacher(s). While it is difficult to cultivate a deep relationship with each student, teachers should strive to show students that they value their students and are committed to helping them learn and grow to their fullest potential. I would encourage teachers not to assign homework for the first few weeks of school until they develop a classroom community of respect and appreciation for learning.

Step Two Second, once the classroom community has been established, teachers should specifically explain the importance of homework as a way of deeply ingraining knowledge. Teachers should also make it clear that homework is a meaningful formative assessment where both they and their students can understand what students know and where there are knowledge gaps.

Step Three Third, some students may be quite unhappy when being mandated to do specific work. Therefore, teachers should stress the choices a student gets when completing their homework and that students get to complete the work that best reflects their own sense of self.

Step Four Finally, the teacher should praise students individually, as well as praise the class when homework is turned in on time. Many students thrive on positive reinforcement and also many may feel guilt if they let their classmates or teacher down. Additionally, as many teachers know, a word of encouragement or a small sticker can make the difference to many.

How to Respond When Homework is Not Completed

When at last it comes time for homework collection, there will be students who did not complete the assignment, no matter how well it was set up. Teachers can again encourage students who did not complete the homework in time to think about what may motivate them to complete it. If a student seems to dislike direct mandates, providing support such as, “I know that you value your learning and will find a way to demonstrate your abilities,” might be more effective than, “Turn in your paper by Thursday or it’s a zero!”

For others who seem driven by the need to please or help others, teachers might encourage students by stating, “I’m disappointed that you weren’t able to complete your work on time, and I know you will submit your work in order to show us both what you know and understand,” might work better than, “Don’t you want the credit for this assignment?”

Vocabulary Homework Ideas for Students

For this post, I have a few homework assignments that model these ideas. Both in my new It's All About Me vocabulary practice page, and my tried-and true, 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework bundle, students are motivated to continue their learning because they have both choice and a focus on themselves, a topic in which they are already invested.

My new It's All About Me Vocabulary Activity tasks students with answering a series of questions about themselves using vocabulary words in context. On the first page of this download students will list their vocabulary words and write their own brief definitions. On the second page student will answer eight prompts. Each response should include at least one of the vocabulary words from their list in context . In each of their answers students must underline the context clues that would help someone unfamiliar with the word understand what it means.

I find that students tend to be more engaged in an assignment if they are asked to answer questions about themsleves than a generic worksheet. My new It's All About Me Vocabulary Activity tasks students with answering a series of questions about themselves using vocabulary words in context.

With the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework bundle, students can choose from a variety of fun and engaging activities for learning or reviewing vocabulary words. In addition to the homework selection sheet, the bundle includes worksheets for vocabulary homework ideas number five and six. The other vocabulary homework options can be completed on a plain piece of paper or in student workbooks.

Here are the vocabulary activities listed on the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework handout:

#1 Say Your Words

Do you love the sound of your own voice? Do you tend to learn information by teaching others? Then try saying each of the vocabulary words, out loud and in context, to friends, family, strangers, etc. Use either your flashcards or your list of words, and make sure to get initials from someone who heard you say your vocabulary sentence. If you can’t get a signature, just explain when and how you said the sentences and we will invoke the HONOR SYSTEM! Create two sentences per word.

Do you love to write? Do you copy your notes to help you remember information? Then try writing two sentences for each vocabulary word. These can either be two individual sentences for each word or you can put all of your words together in a story. (If you write a story, you only have to use each word once). Have fun and get creative – amuse me and impress me, but make sure you use your vocabulary words in context!

#3 Write Your Words in Other Classes

As an alternative to the above “Write your Words,” use your vocabulary in your assignments for other classes – social studies essays, science notes, art descriptions, etc. Write down the vocabulary you used for this assignment (For example: On my science test I said “Newton was meritorious,” etc.). You can abbreviate your explanations slightly, as long as I understand you know the word’s meaning; remember to use each word twice.

#4 Become Your Words

Do you gesture when you talk? Is it hard for you to sit still? Then consider creating motions to go along with your words. Cry for lament , raise your arms in praise for approbation , etc. See me during class to “perform” your motions, or write them down, making sure that the connection between word, meaning, and gesture makes sense.

#5 Draw Your Words

Are you an artist? Do you constantly doodle? Then create cartoons or drawings that illustrate each word’s meaning. Create one drawing or cartoon per word and make them neat, using clean white paper (consider using recycled paper that has printing on the other side). Paperclip all your drawings together for the end of the week.

Vocabulary Homework Ideas: Draw Your Words - Are you an artist? Do you constantly doodle? Then create cartoons or drawings that illustrate each word’s meaning. Create one drawing or cartoon per word and make them neat, using clean white paper (consider using recycled paper that has printing on the other side). Paperclip all your drawings together for the end of the week.

#6 Sing Your Words

Do you love to sing? Are you constantly creating your own raps? Try rewriting the lyrics to a song to incorporate each of your vocabulary words or write your own song, rap, etc. You can also write poetry; regardless of the form you choose, the words should be used in the correct context.

Vocabulary Homework Ideas: Sing Your Words - Do you love to sing? Are you constantly creating your own raps? Try rewriting the lyrics to a song to incorporate each of your vocabulary words or write your own song, rap, etc. You can also write poetry; regardless of the form you choose, the words should be used in the correct context.

#7 Test Your Words

Do you want to play teacher and write the test as well as take it? Now you can! Create a vocabulary test using all the words in a variety of different types of questions. Make sure to create the answer key to the test as well.

Download the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework bundle and have students keep the selection sheet in their binders. Now they have seven weeks of vocabulary homework assignments!

Additional Vocabulary Homework Ideas

Ultimately, establishing a culture of community and trust in the classroom, explaining the reasoning behind and the benefits of homework, and providing choice and meaningful topics can make a significant difference in completion rates. Even if homework is not completed on time, teachers can still work to connect with each student to provide motivation to complete the assignments.

As educators, we all strive to make learning exciting and applicable to our students. By setting up clear expectations and providing interesting options, we can make any homework, including vocabulary homework, meaningful and valuable to students.

*I have recently completed Gretchen Rubin’s audiobook The Four Tendencies about what motivates different groups of people. Many of the ideas about motivating students come loosely from her book as well as my own observations. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to learn how to better motivate themselves and others.

Our Mission

4 Activities to Boost Target Language Vocabulary Acquisition

To give his students repeated exposure to relevant vocabulary terms, the author relies on a tried-and-true tool: index cards.

Student reading a Spanish language dictionary

The wide scope of topics typically covered in intermediate to high-level world language classes requires students to master a lot of meaningful new terms. Given the time constraints students face and the virtually endless number of relevant lexical items, teachers often struggle to integrate vocabulary-developing activities into their daily practice. The problem becomes even more serious when we consider that for vocabulary instruction to be effective it needs to be not just explicit and engaging but frequent—which means running up against those time constraints repeatedly.

Developing a vocabulary deck can be a great way to keep a growing number of terms in learners’ lexical repertoire. A deck is an easy-to-create resource that can be exploited in numerous ways with minimal preparation. The following activities allow teachers to promote students’ vocabulary acquisition naturally by consistently drawing on different language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—at the same time.

Building a Vocabulary Deck

In each print or audio text we cover in my classes, I select several keywords that are important for students to know. I add only five to eight terms at a time—early in a course there may be more new words than that in a single text, but emphasizing too many new terms at once may overwhelm most learners.

The items I select are often associated with formal contexts, and they may appear frequently in the authentic materials students deal with in class, regardless of the topic—terms such as to carry out , achievement , scarce , on average , and findings . Sometimes the terms are specific to a certain field; for these words, I try to involve students by asking them to imagine they are specialists in that field (biology, technology, art, etc.) about to travel to a country where the target language is spoken. They need to select and learn vocabulary that will be useful for them to do their work in the target culture.

I write each word on a four-by-six-inch index card in large enough letters to be read from all the way across the classroom. As the year goes on, the deck grows and is gradually purged of words that my students and I deem too easy. Still, it’s valuable to keep a certain amount of unchallenging terms because they’re reminders of what students know and they help keep all students engaged.

4 Vocabulary Deck Activities

1. Source retelling: I summarize out loud ideas from a source text we’ve covered in class, leaving out keywords that students, working in groups, need to guess. This is a more complex exercise than it may seem: Students need to use their background knowledge and their listening skills as they recall fairly complex content and mobilize their lexical knowledge, and they have to use the target language when conferring in their groups.

