VOCABULARY IS A COMPONENT OF AN ENGLISH PROGRAM
I think it needs to be intentionally incorporated into a child’s education as soon as a child begins reading and well into high school. Learning two words a day, translates into 360 words a school year. Having a larger vocabulary can improve scores on ACT and SAT tests and allow students to read more challenging literary works in an enjoyable way.
OUR FIRST ATTEMPTS
After leaving the school system, we started with the Worldly Wise curriculum. This curriculum mimics what a student would have in the school system so it seemed appropriate when we first started homeschooling. After one year of using this program, my kids were very reluctant to continue with it. The program has a lot of busy work which became a joyless chore for my kids. I decided to scrap this program based on their disapproval rating. Another source I used with my son in the elementary years was Vocabulary Cartoons: Word Power Made Easy by Sam Burchers. The whacky imagery associations made memorizing vocabulary easy for him. I recommend this book for visual learners.
OUR FAVORITE APPROACH
After trialing curricula, we switched to flashcards on a daily basis together as a family after breakfast or in the car. It proved to be a fun and memorable time.
WORD SOURCES
I used words from published vocabulary lists and harvested words from books my kids were reading. After reading through Emma Serl’s Language lessons which were originally published between 1911 – 1914, I realized that kids back then were expected to know more challenging vocabulary than they are now. If they could do it, we could do it. Taking a nudge from that , I chucked the graded vocabulary lists and bumped up the difficulty of the words. I discovered that it was no problem for my elementary aged child to learn the same words his older siblings were learning.
- Online word lists for SAT and ACT tests
- Published books for SAT and ACT tests
- Vocabulary builder books
- Words from books your kids are currently using
- Words that you hear randomly
- Occasional whacky words
THE FLASHCARDS
I wrote a word on one side of an index card and its definition on the flip side. I kept the definitions simple. There are premade vocabulary flashcards available to prepare for the SAT and ACT but I prefer to customize the lists for our needs.
METHOD
Each day two new words were introduced and added to the stack of previous cards. The cards were shuffled. Then we would go through the entire stack alternating who would provide a definition. If someone did not know the definition, it would pass to the next person. After a certain card rotated through my kids several times and they all seemed to know the definition, the card was removed from the stack. This kept the stack from growing too large. Sometimes I would set aside some extra time in the day to review the more difficult terms with my youngest child.
THE RESULTS
We practiced vocabulary this way for many years. My kids scored well on their ACT tests and managed reading college level textbooks throughout high school. Homemade flashcards were inexpensive, adaptable, and proved to be a successful tool for vocabulary building.
Musing: a period of reflection or thought. As such this post reflects my thoughts, opinions, and experiences on the topic. The choice to home school and the methods you choose are yours to determine.