Vocabulary
Vocabulary
1. How is vocabulary controlled in this level?
The stories and poems in each unit use decodable words and Memory Words that children have been explicitly taught in the current unit or previous ones. Controlling vocabulary in this way assures that children have the phonetic and structural tools to decode the words they meet in stories. It builds children’s confidence in their ability to read independently. The majority of the words in the stories are already part of children’s oral vocabulary, making them easier to understand. To expand children's vocabulary, instruction uses known words from the stories as a starting point for discussion of new concepts. For example, familiar words in the first story prompt a discussion of embarrassment.
2. Do the Teacher's Guides include activities to reinforce or extend vocabulary instruction?
Yes. Each unit includes optional vocabulary activities in the Ten-Minute Tuck-Ins. The activities relate to the stories and poems read in the unit. Through engaging discussions and games, children explore categories of words, synonyms, antonyms, homographs, and more.
3. How can I help children with a limited vocabulary?
Spend more time building background and vocabulary with them before reading stories. When reading with them, pay attention for words and concepts they may not know. Help them use pictures and other context clues to figure out meanings. Outside of lessons, work on building their vocabularies, using some of the routines suggested in the previous section. Be sure children understand high-utility Memory Words (such as to, from, for), position words (such as on, in, over, under), and sequencing words (such as before, after). Knowing these small words can be critical for comprehending spoken and written language.
4. Do Adventures of the Superkids and More Adventures of the Superkids teach words from the Dolch list of high-frequency words?
Yes. Five to six new high-frequency words, called Memory Words, are taught in every unit. Through their work in the Student Books, children learn the meaning and usage of the high-frequency Memory Words. At anytime, you can have children use the Memory Word Flash Cards to practice reading and making up sentences for the words. By the end of Level 4, children will have been taught all 220 words on the Dolch Basic Word List.