Once the correct answer is provided, I hold up the card for everyone to see. Since students work in groups and anyone in the class can call out an answer, the stakes are very low. As an alternative, you can designate an official speaker for each group. At the end of the class, as a review activity, I may ask one or two students to play the role of the teacher, which has the bonus of fostering a cohesive and inclusive learning community.

2. Quickfire rounds: Divided in teams of three or four members, students take turns trying to have their teammates guess as many words from the deck as possible in 30 to 60 seconds by writing a sentence with a blank space where the keyword would go. To ease anxiety, I sometimes let students skip one or two cards. Some groups may be more engaged if I keep score, but this is not always the case.

On occasion I may challenge students to make up original sentences (not definitions), and I push them to venture outside the original context and discover the potential semantic range of each term. For example, if they learn a Spanish word such as nivel (level) in a text that deals with waste management, I might require them to use the word in a sentence that deals with a different topic.

3. Whiteboard descriptions: In this activity, one or two students stand in front of the room while I display for the rest of the class a word from the deck. The group tries to lead the standing student or students to guess the word by writing definitions on their whiteboards.

This activity provides a valuable opportunity to informally assess written accuracy, especially if learners are directed to use only one specific structure or tense. With these constraints, both the student who needs to guess the word and the ones writing definitions receive repeated exposure to a certain language feature, which promotes grammatical awareness.

4. Vocabulary sweep-up: Students lay out all the cards on a table or other large surface and then take 30- to 45-second turns picking them up after using a card’s word in a sentence that shows they understand the meaning of it. They use, or sweep up, as many words as they can during the allotted time. This activity can be done with groups each working on their own or as a competition between groups.

In order to get students to speak spontaneously in this activity, I may call on them randomly. If I do this, I work to reduce students’ anxiety by making it clear that any inaccuracies carry little consequence as long as speakers manage to produce meaningful stretches of language.

Seeing which words are the last to be swept up shows me which vocabulary words may need to be reviewed. For students, it’s often empowering to see how many words they’re able to sweep up in just a few minutes.

25 Ways to Improve Your Writing Vocabulary

Building your vocabulary is one of the easiest ways to improve the power of your writing and make any writing task that much easier, as you will have several synonyms in your repertoire to pull from every time. Developing your vocabulary need not be difficult or painful. Here are 25 ways you can improve your writing vocabulary every day.

Use New Words

Use a word immediately after you learn it. Try to make a game out of using a new word as soon as you learn it. Every day, try to slip in a new word into the conversation, a journal entry, an assignment or an email to a friend. Do this as often as possible, and repeat the word to yourself.

Read Every Day

Once you’re out of school, word drills and assigned reading become things of the past. While these were tools for building your vocabulary repertoire while you were young, it doesn’t mean you should abandon reading. Try to read a well-written and edited essay, magazine article, book or news article every day. Nonfiction and technical books will quickly teach you new ways to think and speak with words you may be unfamiliar with, but any type of reading will help you along.

Learn Roots

Learn the roots of words. Most words in the English language are built from a common root, prefix, and suffix, usually with an origin in the Greek or Latin language. Once you learn a root, you’ll begin to understand more words that use the same root. For example, -duc- (Latin root word) means to lead or to make, such as in the words produce or deduce.

Use a Thesaurus

Keep a thesaurus handy. As you write, keep a thesaurus handy and use it when you find yourself using a word too often, or using a word that you know doesn’t quite convey the right meaning. This will help you better express yourself, and you’ll also learn a new word in the process.

Develop Practical Vocabulary

This means you should start by learning words that express what’s important to you for the task at hand. A good example of this is learning trade language or words you use often in a hobby or vocation. Rather than immediately turning to cliches or jargon that’s tossed around, look for clearer words to express to peers what you’re writing about.

Learn New Words Every Day

To improve your vocabulary quickly, make an effort to learn at least one new word every single day. There are plenty of ways to do this, such as a Word of the Day calendar or email list, or simply picking a word from a thesaurus or dictionary.

Look up Words You Don’t Know

How often do you come across words that are unfamiliar as you read? Don’t just gloss over them; take the time to look them up, and if you don’t have the time right then, write them down and look them up later.

Keep a Journal

Journaling won’t just help you develop your writing style, it will also help you improve your vocabulary. Try to use new or interesting words you’ve learned recently into a journal entry for the day or the week.

Identify Empty Words

You’re probably familiar with empty words in your speech (such as “uh” or “um”), but your writing probably has empty words as well. Look for these empty words in your writing that do not offer any substance to your reader and replace them with something more appropriate. The same principle applies to phrases and sentences, so make sure that you haven’t used six or seven phrases to say something that could be better communicated in one sentence filled with carefully-chosen words.

Diversify Your Reading List

If you tend to read the same sort of things day in and day out, you may not be exposing yourself to a wide enough range of vocabulary. Diversify the topics you read to include natural science, Shakespeare, contemporary literature, politics, history, philosophy or any other topics you think you may enjoy.

Do Word Puzzles

Word puzzles in the newspaper or a magazine aren’t just a fun way to fill time, they’re also perfect for boosting your working vocabulary. Crossword puzzles are a challenge that get your brain working hard to search your memory for words you do know but don’t use, and this can help you move words from your memory banks into your working set of vocabulary which will come across in your writing.

Try Word Board Games

There are plenty of word games on the market designed to improve vocabulary and language skills without being a bore. Some of these games you may have played as a child, so it’s time to break them out again and get to “work.” If you have a friend who could also use some help — or someone with a great vocabulary you think will challenge you — invite them over for a game night.

Practice New Words in Divergent Ways

It takes between 10 and 20 repetitions to make a new word a part of your vocabulary. To help the word settle into your mind and memory, write it down (both the definition and a sentence you make up using the word), use it in conversation, include it in an email or any other way you can think of.

Make up Associations

Start by saying the new word aloud, then relate it to a word you already know. A good example of this is gargantuan, which means “very large” or “gigantic.” Say a sequence aloud: small, medium, large, very large, gargantuan. Then list things you think are gargantuan.

Use Mnemonics

Mnemonic techniques are memory tricks you can use to remember new words. You may remember a word by sounding it out and thinking of a funny sentence that matches the meaning, such as turning egregious (extremely bad) into “Don’t let that smelly rotten egg reach us!”

Visualize New Words

Research shows that visualization is a great way to remember new words and their meanings. A good example of this is the word stratovolcano, which is a high, pointed mountain with a violent explosion. One way to remember this meaning is the fact that the prefix “strato” sounds like “straight-oh,” which may make you think of a straight ruler or a “straight-o-volcano,” which describes the word’s definition.

Make Your Own Vocabulary Tests

Keep a list of the new words you learn each week and incorporate into writing and conversation. At the end of each week, make yourself a quiz using the words to cement them in your memory.

Make Synonym Word Lists

Do you find yourself turning to the same word again and again in your writing? Grab a piece of paper and write it at the top. Next, brainstorm or use a thesaurus to generate a list of ten to twenty new words you can use instead. You can keep these lists in a vocabulary notebook and add to them whenever you learn a new synonym.

Take a Writing Course

There are plenty of online courses as well as in-person classes you can attend to boost your writing vocabulary and learn how to use new words correctly. Try to find a self-paced course that uses assignments and quizzes to hep you increase fluency and brush up on your writing skills. Some classes are aimed at essay writing or creative writing, so you can find a class that will help you improve the style you need the most help with.

Edit Your Own Writing

After you finish writing, be your own editor and go though the piece with a fine-toothed comb to identify overused and nondescript words with something more precise or colorful. Editing is an important process for spotting writing errors, but it’s also great for improving the tone, style, and clarity of your writing. It might help to read the sentences aloud, then note any lack of precision. Search through your memory for more descriptive words, or consult a thesaurus if you need to.

As you replace words, remember that using a large number of complex words won’t necessarily clarify the meaning, and it may just make your writing more pompous. Ask yourself, “Do I know a better word to use instead?” You may replace “use” with “acquire” or “obtain,” or “do” with “perform.”

Move Words from Comprehensive to Expressive Vocabulary

You actually have two types of vocabulary: one is a much larger set of words you understand, even if only vaguely, and the other is a smaller set of words you actually use to express yourself. Moving words from your comprehensive, but passive vocabulary, to your active, expressive vocabulary is easier than you think. To do this, you’ll need to know how to define, pronounce and spell the words. Say them out loud and use them at every opportunity to move them into your active set.

