Vocab is a difficult area in science because there are so many words. A typical elementary science book introduces around 25 new words for each chapter. If a classroom completes a chapter every weeks, that is 50 words a month- 100 words every 2 months - over 400 words (for just science!) in the school year. Although some of these words are practical and used everyday, others (such as herbivore or photosynthesis) are difficult to remember. I researched some tips to help students learn and remember these words.
1. Expose the students to the word at least 6 six times (preferrably in different contexts). If you can use these words in other content areas, great! Just more practice and enforcement. Some content areas to include these words include:
- through reading/text
- making illustrations
- videos and songs
- hands-on experimenting
2. Graphic organizers are also great tools for remembering vocabulary. They allow students to sort words, compare/contrast, and learn about the individual words (root word, synonyms, etc.)
3. Science journals can be very beneficial. I am currently in a kindergarten placement, and they are using journals already. In these journals, students can practice writing words in stories. This can also show the teacher who needs more practice and what words seem to be a general challenge.
4. The website I chose to evaluate also discusses modified vocab lists. Make a vocabulary list of a FEW words that EVERY student must know. These can go on the wordwall or in their "fast word" chart. Then, individualize the vocab lists- giving students with learning disabilities fewer and less complex words (basically the words they NEED to know in order to move onto the next chapter) and give the gifted and talented students more complex words.
5. Try to connect some of the new vocabulary words to the students' past experiences and everyday lives. Give examples and tell stories, using the new vocab words, so help the students understand and make a connection.
These are just some ideas to help students with new vocabulary words. These strategies can also be used across the curriculum- not just for science. They are also helpful for English language learners.
http://www.suite101.com/content/vocabulary-building-techniques-in-science-a142993
These are great tools to help vocab words stick in students heads! I always loved learning new vocab words in class but I know many of my friends and fellow students struggled with remembering them for long periods of time. These are great tools to help students be able to use the word in the correct context and not just be able to recite the meaning!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you posted about this topic. I feel that one of the most beneficial activities for students is to orient them with the text that they are using- whether it is a textbook, an article, etc. I think that if they are familiar with the layout and organization, they will be better prepared to look for text clues to help them figure out unknown vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of using a word wall across subjects...if you're actually going to make use of it! I have seen them be a very useful tool for students to reference.
Emily, these are great ideas, I remember in Language Arts with professor Doemle, she had us use the vocab in as many different ways as we could to help us rememebr it. It is important for students to hear the word, see the word, write the word, work with the word and so on. Have them read it, write it in their journal, give them the word used a sentence with each word on a different note card and have them put the sentense together. Certain words can also be acted out. I am someone who learns vocab by practicing it over and over again, and I think all of the ways you mentioned are great! I also think it is ipmortant to only have a few MAIN terms that must be learned because once you get over so many, the students are mainly memorizing, but not learning.
ReplyDeleteIn class today, we discussed that students' need a concrete experience to relate vocabulary back to. By seeing it they develop a deeper understanding than just copying it off of the board. Connecting vocabulary to students' past experiences and accessing their schema is also important. It is true with all learning, if it is meaningful you are much more likely to remember it. Vocabulary is an important part of science, but can get overwhelming. I like the idea of picking out a few key words that all students need to know and building off of that.
ReplyDeleteEmily-
ReplyDeleteThose are some great ideas for learning science vocabulary! I remember having to write the vocabulary words down with their definitions and just having to memorize them one by one and then forgetting them. However, I found teachers that taught us vocabulary using poems or committing them to a familiar tune helped me remember vocabulary and commit them to memory better. Other teachers, I remember, focused on teaching us to look at word parts such as prefixes etc.