Vocabulary: Why not make it fun?
Create a large master list. Choose words that are relevant. Do not choose words that they will see ONLY in
the text you are reading, or that are not relatively useful words. Use academic words, tone words, roots.
Then, ask students to highlight using three colors--words they know, words they think they know, words they
have never seen/heard. Focus on the collective list of words they think they know. These will be the words
they have the best chance of owning. You can also just make this a diagnostic test so you can see where they
need to go. The targeted list should be no more than 300 words. Imagine how pleased you would be if 300
words were OWNED by your students at the end of the year. Also remember the important part is that they
will be learning PLENTY of words on their own IF they are engaged with these activities.
Next, post the list of vocabulary words prominently in the classroom. All the words. All year long. You can add
or replace with the visuals (see ideas below) as the year progresses. Perhaps you can string a border across at
the top of the wall around the room. Leave them there all year as a reminder to you and the students to use
the word as often as possible in speech and writing. No more weekly tests. Fill the time with engaging
activities.
Share your objectives: we want you to have fun with words and learn them, too. A mid and final test will be
your assessments but these words are expected to start showing up in your writing and communication.
Then, use the following ideas throughout the year to keep the learning fresh and fun. Show your students
that it is not about passing a test of vocabulary words that is most important to you; it is that they learn to
recognize words they don’t know and begin using them in speech and writing. And if they learn to love words
in the process, that’s a wonderful side effect.
Try a different one each week and repeat those that work best.
1. Create your own class version of Balderdash using difficult words (but not terribly uncommon words like
Balderdash uses). A few students try to create the real definition or fake it (must be convincing) if they don’t know it.
Others vote on the best choice.
2. Acrostic Vocab (see page ) This can be used in pairs with one or two words at a time and doubles as a creative
writing assignment. It is important to NOT make it a regular acrostic where each letter represents a word that is a
synonym, but to create a sentence or two, lines of poetry, that define the word.
3. Create vocabulary flashcards (with images) on Quizlet.com Or better yet, search to find ones already created.
This site is incredible and allows you to mix and match flashcards already created. Check out this link on Monsters of
Greek Myths. Once you create a list, the students can play several games with the word list, print the flashcards or
download to other formats.
4. Create word walls on select words each week and add images, examples from text outside of class, and student
writing. Use Wordle.net
5. Use a continuum and a thesaurus to teach connotations and denotations of words.
emaciated
bony
Negative Connotation
skinny
THIN
slender
lean
slim
Positive Connotation
6. Create a comic for new vocabulary words. Use Make Beliefs Comix, an incredible free site for creating really cool
comics.
7. Pictionary – Make teams and compete. Who can draw the word and get their group to guess it first?
8. Create Visuals for the words. Use a really cool site like Big Huge Labs HUGE collection of ideas for photo editing
and visual creations. Make your own Wanted Posters, magazine covers, motivational posters.FREE!!!
9. Use the Hot Word Blog at dictionary.com as a reference on your site or to share in class. What I like about this is
the connection to words and phrases being used in current trends.
10. Free Rice – end world hunger and learn new words at the same time. Caution: VERY ADDICTIVE
11. Play Word Games on Dictionary.com
12. Arizona K-12 Center has a great page with lots of links to other fun sites for creating visual and audio samples.
13. Word stories tell students about the origins of words IF they are interesting.
14. Real examples. Give extra credit when students bring in examples of those words used outside of the classroom.
15. Create a school scavenger hunt to find the words in a way that relates to their definition. Ex. They have to ask an
administrator for the word “authoritative” or see the librarian for “bibliophile.” Etc.
16. Word charades – create teams to compete for acting out the words.
17. 25 Words or Less. Based on the boxed game. Students work in teams. One representative (the speaker) goes up
from each team. The speakers are given one card with the vocabulary word on top and 4-5 CANNOT SAY words below.
They will have to try to get their team to guess it in 25 words or less without using the words on the list. To determine
who goes first the Speakers bid and the lowest bidder goes first and gets to try. So, team A speaker might say, “I think I
can get them to guess this is 22 words.” Team B Speaker returns with “Go ahead and try,” or “I can do it in 18.” If he
underbids him and tries but does not make it, the other team wins the points. The timer is set for one minute. It is very
challenging and very fun. They will beg to play this again.
18. Use one word as a writing prompt. Make it clear that they are not to write the word or the definition in the
writing, but to write a story, essay, poem, etc. about what they word makes them think about.
19. Role play – These can be quick five minute fun activities for reinforcement throughout the year. You know those
last moments before the bell rings when kids want to pack up early. Try this instead. Ask for two volunteers who want
extra credit. They have a time limit (2 minutes) to use as many of the vocabulary words as they can in a dialogue
between two characters that the class determines. They earn a point for each word used properly in context.