Ask for Feedback

Do you think your writing could use some help? If you’re struggling with your written vocabulary, try asking someone else for help. A second set of eyes can offer a great deal of insight and spot problems you may not notice yourself, including poor word choice. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend, teacher, co-worker or someone online to review your writing for feedback on your vocabulary.

Carry a Dictionary and Thesaurus with You

How often do you find yourself with free time and nothing to do? Carry a pocket thesaurus or dictionary with you and you’ll find time to beef up your vocabulary while you’re waiting for an appointment, commuting to work or waiting for a bus. Whenever you have a few minutes to spare, read a page or two and learn a new word to add to your writing. It’s also a great idea to look up obscure words you don’t quite grasp that come to you on the fly as you go about your day. You can also use the dictionary or thesaurus to look up unfamiliar words you come across in your daily life.

Use College Preparation Tests

College prep tests that use SAT and ACT-type words are a great way to take your writing to the next level. This form of advanced study will challenge your mind and give you a new set of words to use that are practical and offer your writing the clarity it needs. You’ll also get the chance to brush up on the most important Latin and Greek roots and get a new set of words with activities to help move them into your active vocabulary set.

There are tons of non-board games that will help you improve your writing vocabulary while you have fun. Try downloading fun word games onto your phone or computer so you can get some practice while you unwind after a busy day. Some games are designed to build vocabulary skills, but there are plenty of others that will help you practice spelling, phonics, and even typing skills. There are even some designed for college students to prepare for testing and vocabulary-rich exams.

Hopefully, this list has given you an excellent place to start to build your vocabulary a bit at a time. If you think about it, there are opportunities all around you to develop this important skill, so spend time every day reading and listening to take in new words and then develop a system to incorporate these new words in your writing and speech. Before long, you’ll find your vocabulary has grown to a new level and your writing has gained the clarity you need with an ease you didn’t think possible.

Author: Jovell Alingod

(Image courtesy of Michael Coghlan )

One of the way to improve your vocabulary is to take up a vocab challenge.

Having a good vocabulary is more than knowing a large number of words. It is ability to choose words with greater precision and at the appropriate time.

Any type the word challenge to increase vocabulary is a great way to do this. I personally like to find five new words in the dictionary each day that I didn’t know the meaning to before them. I don’t always remember them all, but I do remember some and this helps me build my vocabulary.

Knowing when to use a word appropriately is far more important to knowing what a word means. It’s like all the students who study English and know the definition of the words, but can’t speak English. it’s the same thing here.

i agree with you Pratigya

well, I agree with you on that statement because most of the time my friend who is studying literature would use words that do not feel appropriate sometimes or just feel off

Linguistically there are two techniques for improving your lexical strength (vocabulary) :

Active learning and Passive learning

1. Passive learning: New words are acquired subconsciously, while doing some daily life stuff, like reading a newspaper.

Vocabulary is an abstract skill due to reasons like reading habits, family background, schooling, culture etc. The conventional methods are very generic and are made of masses. They do not allow personalised learning to an individual’s current vocabulary.

2. Active learning: Active learning methodology has become a preferred way to change the traditional teacher oriented classroom into the newer student oriented approach to learning. In active learning, acquisition of new words is done with conscious and great efforts.

Usually active vocabulary building is quite rigorous and boring due to its monotonous nature.

Thank you for this informative reply. I have never considered it in this way, but it makes a lot of sense. Active learning has always been tedious for me, but I really enjoy reading books, and this has helped improve my vocabulary greatly compared to my classmates. While I know I should spend more time actively learning new words, I feel a lot better knowing I’m subconsciously learning new ones everytime I pick up a book.

not clear meaning vocabulary

Reading is good “Passive” way of improving vocabulary, but when you are resorting to making lists, that is “Active” method. Problem with active method of learning words is that it is cumbersome and boring, and you doing retain and unless you use it in writing sentences to apply the word, very little chance is that you increase your lexical size.

I think it’s important to do both passive and active vocabulary learning. It’s true that you are going to have to figure out a way to make active learning interesting so that you can continue to do it long term, but there are ways to do that. I love getting up in the morning and looking at my new word for the day calendar in trying to figure out how I will use that new word sometime during the day. If you can find an easy way to incorporate active learning into your daily life, it can be fun.

You can improve your vocabulary by playing this different Wordgame based on the Oxford dictionary.

Hey Nicklas do you have a brother named Markus??

I’ve been trying to find good ways to improve the writing vocabulary of my students. Techniques to improve passive vocabulary are quite well established – SRS, etc. However, the jury is still out on the best strategies to improve active/writing vocabulary.

Have you found any to be effective since you left this comment? I’m looking for some good ways to improve my vocabulary and if you found some good ones, that might save me a lot of time experimenting until I found a good method. Anyone else who has had success improving their vocab is also welcome to chime in. I would love to get some good methods going.

thank you for these pics. I want to write but dont have many words.i will try to write daily and follow your tips to improve my vocabulary

I’d say, just start writing. You’ll start to learn which words you use are repetitive, and find words to replace them. It helps me to keep writing. Just because you don’t have a well defined vocabulary yet, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start writing. You learn by positioning yourself to learn, then the waters of knowledge flows.

“the waters… flows.” Waters is your subject and requires a plural verb. Waters…. flow. “of knowledge” is a prepositional phrase and does not impact the verb.

Water is uncountable and it is a universal fact that ,it flows ,hence, i think it is “water flows”.

Exactly dude

This is so important to good writing. If you aren’t improving your vocabulary on a daily basis then you aren’t improving your writing. Thanks for so great suggestions on how to keep those new words coming!

This is something that many writers neglect to their own detriment. You should always be trying to improve your writing and these are some good ideas on how you can improve your vocabulary. Too many writers forget about this, and it shows in their word choices. Don’t forget to spend time improving your craft!!

I agree with this. It’s important to always be trying to improve whatever craft you have chosen to pursue. If your craft has something to do with words for speaking, improving your vocabulary is something that you should spend time doing. But this isn’t limited to just vocabulary. You should be trying to improve other areas of your craft as well.

Yo Starcraft do you play Minecraft???

I try to learn at least one new word every day to improve my vocabulary. I like to read a lot, and I can usually find a word that I’m not familiar with while reading. I will look up this word so that I understand what it means and then try to use it in conversation during the next week. If I don’t find the word while reading, then I’ll just randomly open up my dictionary to find a word that I wasn’t familiar with before.

I think this is a great habit to get into for anyone who wants to improve their vocabulary. If you do this for a while, you begin to love learning new words, and when you love doing something like this, it’s easy to build your vocabulary each and every day.

I’m curious if anyone actively tries to improve their vocabulary each day. If so, how do you do it? I would like to learn tips and tricks on how to improve my vocabulary each day. I look forward to seeing your comments on how I can do this.

I think it’s different for everybody. What will work for one person, won’t work for the next. Chances are you’ll need to experiment quite a bit with a variety of the different suggestions above in the article to find which works best for you. I know that I learned vocabulary very different than my friend does. She does it by rote learning using flashcards. That would drive me absolutely crazy. I like to learn new vocabulary in a more natural way. But each of those ways works for each of us.

I second that! You’ll have to spend time trying different techniques, and using the ones that work well for you. There is no magical answer! There is magic in the word ‘practice’. Allow yourself time to make mistakes, so you do not quit trying. I think often, we do not allow a little wiggle room. You can do this!

This is a pretty extensive list of ways one can improve their vocabulary. I find the best way to increase my vocabulary is to make the conscious effort to use words that I would not normally use in conversation. It takes some work to do this, but a lot of people say I have the best vocabulary of any person that they know. When you begin to learn a lot of new words, you become more articulate and are able to express yourself in ways you might not have been able to do before. I encourage everyone to give it a try.

Also, It pays to converse with people who can articulate outside of your normal word range. I listen to many people speak words that are outside of my range. You’d be surprised at the information that is stored in your subconscious when its time to pull out “that one word”. Try using it even if it sounds silly, others will help you learn too.

Having a big vocabulary isn’t always good, especially if you use it to try and show off like my friend. What’s the use of using words that most people won’t understand just to make yourself feel smarter than others? It’s much better to use words everyone understands so they actually know what you’re trying to say. Don’t act like a pompous jackass.

