E4: Exceptional Expressions for Everyday Events
E4 Complete Edition
All 32 E4 vocabulary lessons plus a comprehensive introduction in one convenient PDF eBook
Free Download! With over two years of development and prototyping behind it, the E4 Complete Edition compiles the revised, updated, and polished versions of all 32 E4 vocabulary lessons, plus an all-new introduction, into one convenient PDF eBook. (173 pages, 23.4MB)
E4 is a series of 32 flexible vocabulary development lessons each focusing on an everyday concept and brainstorming other words that describe the concept. Each activity can be used for a few minutes a day over the course of a week.
The heart of each E4 vocabulary lesson is the word web, describing in detail various meanings of each word and showing other words with similar meanings, plus idioms, common phrases and a unique E4 feature called the Spanish Connection that shows English-Spanish cognates relating to each word. Each lesson also includes a morphology web that summarizes word changes such as inflected endings, prefixes, suffixes and compound words. We provide two versions of the webs for each lesson, one filled-in and one with blank boxes. These can be projected using an interactive whiteboard or as overheads (they’re even simple enough to redraw on a blackboard), making possible a variety of flexible usage scenarios. You can also adapt the blank form for use as a worksheet.
A one-page description provides teachers with the background of each E4 word, with suggestions for how to structure classroom activities. The all-new E4 introduction provides even more detailed suggestions about how to use E4 in the classroom and make the most of its vocabulary-enhancing potential. Designed for maximum flexibility, E4 provides opportunities for meaningful vocabulary lessons that take just a few minutes at a time, with enough breadth to last the entire school year. E4 is made available under a Creative Commons license and is completely free to download and use.
Introduction
This introduction provides a comprehensive overview of the vocabulary concepts underlying Exceptional Expressions for Everyday Use and includes detailed suggestions for classroom activities based on the 32 E4 lessons.
Listen
An everyday event in classrooms revolves around listening—listening to peers, teachers, CDs, DVDs, announcements on the school sound system, and so on. Listening is an integral part of learning.
Talk
Talking is, of course, a ubiquitous human activity. Describing different types of talking is one way to bring exceptional expressions into everyday events.
Look
There are all sorts of looking that takes place over a school day. Students look up when there is a loud noise, they look out of the window, and they look for their books when it’s time to change subjects.
Walk
The way we move our body as we walk can convey emotion and meaning. Encourage students to recognize the different ways in which people can walk.
Write
Writing is a form of communication that people use everyday. It can be as simple as jotting down a list of groceries, or it can be as complex as producing a research paper. Writing can also be as full of emotions as a love letter.
Check
Many words can communicate more precisely the kinds of activities in which students engage. See how many of the words in the word web you and your students can integrate into your everyday classroom talk.
Ask
Everyday learning in the classroom requires the asking of a variety of questions. As illustrated in the word web, the word ask can be used in a multitude of ways.
Learn
Schools are about learning—from peers as well as teachers. Many synonyms exist for the verb to learn, as well as numerous idioms and common phrases. There many ways to integrate these into everyday classroom and school events.
Attentive
Being attentive, or focusing on the task at hand, is an important aspect of learning. Some tasks require all of our attention, some do not. Degrees of attentiveness vary.
Loud
Rarely are students told to be loud in a classroom. Loud is an excellent word to discuss in class, particularly in comparison to its opposite—quiet.
Quiet
Quiet is a word that at least traditionally has been very common for classrooms and libraries, especially while students are reading and thinking.
Good
Good is quite hardworking and functional, as words go, serving in many situations as an adjective or a noun, as well as in a goodly number of phrases.
Bad
Bad is an adjective that can be applied to many unfortunate situations. The word bad can be used to refer to quality, behavior, or state of being.
Change
Changing the subject, let’s talk about change. Change is widely used as both a verb and a noun, but in all cases it refers to a situation in which something is made or becomes different in some way.
Finish
The term “finish” is used as both a verb and a noun in various contexts, from completing tasks in school to describing the quality of objects. It has roots in Middle English and Latin, and while it shares a resemblance to the Spanish word “finito,” the actual Spanish equivalent is “terminar.”
Want
Want is another word that clearly expresses a basic idea, but that can include a wide range of nuanced meanings.
Fast
Fast is a versatile word, with many meanings and uses as well as synonyms.
Slow
Like its opposite, fast, slow is most often used as an adjective to describe an aspect of speed, in this case, low speed.
Happy
Happy is a very common word, but it does have some subtleties in the ways it is used.
Sad
Sad, like its opposite, happy, is an adjective generally used to describe feelings, although in this instance the feelings are those of sorrow or unhappiness.
Right
Understanding the many, many ways in which the word right is used will certainly expand students’ language facility.
Said
Said is the past tense and past participle form of the word say, and it is an unavoidable term for anyone using the English language.
Think
Let’s think about ways to use the word think. In a classroom, regardless of the activity, the primary goal is to encourage students to think.
Give
The Oxford English Dictionary contains dozens of definitions for give. The most common definition, however, is the physical transfer of an object.
Teach
Teach is a verb meaning to show, explain, instruct and generally impart knowledge to someone. Teaching can occur in a formal setting such as a lecture class, or in a casual exchange between a father and son, perhaps as they repair a car or fish off a pier.
More
More is a word that can be used in more ways than you might imagine! In general, more helps in making comparisons between different quantities.
Less
The word less shares some traits with its counterpart, more. It, too, is a comparative word that functions as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun, but less refers to smaller rather than larger quantities.
Time
No time is better than the present to discuss time! Time is so essential, it can be a bit of a struggle even to define time without using the word itself.
Imagine
Using one’s imagination is an enjoyable, creative, and often productive part of learning. To imagine is to create a picture or idea in your mind.
Focus
The focus of this discussion is focus! This versatile word can serve as a verb or a noun, and it is useful in quite a few specialized contexts such as math and physics.
Find
Find is a common word in classrooms. To find is to search for something lost or unknown. The word find is used as both a verb and a noun.
Show
In a classroom, students may be asked to show how they solved a math problem. Teachers may show students how to use microscopes correctly. The word show can be used as a verb or as a noun.