Remember, the words are all around them so it is easy for them to pull words, harder to use them in context under
pressure. Do this several times and see improvement each time.
20. Wear the Words: Ask each student to bring in a blank t-shirt (can usually purchase for $3). They draw vocabulary
words from a box and then have to design a t-shirt reflecting that word. Can use the computer to create an iron on, or
use fabric markers, sharpies, etc. Give extra credit for those who wear the shirt on a given day. Get other teachers
involved and make a vocabulary DAY.
Vocabulary Acrostic Poems/Definitions
Have fun with new vocabulary words and use them in a creative writing style. Give out the
words, then write the letter ACROSTIC style and fill in with words or phrases to define the
word. Conclude by writing a sentence that defines the word in context.
RASH
Really
Acting
Swiftly, sometimes
Harshly
He ruined his chance for a second date when he made the rash decision to leave his date at the
theatre.
Bewilder
Be
Elusive or make people
Wonder. Be
Indefinable
Love often
Does this.
Ever wondered how Juliet could fall so quickly for Romeo?
You were bewildered by their relationship.
Benevolent
Ben
Enjoys helping
Needy people
Everywhere,
Volunteers at
Old folks homes,
Lends his Ears for friends who
Need to
Talk
What a BENevolent guy.
boisterous
divulge gaunt
jovial nocturnal renegade tranquility
devoted
cower
eclectic
hypocrisy
amiable
recede
stereotype
frail
hilarious
What Are You Implying?
denotation : the literal meaning of a word
connotation: the association that the word evokes
The words, “woman” and “chick” have the denotation of an “adult female.”
The word, “chick” has a negative, or rude connotation.
Using the word “woman” is neutral.
Mrs. Jones is 5’7” tall and weighs 99 pounds Her doctor says she is “underweight”. The
word “underweight” is a denotation or the exact definition of the word. Some might call this woman
“thin”, “slender”, “slim”, “slight”, “spindly”, “bony” or “skinny.” All these words have similar meaning. Do you think Mrs. Jones should be called “bony” or “slim”? Which words would she probably
dislike hearing as a description of herself ?
The difference is in their connotations—the attitudes and extra meanings they suggest in addition to their meaning. Writers choose words with “emotional overtones” to sway readers to understand their point of view. This is why simply looking up a word in the thesaurus for a better word
does not work unless you really know the word and understand its connotation.
Directions: Below are pairs of remarks that might be made by two different speakers about
the same person. One remark suggests approval of the person, while the other remark indicates disapproval.
Underline the sentence you would use if you approved of the person.
1. Caroline is a good conversationalist. Caroline is a chatterbox.
2. Mona is interested in people. Mona is a busybody.
3. Mr. Carr is a cheat. Mr. Carr is a shrewd businessman.
4. Jon is self-confident. Jon is conceited.
5. Tyrone is yellow. Tyrone is cautious.
6. You say such clever things. You are a smart aleck.
7. Maria is a wallflower. Maria is quiet.
8. Jeena has an active imagination. Jeena is a liar.
9. Carrie is a nerd. Carrie is intelligent.
10.Lorie is weird. Lorie is creative.
Now write 3 PAIRS of sentences that descibes someone or some thing with the same denotation but
different connotations.
1.a.
1.b.
2.a.
2.b.
3.a.
3.b.
Banish VERY words
The word “very” is overused and should be avoided when possible. Many words
express the idea of “very” in their meaning. For example, “beautiful” means “very
pretty.” Below is a list of expressions using “very.” Match the word from the list
with the correct expression.
WORD LIST
destitute
valiant
jubilant
famished
gaunt affluent
ancient
rare furious
exhausted
saturated
vigorous
belated
cautious
minute
rash scrupulous
repulsive
immense
intimate
remote
lucid torrid brilliant
immaculate
precarious
ingenious
infantile
resourceful
towering
indolent
fleet atrocious
profound
hilarious
parched
frail
industrious
frigid
devoted
1. very brave
21. very tired
2. very small
22. very old
3. very large
23. very far
4. very dry
24. very bright
5. very hot
25. very busy
6. very wet
26. very hungry
7. very cold
27. very clever
8. very friendly
28. very dangerous
9. very loyal
29. very hasty
10. very cruel
30. very young
11. very ugly
31. very angry
12. very inventive
32. very clear
13. very glad
33. very unusual
14. very thin
34. very honest
15. very funny
35. very strong
16. very careful
36. very weak
17. very tall
37. very fast
18. very lazy
38. very late
19. very poor
39. very clean
20. very rich
40. very deep
List of 50 Commonly Used Foreign Words
alma mater
(uh-fish'ya-nah'doh) [Span.]: an ardent devotee. “I was surprised at what a baseball
aficionado she had become.”