That’s not having a large vocabulary — that’s simply being an ass. being able to come up with the specifically correct word for a certain situation is a wonderful thing to be able to do. It’s not for trying to show off, but just to be able to express yourself accurately.

Some of us just think it’s fun!! 🙂

The thing that people forget is that it takes a bit of work to improve your vocabulary. It’s better to find ways that are enjoyable like reading books or a “word a day” email than trying to study them which can be boring. If you make it a game, it will be a lot more fun.

I agree that it’s important to find a way to enjoy learning new vocabulary rather than trying to learn it from the list. This is why he did vocabulary in school. All they would do is give you a list of words that you had to memorize. Why can’t teachers figure out a way to make learning new words more enjoyable than just memorizing lists? It seems like it would be a simple thing to do and then students would enjoy English a lot more.

What’s the very best way to learn vocabulary? There are always these lists of different ways, but nobody ever tells you the very best way. I want to know the best way to learn English vocabulary.

daily read English newspaper and magazines.

I not only became better to write and pass examinations at the university but also to improve my colloquial English. In fact, many people do not know even their own language. I’m writing a dissertation and just now I realized that I needed to increase my vocabulary. Without it, a person can not consider himself competent. To write a thesis is important not only choose an interesting topic, but also competently and clearly put down it on paper. Without it your ideas, your thoughts will not be able to understand people and professor – will not be able to evaluate your work. Thesis – that’s what I need, what I have to do for my future. And so I do not regret my time and effort to find more information about thesis writing. I do not cease to learn and improve my skills for my studies, for my future.

Very well said Nancy!

How do you know if you have a good vocabulary or not? Is there a standard number of words you need to know for others to identify you as having a good vocabulary? I think if there was a number of words everyone knows they needed to know, more people would try to reach that goal. As it is now, it’s difficult to know if I have an adequate vocabulary or not.

I’ve been working on improving my vocabulary for the last two months. I found that it was difficult to begin, but once I started, it became much easier. I try to do most of my vocabulary improvement through a lot of reading, but I do make an effort to look up words that I’m not familiar with while I’m reading instead of just passing them over or trying to guess their meaning.

I also try to use new words each day. For me at least, if I use the word I’m able to retain it much better. I would say over this last two months, I’ve been able to learn between one and five words a day and I’ve added well over 100 new words to my vocabulary.

It’s a great or impressive, certainly you made an effort , But me myself I was trying to polish up my Engish for the last months and I attempted to collect and Memorized some of them, but unlucky because I have not the suitable place which I can display my Vacapularies the people of my country do not speak The English Language , Give me your recommendation .

Vocabulary : start with simple words, like house hold, transportation, communication, vegatables, fruits, trees, animals, weekdays, months, numbers.

All basic vocabulary words. It seems like, you are a beginner, dont let people break you down. We are all human, nobody is better than the next.

Sickness and death, reach us all, rich and poor.

I’ve high respect for you mr english i respect your honesty an willingness to help

Does anyone visualize words to help them improve vocabulary? I started doing this a few months ago and it’s help me improve my vocab quite a bit. I’m a visual person, though, so that may be something that applies to me more than others. If you happen to be a visual person, try visualizing new words and you may be amazed at how many you are able to learn over a short period of time.

I like to visualize as well, but I have never done it with vocabulary building. It may be what I’ve been missing. I’m going to give it a try and see if doing so helps me retain more words.

This is something that everyone should be striving to do no matter their age. I think it’s important to teach kids at a young age how interesting words are so they can find value and love within them. Being curious about words and where they came from (and finding the perfect word for what you want to say) is a type of curiosity we’d all be better having.

Why do we need to learn so many different vocabulary words in school??!!?? All I do is spend hours and hours learning new words that I’ll never use when I’m older. It seems so stupid!

Knowing a large number of words will make you much more articulate in your conversations with others. Knowing words can help out in a lot of ways in life. Those hours of learning will pay off. You need to figure out a fun and entertaining way to learn those words.

Before you work on new vocabulary, you should make sure you already understand the basics. There is nothing worse than someone using big words while the small words are being incorrectly used. A sure sign the person thinks big words are important, but has no idea how to use words in general.

I don’t think these two things are exclusive. You can work on the basics and learn new vocabulary at the same time. It isn’t an “either / or” choice. Do both.

It depends on the person who learns the language. If he is a fast learner, he will learn both the basics and big words fast.

Melvin I am also practicing to write English like native speakers.if your English is good then help in writing passage I write a passage on some topic and you will point out my errors.I am so obliged if you help me

Melvin, I too am practicing to write English like native speakers. If your English is better than mine, then would you help me improve my writing. I will write a passage on a topic and if you would point out any errors I make it would help me greatly. I am very thankful for any help you provide.

I am a native English speaker and this is how I would have written the post.

Sure why not?

I am not agree with your ideas Because those people have not english native language Those people how to increase your vocabulary They read english but not understand because english is not whose native language

Please give me some 💡

I want to improve my english vocabulary

start reading books and blogs that you like to read everyday. Consistency is the major key of success in all kind of drills.

then I don’t have time to do something else

yes you said well

you’re are right!

“you’re are right!” ?? = you are are right! Contractions are wonderful when used correctly. There IS a word represented there….

You are so right. I am 40 years old i should know better I’m so rush to high up. In my learning I have a habit of skipping over the small and rush. Myself to the big ones

This looks like a great list of resources/apps. Using a variety of these should make learning vocabulary a breeze.

I don’t understand why so many people don’t like to learn new words. They are so interesting!

I am improve my vocabulary so u tell me why can I do

I am *improving my vocabulary so u *can *advise me *what to do Maybe you should study the Grammar Formation first;before u learn new words.

Woah! That was a little bit savage

No it wasn’t that’s a very good suggestion i myself think i should take go study it.

Hi Louis Alion, “Maybe you should study the Grammar Formation first;before u learn new words” I don’t know the other think. but for me, if you know only the grammar after that you can not make the sentence because of we don’t know new words.

I believe that you should do the same. Practice what you preach. There is always room for improvement, always.

Grammar and Vocabulary, goes hand in hand. Communication and Vocabulary, goes hand in hand.

Dont get confused.

learn vocabulary first

Maybe they have more and better work. Duhhhh!

the power writing is power of vocabulary

for learning the basic knowledge should be complete .every new knowledge need some basic knowledge first

Yes U r right

You are absolutely right Rudra.

Such a thanks for sharing these words and good experience for me ,I saw every point .who became me bold and improve my english skills .today i had built more confidence ,and promise you . I will improve my english as soon as possible Once again Thanks

Thanks for the advice I thing I’ve got an enough idea on how I will improve my grammar and vocabulary. 🙂

When I will summerise the article may be it would be like this, # Increase vocabulary # Read news paper # Play game

Thank’s…

Thanks for writing this wonderful article, I have learned new words while reading the article.

I too learned lots of new words in your Article

It’s really helpful. keep it up!

My vocabulary is vry weak.vocabulary words are vry difficult to learn…

Then you have to study hard.

i really want to improve my vocabulary but ,i always loose concentration whenever i start reading a magazine or a newspaper

Good approach

It is a stepping stone. I am going to improve drastically

game part is not important

Thank for your marevlous explaniation

I enjoy learning new words,but I’m too lazy to do this! Hope that one day I will realize how important it is!

I think reading is quite important. It doesn’t only enrich your vocabulary. But also gives your new knowledges.

thank you for the tips

Hi It is good to know this knowledge.

Thanks, helpful tips. but I don’t understand some things due to my poor education background, wish I could get more explicited ones. But great job though

Great article!

I will give the IELTS test two month later as English isn’t my own language and I will be confused that what am l doing There are a lot of references and books and I don’t have a plan for test Please tell me what am l doing?

Like im in school, so this wasnt that useful. Thank u though about the thesaurus and stuff!

When I see a new word, I looking for a root of that and try to find it on some film and article and know the synonyms and how we can use it I myself use some applications like Word Up which is so useful for me because at the first you can see the root of word, meaning of that, synonym and also some film which help me alot. l recommend you to use it once 😊

Thank you for your valuable suggestions.

This tell how important on reading books or any materials that fully satisfy your vocabulary. And Verily important notice or learning to us, are keep reading books and love it. Specially in this new technological era where people really sucks on gadgets and any technologies . This article help me more.Thanks a lot. And keep it up!!

