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Kristin Conradi Smith

Kristin Conradi Smith is an Associate Professor of Reading Education at the College of William and Mary’s School of Education. Her research falls into three strands: (1) better understanding children who struggle with reading; (2) the role of texts in the classroom; and (3) issues related to reading motivation. She has published more than twenty articles and book chapters in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Educational Psychology Review, the Reading Teacher, and Reading and Writing Quarterly. 

Prior to earning her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 2011, she was an elementary school teacher and coach in Camden, New Jersey and Richmond, Virginia. 

Stories of Words: Computers

When computers were invented in the 1930s scientists created new words to describe the new machine. When computers became widely used by people, people began to change the words used to describe computers. Now that computers have made its way into every corner of the world, new words and definitions of old words are created with lightning speed.

Stories of Words: Toponyms

Las Vegas. New York. Pie Town. Toponyms, or the names of places, are as different as the people who have named them. By learning the story of a toponym, you also learn the story of the people who lived in that place.

Stories of Words: Nym Word Groups

Putting words into groups can help us learn more words. For example, synonyms are a group of words that similar meanings. The word pretty is a synonym for the word beautiful. By knowing about the group, you can expand your vocabulary and knowledge about words. Words are labels for things and ideas. It makes sense that we have words to label groups of words, too.

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Stories of Words: Spanish

Every day, millions of Americans are speaking Spanish. They are introducing Spanish words to the English language. Americans are speaking English words with deep Spanish roots. Or they are mixing Spanish and English words together and making new words. Whichever the case, Spanish is everywhere in the United States.

Stories of Words: Music

Music has its own set of words. 
Some words are used in other areas of life, but have very specific meanings in music. These words include notes, staff, and scale. 
Then there are words that are unique to the subject of music, such as aria.