(ahl-muh mah-ter) The school, college, or university that one has attended.
ambiance
(am-bee-uh ns) (literally: surroundings): mood, character, atmosphere (e.g. of a location)
ad infinitum
(ad in-fun-eye'tum) [Lat.]: to infinity. “The lecture seemed to drone on ad infinitum.”
angst
au naturel
(angkst) [Ger.]: dread and anxiety. “Sylvia's teenage angst was nothing compared to the
parental angst experienced by the two individuals whose duty it was to raise her.”
(ad noz'ee-um) [Lat.]: to a sickening degree. “The politician uttered one platitude after
another ad nauseam.”
(oh nach-uh-rel) (literally: in the natural state): served plainly; nude
avant-garde
(uh-vahnt-gahrd) (French for "the front guard"): a progressive artistic movement
bona fide
bon voyage
(boh'na fide) [Lat.]: in good faith; genuine. “For all her reticence and modesty, it was clear
that she was a bona fide expert in her field.”
(bon voi-ahzh) (literally: good journey!): farewell
bourgeois
(boo r-zhwah) (French for "townsman"): member of the middle class
carpe diem
(kar'pay dee'um) [Lat.]: seize the day. “So what if you have an 8:00 a.m. meeting tomorrow
and various appointments? Carpe diem!”
(kart blonsh') [Fr.]: unrestricted power to act on one's own. “I may have carte blanche around
the office, but at home I'm a slave to my family's demands.”
(kav'ee-ot emp'tor) [Lat.]: let the buyer beware. “Before you leap at that real estate deal,
caveat emptor!”
(se lA vee) that's life; such is life.
aficionado
ad nauseam
carte blanche
caveat emptor
c’est la vie
coup de grâce
cul-de-sac
deus ex machina
dolce vita
doppelgänger
double entendre
du jour
en route
faux pas
femme fatale
(koo de grahss') [Fr.]: finishing blow. “After an already wildly successful day, the coup de
grâce came when she won best all-around athlete.”
(kuhl-duh-sak) (French for "bottom of the bag"): blind alley
(day'us ex mahk'uh-nuh) [Lat.]: a contrived device to resolve a situation. “Stretching
plausibility, the movie concluded with a deus ex machina ending in which everyone was
rescued at the last minute.”
(dole'chay vee'tuh) [Ital.]: sweet life; the good life perceived as one of physical pleasure and
self-indulgence. “My vacation this year is going to be two uninterrupted weeks of dolce vita.”
(dop'pul-gang-ur) [Ger.]: a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person. “I could not
shake the sense that some shadowy doppelgänger echoed my every move.”
(duhb-uh l ahn-tahn-druh) (literally: double meaning): ambiguity; an expression open to two
interpretations, one of which is usually indecent
(duh zhoo r) as prepared on the particular day; of the kind being served today: The soup du
jour is split pea. ALSO fashionable; current: environmentalism and other issues du jour.
(ŏn rōōt', ěn) On or along the way: We are en route to the museum. The store is en route.
(foh pah') [Fr.]: a social blunder. “Suddenly, she realized she had unwittingly committed yet
another faux pas.”
(fem fuh-tal) (literally: fatal woman): an irresistibly sexy woman, a woman-siren
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in medias res
in vino veritas
je ne sais quoi
joie de vivre
(in me'-dee-as rays) [Lat.]: in the middle of a sequence of occurences. “The film begins in
medias res, with a panting, terrified man running through the night.”
(in vee'no vare'i-toss) [Lat.]: in wine there is truth. “By the end of the party, several of the
guests had made a good deal of their private lives public, prompting the host to murmur to his
wife, „in vino veritas.‟”
[zhuh nuh se kwA] (French for "I don't know what"): used to describe an elusive impression or
quality (zheh neh say kwah') [Fr.]: I know not what; an elusive quality. “She couldn't explain
it, but there was something je ne sais quoi about him that she found devastatingly attractive.”
(zhwAduh vee-vRuh) French. a delight in being alive; keen, carefree enjoyment of living.
non sequitur
( les-ey fair) (literally: let (the people) do): an individualistic approach to economic
regulation; avoiding interference in the affairs of others
(mah'no ah mah'no) [Span.]: directly or face-to-face in a confrontation or conflict. “„Stay out
of it,‟ he admonished his friends, „I want to handle this guy mano a mano.‟”
(may'uh kul'puh) [Lat.]: I am to blame. “His mea culpa was so offhand that I hardly think he
meant it.”