I want to prove my writing power and also professional email power.

I might try these!

I can say it depends on the person who is learning the language, because even though you are good at vocabulary, if you are poor in grammar your English will never be good, so if you ask me learn both of them at the same time….

Reading is life

Very helpful practical advice thanks

Hello everyone! This is a platform to learn and or improve one’s English speaking and writing abilities, so I think it would be best to help yourself as best as you can. I say this because, going through the comments, I noticed quite a handful of comments written in funny contractions. examples; ‘U’, ‘ur’, ‘re’, and the likes of which literally do not exist anywhere but the “Social media world”. No offense to anyone, but I think his will be a step toward improvement. Thank you!

This simple description sounds to be quite useful. I will try using these tips for my students.

Amazing ideas for a beginner

Best ways to improve self and others in speaking and writing , making choices of words to communicate in dynamic and vibrant manners.

I do appreciate the way you explained, how to improve Vocabulary! In fact, I was not at all comfortable with English Language but some how I managed to start communicating in English, as it was basic need to go ahead with my career. I am still facing issues in writing as my vocabulary is not that good. I will keep trying to get it improved everyday by adopting the ways you explained. Thank You!

I love to learn English how to read, speak and write Vocabularies

I think new words can be practicing by speaking and writing daily on going situation in world . Otherwise native environment in common atmosphere will never be much helpful to learn English quickly . Secondly seeker must have to think in English. Thirdly student must have to write his or her basic routine in English . That what he was doing in entire day on his diary

It is very essential or Vital to follow for the instruction and I will apply and abide by it in order to polish up my English Language.

my son, in junior high, asked his English teacher, “do you know another word for thesaurus? “

Don’t think that only big words is very important and useful but some small words is also there who can improve your vocabulary though there are small words

I get that but don’t big words make our vocabulary grow?

thanks that was very good example

It’s time to break the limits to become limitless and bending the reality.

Thanks very helpful

Very good indeed to have this opportunity to read the 25 way of improvement

I just almost glass over the word itself. Then I use google to find its meaning

It really nice. I’m perfect sure it will help me through the help of God. Thanks

5 Downloadable Vocabulary Activities that Make Words Stick

Make word study fun and engaging for your students.

The best way to teach vocabulary is to get our students to use vocabulary. These five free downloadable vocabulary activities from Read it. Write it. Learn it. will help your students master their vocab list in no time!

1. Allow students to choose their own vocabulary words with Word Up! Bookmarks.

The best vocabulary words are chosen by students. Start by giving each student a copy of the Word Up! bookmark (I recommend photocopying on cardstock). Instruct students to copy down words they are unsure of or powerful words from their nightly reading. Encourage students to use context clues within the text to define their words. Model the process with them and practice in class. If students cannot unlock the meaning of words using the context clues, show them how to use print and online dictionaries for help.

2. Set up a Word-Master Class Challenge .

Once students start collecting vocabulary words, encourage them to use the words in their speech and writing. Use this downloadable to create a word wall and choose a word of the day. Then, enjoy the vocabulary magic that follows! The student who uses the word of the day most often during a class period wins the prestigious title of Word Master.

3. Teach definitions with a QR code project.

QR codes are fun and interactive, and any student with a smart device can access the content linked to the code. Use this downloadable to guide your students through the process of creating student videos that define word-wall words. Students will then email you their videos, and you can use the provided link to create a printable QR code to add to your word wall. Students simply scan the code to view the video definition of each word on your wall.

4. Encourage students to use powerful vocabulary in their writing.

Give students this printable chart to help them apply vocabulary from your word wall into their own writing. Students simply choose three words per week, challenge themselves to use the word in the proper context as often as they can, and then share their favorite line in the last column of the chart.

To extend this activity even further and deepen students’ understanding of the words, ask students to complete the Words With Power one-pager included in this download. This activity will allow students to share favorite lines from their personal writing, displaying the line along with the literal definition, figurative and connotative meanings, and visual representations of the word.

5. Play the Word Up! Game .

Engage students in learning their vocabulary words with the Word Up! Game. This super fun game is similar to the game Heads Up. Students write all of their word-wall or vocabulary words on the provided task cards. After shuffling the cards, one student chooses a card without looking and holds it up to their forehead. The rest of the students provide clues that will help the student guess the word. Students will have a blast and learn new vocabulary at the same time!

Learning vocabulary can be engaging and fun with the right tools. The key to making vocabulary stick is encouraging students to actually use the words we want them to learn. For more engaging and motivating vocabulary activities, check out the Read it. Write it. Learn it. store.

36 Meaningful Vocabulary Activities for Every Grade

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6 Effective strategies for vocabulary instruction

English language arts
Instructional resources

6 Effective vocabulary activities and strategies for teaching

Language is the foundation of everyday communication. Students can clearly communicate if they have a robust vocabulary, which is why teaching with effective vocabulary activities and strategies is so important. Learners can struggle to understand reading passages or math word problems if there are words they do not understand. If a text has unfamiliar words, students will likely focus on trying to understand those words rather than understanding the ideas in a text. Conversely, they may misinterpret the meaning altogether. In their writing, students must have a varied vocabulary to communicate ideas and make readers want to read their work.

Educators can increase students’ word knowledge through effective vocabulary activities. Teachers know their vocabulary instruction is effective when students apply words and their meanings in various contexts. Providing students with multiple representations of new vocabulary and opportunities for multimodal inputs and outputs will help students learn and remember vocabulary. They can also learn to discern the meaning of unfamiliar words independently.

1. Explicitly teach vocabulary within content-rich instruction

Effective implementation of a vocabulary strategy begins with a well-planned lesson. Research suggests that direct instruction through instructional routines is more effective and efficient than allowing students to discover word meanings independently (Birsh, J. & Carreker, S., 2018). It takes repetition and frequent use for new vocabulary terms to “stick” and become a part of students’ everyday language and academic conversations.

Nearpod has ready-made core subject lessons (math, science, English and language arts, and social studies) explicitly teaching vocabulary terms. Education.com lessons also pre-teach vocabulary before content instruction.

The Nearpod English Learners Program * provides teachers with the content, tools, and organization to create daily differentiated learning experiences that maximize language acquisition for all learners. While the lessons were written for students learning English, they are also helpful in general education classrooms. In the lessons, students learn content-specific information and vocabulary simultaneously! Students also use the new vocabulary in the same lesson, helping them remember the word’s significance and meaning.

*The Nearpod EL program is available to users with a Nearpod school/district account that can access the add-on lesson program.

2. Create a vocabulary and content-rich lesson with a few clicks

Don’t see a ready-made lesson on a topic you want to teach? That’s okay. You can use Nearpod’s Slide Editor to create your own vocabulary-specific slides and embed interactive vocabulary activities and assessments for students.

Here’s an example of a vocabulary instructional process you can follow in your teacher-created slides:

Prepare your Nearpod lesson by adding a video with the word pronunciation as Reference Media in a Collaborate Board . You can embed a video from YouTube or upload your own video. You can also enable Immersive Reader for students to have them see the definition and other properties of the vocabulary word.
Start your instruction by saying the new word aloud and having students repeat it. Have students type or record their answers on the Collaborate Board.
Provide a student-friendly definition of the word. Insert images and example sentences into the slide. (Read more about student-friendly definitions in vocabulary activity #3!)
During instruction, connect the word to other vocabulary terms students already know. Add a Matching Pairs activity to have students connect words to definitions.
Ask students to use the word aloud and in their writing. Allow them to submit their responses on an Open-Ended Question or Collaborate Board.

3. Provide student-friendly definitions

The vocabulary strategy of using student-friendly definitions is essential for learners to understand new word meanings. Dictionary definitions can be hard for students to understand, and they do not always fully capture the word’s meaning. Additionally, there is often more than one definition. When improving vocabulary, multiple definitions can make it difficult for students to know which is correct given the context of the lesson or reading passage (Beck et al, 2013).

To write student-friendly definitions, use everyday language in the context of a relatable example. For example, take the word “commend.” Here’s how you can share student-friendly definitions:

If I “commend” a student, I give them compliments or praise because they probably did something that impressed me. The “praise” I give would be in public. An example sentence is, “I commended Eli for his efforts during the spelling bee.” The word “commend” implies that I praised Eli publicly for his work at the spelling bee. Can you think of something someone did that you would commend them for?

