How a Contextual Approach to Learning Builds Your Students’ Vocabulary

Key Takeaways:

·       Knowing the meaning and correct usage of many words is essential for reading comprehension and effective writing. It also allows your students to express their own ideas and understand those of others.

·       Help students build a rich and varied vocabulary with Words in Context, a contextual approach to boost your young learners’ vocabulary.

·       Research suggests that a contextual approach to vocabulary building is more effective than one that relies on memorization of words and their definitions.

Learning new vocabulary not only boosts reading comprehension and makes your students more effective writers, and it allows your students to express their own ideas and understand those of others more clearly. Research shows that taking a contextual approach to building vocabulary is far more effective than just memorizing definitions (Nash & Snowling, 2006)—and it’s definitely more engaging! So, if you’re looking for a more appealing and effective way to help your students build vocabulary, our Words in Context packs are the perfect place to start!

Here’s how it works: Words in Context uses a contextual approach—as well as high-interest subject matter—to help students build a rich and varied vocabulary.

·       First, your students will read a text passage with contextual clues to help them guess the meaning of boldface words.

·       Then, they’ll study the proper definitions and complete sentences using the vocabulary words.

·       Next, students will show what they’ve learned by composing their own sentences using the words.

·       To wrap up, there are bonus tasks and enrichment activities, which address a wide range of standards for writing, as well as digital literacy and technology.

With Words in Context, you’ll not only help your students develop a robust vocabulary that will come in handy inside and outside the classroom, you’ll also be able to integrate social studies, science, and more into your language arts curriculum through the use of high-interest passages and nonfiction materials. If you’re looking to build vocabulary in an engaging way so your students understand the correct meaning and appropriate usage of many words—not just memorizing definitions—Words in Context is perfect for you!