Vocabulary Connections
Vocabulary Acquisition in Grades 3-6
As I speak with teachers across the country, students’ lack of vocabulary, along with its negative impact on comprehension, is a common concern. This concern grows exponentially up the grades as students encounter increasingly complex text. Paired with this concern is a plea for explicit and effective strategies to make vocabulary instruction transfer and stick.
Mary Ehrenworth to the rescue!
I was lucky enough to first learn from Mary years ago in many Reading and Writing Project calendar days at Teachers College, Columbia University. Now Columbia’s director of Advancing Literacy, Mary has authored a must-read book for any Grade 3-6 teacher looking to upgrade their vocabulary instruction.
Three Sections
Vocabulary Connections is a treasure chest of practical ways to connect vocabulary research into classroom practice. Using charts, tools, and digital texts, Mary presents an inclusive, student-centered curriculum that can be embedded as a separate component or taught inside your current reading program.
It is written in three sections:
Literary Vocabulary (collecting, talking and writing)
Word Consciousness (etymology and morphology)
Domain Vocabulary (collecting and context clues)
I’ve always marveled at Mary’s teaching style. She tells you what you will learn (and why), models the strategy, and then debriefs the steps. Clear. Concise. Easily replicable. Filled with engaging visuals and instructional tips, Vocabulary Connections will be a resource you will return to again and again for both planning and instruction. Put it in your summer reading stack ASAP!
Visit Ehrenworth Literacy Innovations to learn more about Mary’s work or Vocabulary Connections to learn more about the book.