In this example:

I introduced the word’s definition.
I provided context and an example sentence.
I asked students to use the word immediately after learning its meaning.

If the class is reading a book with the word “commend,” using a book excerpt to connect the student-friendly definition is another avenue you can pursue.

4. Use interactive videos in your vocabulary instruction

Along with providing a student-friendly definition, have students interact with the word in various ways. Students can better remember and understand new meanings by bringing in other modalities (Birsh, J. & Carreker, S., 2018). You can use videos and music to provide auditory and visual communication. Videos and songs can model how students can use newly learned language!

Nearpod Original (NPO) videos are helpful when teaching students about specific topics. Adding an NPO video to a lesson can add a multimodal dimension. Videos often show real-world representations and offer further examples of the word in context. To check students’ comprehension, you can add questions in the video. The video will pause at specific points and prompt a question to check students’ understanding and keep them engaged in the video lesson.

The Personification Nearpod Original perfectly explains the meaning of personification and provides context for the word, as seen in the two poems. Consider using Nearpod Original videos when vocabulary activities to teach your students.

If you want to use a video from YouTube, you can create your own Interactive Video by adding the video and your questions to the lesson. YouTube videos embed into Nearpod so students can watch a video about the water cycle or any other topic without navigating away from Nearpod or viewing pop-up ads.

5. Strategically choose which vocabulary words to teach in the classroom

There is only so much time in the day for instruction and student practice. When teachers decide to teach vocabulary explicitly, the terms should give students the biggest bang for their buck. Teachers can efficiently use instructional time by introducing academic vocabulary students frequently encounter in multiple subject areas (Beck et al, 2013; Birsh, J. & Carreker, S., 2018).

Teaching tier two words is one way to introduce new vocabulary strategically. Tier two words appear in multiple subjects and can sometimes have multiple meanings. This distinction is helpful for students to improve their vocabulary.

How to teach Tier 1, 2, and 3 vocabulary words

Understanding the tiers can help you choose which words to teach in your vocabulary activities. Students encounter tier-one words in everyday language. They will likely learn words such as “like,” “swim,” and “run” through hearing and participating in conversations. Tier two words appear in multiple domains and written text, making them high-utility words. Since students would not typically encounter them in conversation, they would benefit from explicit instruction of words like “contradict” or “maintain.” The most infrequent terms are tier-three words. These words are subject-specific words learners would infrequently use, such as “economy” or “counterclaim.” Keep in mind that even though general guidelines differentiate the different tiers, there is some overlap between the types of terms.

Nearpod EL’s academic vocabulary lesson series contains many tier-two words. The word “ Energy ” is an example of a tier two word.

Ask yourself these questions when selecting words for vocabulary activities:

Vocabulary strategies to teach using Nearpod's EL Lesson about the vocabulary word Energy

Can students comprehend the process, reading passage, or concept even if they do not know this word? If they cannot meet any of those criteria, teach the word!
Will learners encounter this word in other subjects or later grade levels? If they meet one of those criteria, teach the word!
Can learners make connections between the new words and words they already know? The term may be worthy of a direct instruction moment if the answer is yes.

After instruction, practice newly-acquired words in a competitive, fun way with a Time to Climb ! The gamified activity allows for photos or text as the answer option.

6. Get students involved in choosing the vocabulary words they want to learn

Let students select fascinating words for a book the class reads aloud or from their independent reading time. If there is no time to teach student-chosen words, encourage them to learn the new words. Then they can teach the class the word through a vocabulary presentation!

For their vocabulary presentation, students can use a Draw It interactive activity in Nearpod to draw a picture or create a diagram. As they present the new word, they can reference the drawing.

Nearpod Draw it Template for ELA Frayer Model

The presentation will help the presenter remember the word, and the audience may learn a new word too! Using a simple Frayer Model Draw It template to share the word is one vocabulary-sharing visual presenters can use. Frayer Models bring in the multimodal aspect of communicating through drawing and writing.

Use these vocabulary activities in your classroom

This list of vocabulary strategies is by no means comprehensive. There are many more effective strategies available to improve vocabulary retention. Choose the method that will meet your students’ needs and time constraints. This list can inspire some ideas and show you how easy it is to implement vocabulary activities with Nearpod.

With Nearpod, you can create interactive lessons and activities in one place. You can also use our premade standards-aligned resources across all subjects and grade levels. Sign up for free now to use these tips and explore the power of Nearpod!

Interested in reading more about this topic? Check out this blog post: 6 tips for teaching reading and writing skills in any classroom

References and Further Reading

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., Kucan, L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2013a). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction (2nd ed). The Guilford Press.

Birsh, J. R., & Carreker, S. (Eds.). (2018). Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (Fourth Edition) . Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read. (n.d.). ww.Nichd.Nih.Gov/ . Retrieved September 22, 2022, from www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/smallbook

Wexler, N. (2019). The knowledge gap: The hidden cause of America’s broken education system–and how to fix it . Avery, an imprint of Penguin Randon House, LLC.

Jennifer is a forever educator with over 10 years of experience in education. Her mission is to create research-informed educational experiences that engage students and inspire learning.

Jennifer Sobalvarro

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Writing practice worksheets terms of use, finish the story writing worksheets.

Beginning Finish the Story - The Snow Day
Beginning Finish the Story - The Fair
Beginning Finish the Story - Summer Camp
Beginning Finish the Story - The Birthday Party
Beginning Finish the Story - The Halloween Costume
Beginning Finish the Story - The 4th of July
Intermediate Finish the Story - The Beach Trip
Intermediate Finish the Story - The Great Find
Intermediate Finish the Story - Which Way?
Intermediate Finish the Story - Finding Muffin
Intermediate Finish the Story - The Zoo
Advanced Finish the Story - The Troublemaker

Question Response Writing Worksheets

Beginning Question Response - Your Favorite Color
Beginning Question Response - Your Favorite Day
Beginning Question Response - Your Favorite Number
Beginning Question Response - In Your Family
Beginning Question Response - Your Favorite Sport
Beginning Question Response - Your Favorite Clothes
Beginning Question Response - Your Favorite Music
Beginning Question Response - How You Relax
Beginning Question Response - Lunch Time
Beginning Question Response - With Your Friends
Beginning Question Response - Collecting Stamps
Beginning Question Response - Your Birthplace
Beginning Question Response - Starting Your Day
Intermediate Question Response - Your Favorite Food
Intermediate Question Response - Your Favorite Movie
Intermediate Question Response - Your Favorite Song
Intermediate Question Response - TV Programs
Intermediate Question Response - Your Favorite Time
Intermediate Question Response - Which Country?
Intermediate Question Response - The Wisest Person
Intermediate Question Response - Someone You Admire
Advanced Question Response - A Great Accomplishment
Advanced Question Response - The Most Exciting Thing
Advanced Question Response - Oldest Memory
Advanced Question Response - The Most Productive Day of the Week
Advanced Question Response - An Interesting Person
Advanced Question Response - What Have You Built?
Advanced Question Response - What You Like to Read

Practical Writing Worksheets

Beginning Practical - Grocery List
Beginning Practical - TO Do List
Beginning Practical - At the Beach
Beginning Practical - The Newspaper
Intermediate Practical - Absent From Work
Intermediate Practical - Your Invitation
Intermediate Practical - Paycheck
Intermediate Practical - The New House
Advanced Practical - Soccer Game Meeting
Advanced Practical - Note About Dinner
Advanced Practical - A Problem
Advanced Practical - A Letter to Your Landlord
Advanced Practical - A Product

Argumentative Writing Worksheets

Intermediate Argumentative - Cat, Star, or Book?
Intermediate Argumentative - Soccer or Basketball?
Intermediate Argumentative - Giving and Receiving
Intermediate Argumentative - Does Practice Make Perfect?
Advanced Argumentative - Five Dollars or a Lottery Ticket?
Advanced Argumentative - The Most Important Word
Advanced Argumentative - An Apple
Advanced Argumentative - Too Many Cooks

Writing Worksheets

Beginning Writing Worksheet
Intermediate Writing Worksheet
Advanced Writing Worksheet

Using Precise Language

Using Precise Language - An Introduction
Using Precise Language Practice Quiz

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Vocabulary-Building Activities Packet for Elementary and Middle School

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Building vocabulary is essential when teaching elementary and middle school students how to learn and use new words. This packet provides four vocabulary-building strategies and activities that are designed to help with word association and learning vocabulary.

