Vocabulary Instruction

Transportation

February 14, 2013

There are lots of words that describe the way we move from place to place. We’ve sorted them into four groups.

Read more

Core Vocabulary Word Pictures: Semantic Maps for the Core Vocabulary

February 11, 2013

The core vocabulary consists of the 4,000 simple word families which account for 90% of the words in written English.  Function words (e.g., the, of) and general academic words (e.g., compare, relate) are prominent in the core vocabulary but there are also many concept words which can be pictured. 

Read more

Academic Word List

January 29, 2013

A list of 343 words that appear on both AWL list developed by Coxhead (2000) and the 4,000 Simple Word Families.

Read more

Imagine

December 28, 2010

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.

Read more

Show

December 28, 2010

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.

Read more

Find

December 28, 2010

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.

Read more

Focus

December 28, 2010

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.

Read more

Time

December 28, 2010

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.

Read more

Less

December 28, 2010

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.

Read more

More

December 28, 2010

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.

Read more