(nom duh ploom) (French for "pen name"): (writer's) pseudonym, pen name (nom duh
ploom') [Fr.]: pen name. “Deciding it was time to sit down and begin a novel, the would-be
writer spent the first several hours deciding upon a suitable nom de plume.”
(non sek-wi-ter) Logic. an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.
persona non
grata
(per-soh'nuh non grah'tuh) [Lat.]: unacceptable or unwelcome person. “Once I was cut out of
the will, I became persona non grata among my relatives.”
prima donna
(pree-muh don-uh) a temperamental person; a person who takes adulation and privileged
treatment as a right and reacts with petulance to criticism or inconvenience.
(pro boh'noh) [Lat.]: done or donated without charge; free. “The lawyer's pro bono work gave
him a sense of value that his work on behalf of the corporation could not.”
(proh-tuh-zhey) a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his
or her career or welfare.
(kwid' pro kwoh') [Lat.]: something for something; an equal exchange. “She vowed that when
she had the means, she would return his favors quid pro quo.”
(sav'wahr fair') [Fr.]: the ability to say and do the correct thing. “She presided over the
gathering with impressive savoir-faire.”
(sahn soo-see') [Fr.]: carefree. “After serveral glasses of champagne, their mood turned
distinctly sans souci.”
(Kwoh) the existing state or condition.
laissez-faire
mano a mano
mea culpa
nom de plume
pro bono
protégé
quid pro quo
savoir faire
sans souci
status quo
tour de force
(suh-pee-nuh) the usual writ for the summoning of witnesses or the submission of evidence,
as records or documents, before a court or other deliberative body.
(tare'uh in-kog-nee'tuh) [Lat.]: unknown territory. “When the conversation suddenly switched
from contemporary fiction to medieval Albanian playwrights, he felt himself entering terra
incognita.”
(too r duh fawrs) a remarkable feat (plural: tours de force)
verbatim
(ver-bey-tim) in exactly the same words; word for word: to repeat something verbatim.
veni, vidi, vici
(ven'ee vee'dee vee'chee) [Lat.]: I came, I saw, I conquered. “After the takeover the business
mogul gloated, ‘veni, vidi, vici.’”
(fer-boh'ten) [Ger.]: forbidden, as by law; prohibited. “That topic, I am afraid, is verboten in
this household.”
sub poena
terra incognita
verboten
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Name
Date
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Prefix
Meaning
Key Word
anti-
against
antifreeze
de-
opposite
defrost
dis-*
not, opposite of
disagree
en-, em-
cause to
encode, embrace
fore-
before
forecast
in-, im-
in
infield
in-, im-, il-, ir-*
not
injustice, impossible
inter-
between
interact
mid-
middle
midway
mis-
wrongly
misfire
non-
not
nonsense
over-
over
overlook
pre-
before
prefix
re-*
again
return
semi-
half
semicircle
sub-
under
submarine
super-
above
superstar
trans-
across
transport
un-*
not
unfriendly
under-
under
undersea
*Most frequent. The four most frequent prefixes account for 97 percent of prefixed
words in printed school English.
From Teaching Reading Sourcebook: For Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade by Bill Honig, Linda Diamond, and Linda Gutlohn. © 2000 by CORE.
Reproduced by permission of Arena Press.
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Copyright © Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for use with students.
Most Common Prefixes
Name
Date
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Suffix
Meaning
Key Word
-able, -ible
can be done
comfortable
-al, -ial
having
characteristics of
personal
-ed*
past-tense verbs
hopped
-en
made of
wooden
-er
comparative
higher
-er,
one who
worker, actor
-est
comparative
biggest
-ful
full of
careful
-ic
having
characteristics of
linguistic
-ing*
verb form/
present participle
running
-ion, -tion,
-ation, ition
act, process
occasion, attraction
-ity, -ty
state of
infinity
-ive, -ative, -itive
adjective form
of a noun
plaintive
-less
without
fearless
-ly*
characteristic of
quickly
-ment
action or process
enjoyment
-ness
state of, condition of
kindness
-ous, -eous, -ious
possessing the
qualities of
joyous
-s, -es*
more than one
books, boxes
-y
characterized by
happy
*Most frequent. The four most frequent suffixes account for 97 percent of suffixed
words in printed school English.
From Teaching Reading Sourcebook: For Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade by Bill Honig, Linda Diamond, and Linda Gutlohn. © 2000 by CORE.
Reproduced by permission of Arena Press.
red_c2_ar_l04_commsuf
Copyright © Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. This page may be photocopied for use with students.
Most Common Suffixes