Each strategy includes an overview and teaching tips, followed by a detailed example of how to implement the strategy as either independent practice or a group activity. Suggestions for modeling and formative assessment are included. The packet includes 4 no-prep printables, one for each activity.

Students can choose different vocabulary-building strategies, such as:

Word association.

Word association calls for students to connect words to things they already know. Give your students the “Word Association” paper. Tell them a vocabulary word to write in the center of the chart. Have them follow the directions to fill in the other boxes.

Vocabulary Roll the Dice

Playing games is a great way to help your students practice new vocabulary words. Through the “Roll the Dice” game, your students will learn all about a new word by defining it, thinking of synonyms and antonyms for it, and using it in a sentence.

Download the packet for all the strategies and printables.

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Vocabulary Worksheets

Vocabulary is a fundamental learning concept but covers many different areas. We've developed hundreds of practice activities to help your student improve their vocabulary skills. You'll find worksheet activities around the alphabet, dictionary skills, Fry sight words, Dolch sight words, phonetics, homographs, homophones, prefixes, proverbs and adages, root words, shades of meaning, suffixes, synonyms and antonyms! All of our printable worksheets are designed around common core standards and cover a broad range of skill levels from kindergarten through high school. Feel free to print copies for your classroom or at home.

Alphabet Worksheets

Cursive Z - Printable Alphabet Letters Practice Activity

Dictionary Skills Worksheets

Using the Dictionary Worsheet Activity - Using Guide Words

These worksheets help students to learn how to effectively use a dictionary. All worksheets are free to use at home or in the classroom. Just print and duplicate!

Fry Word List - 1,000 High Frequency Words

Sight Words List - Free, Printable Fry Word List - Third 100

Homograph Worksheets - Learning About Homographs

What are Homographs - Free, Printable Worksheet Activity

Homophone Worksheets

Correct the Homophones - Free, Printable Homophone Worksheet

Phonics Worksheets | Phonetics

Blended Consonants Worksheet - Creating New Words with ST

Prefix Worksheets

What is the Prefix Worksheet - Free, Printable Activity

Proverbs and Adages Worksheets

These worksheets hep students to understand the meaning of proverbs and adages, looking into the deeper meaning of these phrases.

Greek and Latin Root Words

Printable Root Word Worksheet - Adding S, ED, and ING

Shades of Meaning Worksheets

Shades of Word Meanings Worksheet - Strong Versus Weak

These worksheets help students learn to interpret the shades of meaning behind specific words, in order to help with reading comprehension and writing.

Suffix Worksheets

What's the Suffix Worksheet - Free, Printable Worksheet Activity

Synonym Worksheets and Antonym Worksheets

Printable Parts of Speech Activity - Synonyms or Antonyms?

Trending Post : 12 Powerful Discussion Strategies to Engage Students

A massive collection of ENGAGING, EFFECTIVE, AND FRESH vocabulary activities to take the focus OFF of a vocabulary program and put it on purpose-driven vocabulary instruction!

Looking for ways to make teaching vocabulary more meaningful? I know how disheartening it can be to teach students about new words, only to discover they memorized them instead of truly learning them. As a middle and high school English teacher for over eleven years and a junior high instructional coach, I love learning. That’s what we educators do!

Blog posts about teaching vocabulary #MiddleSchool #HighSchool #TeachingVocabulary

My blog (you’re here!) is the place I share my learning with others. Here, I’ve written a number of posts about effective vocabulary instruction. You can find a whole list of them in what I like to call my creative manual . If you’d like to receive weekly emails from me with notifications of…

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…be sure to sign up for my email list via the form below (scroll down!). Together, we can bring ELA to life.

( Subscribers also have exclusive access to a free and growing library of resources on my blog. Currently, it contains seventeen activities, including four for vocabulary. One is a year-long pacing guide broken down by quarters!)

High-interest activities for teaching vocabulary #MiddleSchool #HighSchool #EnglishTeacher

I also write curriculum for middle and high school ELA teachers. When I create resources, I prioritize standards alignment, student engagement, and best practice instructional approaches. People often ask me about the vocabulary resources in my store , and you can find a quick overview below.

These activities are for you if you want…

vocabulary to be fun and engaging
learning new words to inspire students
word study to be an integral part of your course
vocabulary words and activities to be relevant to students
students to recognize vocabulary words in books and use them in writing

Vocabulary Skills

Context Clues
What’s in a Word?
Grammar + Fun Vocabulary

Writing and Vocabulary

Writing activities for any vocabulary list
Using formal language in formal writing

Differentiated Activities for Any List

picture associations
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Ten Quick Writing Prompts for Vocabulary

Quick writes can also be used to assess what a student knows or whether they can apply a particular skill in their writing. Encourage students to incorporate at least two vocabulary words into each of their quick write responses so you can assess their word knowledge.

Fill out the form to download the Ten Quick Writing Prompts for Vocabulary now.

Words for Essay Writing

More useful words to use for essay writing to impress your teachers.

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Other learning activities, teaching tools, full list of words from this list:.

scrupulous characterized by extreme care and great effort
assent agree or express agreement
conciliatory making or willing to make concessions
manifold many and varied; having many features or forms
cessation a stopping
supercilious having or showing arrogant superiority
contrive make or work out a plan for; devise
surmise infer from incomplete evidence
analogy drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
reproach express criticism towards
actuate put in motion
incongruity the quality of disagreeing
incite provoke or stir up
antecedent a preceding occurrence or cause or event
remonstrate argue in protest or opposition
unabashed not embarrassed
acquiescence agreement with a statement or proposal to do something
predisposition an inclination to interpret statements in a particular way

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PRTH 988 Dissertation Writing in Practical Theology II

Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog .

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

Requires a student login to access.

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.

This course is the first course comprising dissertation writing for the PhD in Practical Theology candidate, under the direction and guidance of their faculty supervisor. Based on an approved prospectus, the student will compose a minimum of the first three chapters of their PhD dissertation within the PRTH 988 course. The initial stages of dissertation writing are essential for eventual success at the defense level, so intentional, regular supervision, and mentoring are critical components within the first 16 weeks of dissertation development.

Course Assignment

Textbooks readings and lecture presentations.

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Chapter One: First Draft Assignment

The student will write and submit the first draft of chapter one of their dissertation. Special focus is on the introduction to the dissertation topic and thesis. The l ength of the first chapter will vary according to the nature of the dissertation topic but will typically be 4000 to 6000 words. A bibliography for chapter one is also required (the contents of each chapter’s bibliography will eventually be combined into the dissertation’s bibliography). (CLO: C, D)

Chapter One: Final Draft Assignment

The student will submit the final draft of chapter one of their dissertation. This draft should reflect revisions based on supervisor feedback from the first draft submission. The l ength of the first chapter will vary according to the nature of the dissertation topic but will typically be 4000 to 6000 words. A bibliography for chapter one is also required (the contents of each chapter’s bibliography will eventually be combined into the dissertation’s bibliography). (CLO: C, E)

Chapter Two: First Draft Assignment

The student will write and submit the first draft of chapter two of their dissertation. Content should follow that proposed in the dissertation prospectus. The length of the second chapter will vary based on the nature of the subject matter but will typically be 5000 to 8000 words. A bibliography for chapter two is also required (the contents of each chapter’s bibliography will eventually build into the complete dissertation bibliography). (CLO: C, D)

Chapter Two: Final Draft Assignment

The student will submit the final draft of chapter two of their dissertation. This draft should reflect revisions based on supervisor feedback from the first draft submission. T he length of the second chapter will vary based on the nature of the subject matter but will typically be 5000 to 8000 words. A bibliography for chapter two is also required (the contents of each chapter’s bibliography will eventually build into the complete dissertation bibliography). (CLO: C, E)

Chapter Three: First Draft Assignment

The student will write and submit the first draft of chapter three of their dissertation. Content should follow that proposed in the dissertation prospectus. The length of the third chapter will vary based on the nature of the subject matter but will typically be 5000 to 8000 words. A bibliography for chapter three is also required (the contents of each chapter’s bibliography will eventually build into the complete dissertation bibliography). Note Well : Depending on dissertation design and the total number of chapters in the dissertation, this assignment may include more than chapter three of the dissertation. (CLO: C, D)

Chapter Three: Final Draft Assignment

The student will submit the final draft of chapter three of their dissertation. This draft should reflect revisions based on supervisor feedback from the first draft submission. The length of the third chapter will vary based on the nature of the subject matter but will typically be 5000 to 8000 words. A bibliography for chapter three is also required (the contents of each chapter’s bibliography will eventually build into the complete dissertation bibliography). (CLO: C, E)

Dissertation Progress Report Assignment

The candidate will complete a Dissertation Progress Report to assess progress in dissertation composition as the candidate comes to the end of PRTH 988 and as a metric for determining whether the candidate is ready to move on to PRTH 989. (CLO: B)

Quiz: Candidate-Supervisor Consultations (8)

The PhD candidate will meet with their supervisor (either in person or virtually) to review progress and to establish expectations moving forward. This meeting will be verified through a quiz that will contain 1 true/false question and have no time limit. (CLO: A, B)

Quiz: PRTH 989 Registration

The candidate will contact his/her supervisor to request registration in PRTH 989. This will be verified through a quiz that will contain 1 true/false question and have no time limit. (CLO: B)

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IMAGES

Vocabulary for essay writing
Assignment Writing Guide for College and University Students: Tips for
6th Grade Journeys
Vocabulary for Writing Essays
5 Outside the Box Creative Writing Assignments for ELA
How to Write an Assignment: Step by Step Guide

COMMENTS

5 Ways to Incorporate Vocabulary in Writing
Make writing with vocabulary words a social activity via a gallery walk. While you can do this activity in any number of ways, here is what I recommend: I'd suggest modeling an example for students before asking them to write their own sentences during the gallery walk. Just project a vocabulary word on the board. Then, brainstorm some ...
36 Meaningful Vocabulary Activities for Every Grade
Southern Fried Teachin'. 4. Sketch up word maps. Creating word maps from vocabulary words encourages students to find the relationships between the vocabulary word and other words. Have them include words, pictures, examples, real-world connections, definitions, descriptive words, etc. Learn more: Word Map.
5 Brain-Based Vocabulary Activities for the Secondary Classroom
1. Research shows that mind maps are brain-based learning activities. 2. Thinking symbolically about a word helps students to deepen their understanding of it. 3. Mind maps require students to engage with a word meaningfully from different angles for an extended period of time. 4.
6 Engaging Vocabulary Activities to Try in 2020
4. "HEADS UP" GAME. "Heads Up" is one of the best vocabulary games, hands down. 🙂. If you want a low-prep but high-impact activity, try this fun spinoff of Ellen DeGeneres' popular "Heads Up" game. All you need is a set of cards with your vocabulary words (one per card), but the cards don't have to be fancy.
10+ Quick Write Prompts to Practice Vocabulary
Here are Ten Quick Write Prompts for Vocabulary that students can use at home right now! Download these free prompts and share them with students. Task students with answering a quick write prompt each "virtual 😉" school day. Explain to students that each day they need to spend 3-5 minutes (at home) writing their response to a prompt and ...
Fun Vocabulary Activities: 10 Ways to Boost Word Skills
Success in vocabulary activities can be achieved when students are: Involved in collaborative tasks that require communication and peer interaction. Challenged with creative and context-rich exercises like writing prompts or role-playing scenarios. For confidence to be bolstered in students, activities should: Provide immediate positive ...
16 Meaningful Writing Activities that Engage Students
Meaningful and engaging writing assignments include a dash of real-world, relevant writing opportunities, a pinch of skill transfer, and a sprinkling of creative freedom. Let's elevate students' writing experiences while meeting standards. But, don't forget to balance tough, academic-style writing with some more flexible options that will ...
11 Vocabulary Homework Ideas And How To Motivate Students To ...
Here are the vocabulary activities listed on the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework handout: ... Then try writing two sentences for each vocabulary word. These can either be two individual sentences for each word or you can put all of your words together in a story. (If you write a story, you only have to use each word once). ...
How to Structure a Powerful, Meaningful Vocabulary Program
Here's an example of a handful of different approaches for incorporating vocabulary: During short story and poetry units, use high-frequency words from literature. During writing units, focus on vocabulary for formal word choice. With independent reading units, try a word-a-day approach with context clue practice.
4th Grade Vocabulary Writing Activities
Take a book or story that's been assigned to the class and choose a list of vocabulary words from the text. Provide a sentence or paragraph containing the word and have students guess what the word means based on context clues. These include surrounding words, how the vocabulary word is used and what other words it sounds similar to.
A Fun Vocabulary Activity for Middle or High School
Using brain-based vocabulary approaches will help to ensure the practice time you provide is worthwhile. When I complete a vocabulary unit, my students know we will continue coming back to those words throughout the year. This repetition reinforces the likelihood that students will retain the new words. 4. Engagement.
4 Activities to Boost Target Language Vocabulary Acquisition
A deck is an easy-to-create resource that can be exploited in numerous ways with minimal preparation. The following activities allow teachers to promote students' vocabulary acquisition naturally by consistently drawing on different language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—at the same time.
25 Ways to Improve Your Writing Vocabulary
Here are 25 ways you can improve your writing vocabulary every day. Use New Words. Use a word immediately after you learn it. Try to make a game out of using a new word as soon as you learn it. Every day, try to slip in a new word into the conversation, a journal entry, an assignment or an email to a friend.
Vocabulary Activities to Make Words Stick
Once students start collecting vocabulary words, encourage them to use the words in their speech and writing. Use this downloadable to create a word wall and choose a word of the day. Then, enjoy the vocabulary magic that follows! The student who uses the word of the day most often during a class period wins the prestigious title of Word Master. 3.
60 Vocabulary Activities & Effective Strategies for Kids
Vocabulary Activities: Writing Assignments. Write a descriptive paragraph about your favorite place using at least five new adjectives. Create a dialogue between two characters, incorporating ten new words from this week's vocabulary list. Compose an imaginative story where you use five synonyms for the word happy to describe different emotions.
6 Effective vocabulary activities and strategies for teaching
In their writing, students must have a varied vocabulary to communicate ideas and make readers want to read their work. Educators can increase students' word knowledge through effective vocabulary activities. Teachers know their vocabulary instruction is effective when students apply words and their meanings in various contexts.
Writing Practice Worksheets
In these writing practice worksheets, students practice reading and practical writing. Each worksheet begins with a prompt that gives students a chance to write practically. Each prompt features a real world writing activity. Example answers are provided for students to read and model their answer after. Beginning Practical - Grocery List.
How to Build Vocabulary: Activities for Elementary and Middle School
Building vocabulary is essential when teaching elementary and middle school students how to learn and use new words. This packet provides four vocabulary-building strategies and activities that are designed to help with word association and learning vocabulary. Each strategy includes an overview and teaching tips, followed by a detailed example ...
Vocabulary Writing Activities for Any List Digital & Print
Vocabulary Activities for Any Word List: Set 2. Whether you want students to CONNECT with new words, WRITE with new words, or have FUN with new words, this differentiated vocabulary activities bundle is a crowd pleaser. Designed to work with any vocabulary list, these creative tasks will get your students thinking outside the box. If your classro.
Vocabulary Worksheets
Vocabulary is a fundamental learning concept but covers many different areas. We've developed hundreds of practice activities to help your student improve their vocabulary skills. You'll find worksheet activities around the alphabet, dictionary skills, Fry sight words, Dolch sight words, phonetics, homographs, homophones, prefixes, proverbs and ...
Teaching Vocabulary
These activities are for you if you want…. vocabulary to be fun and engaging. learning new words to inspire students. word study to be an integral part of your course. vocabulary words and activities to be relevant to students. students to recognize vocabulary words in books and use them in writing.
Ten Quick Writing Prompts for Vocabulary
Ten Quick Writing Prompts for Vocabulary. Grades 1-12. Quick writes can also be used to assess what a student knows or whether they can apply a particular skill in their writing. Encourage students to incorporate at least two vocabulary words into each of their quick write responses so you can assess their word knowledge. Fill out the form to ...
Words for Essay Writing
having or showing arrogant superiority. contrive. make or work out a plan for; devise. surmise. infer from incomplete evidence. analogy. drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity. reproach. express criticism towards.
PRTH 988 Dissertation Writing in Practical Theology II
Chapter Three: First Draft Assignment The student will write and submit the first draft of chapter three of their dissertation. Content should follow that proposed in the dissertation prospectus.