Vocabulary Building is FUN!

     Throughout this semester I have learned various reasons about the importance of reading and writing for children as they make their way through childhood. This week we were set to uncover why vocabulary building is important for children. I found that learning vocabulary didn't have to be dull or boring, that we can use different activities and methods to help students unlock the meaning of words and the multiple meanings in situational text. My question I pose in this blog post then is- with all of this information given in these two texts, how can I as a teacher create ways to make learning vocabulary engaging to all of my students?

    In Tompkins text there were multiple examples of instructional differentiated learning techniques such as creating word walls, having mini-lessons on the new vocabulary words that will be introduced in a text, word posters, word maps, having the students write possible sentences that the new vocabulary word will be found in and many more activities! Having these differentiated learning styles creates a way that I can create a lesson or activity that all students can enjoy as a class. For example, the students could create word posters for the vocabulary unit that we are covering, they would write the word down and then draw what the word means. This would create meaning for the child, creating a way to view what the word means in both the English vocabulary and a picture could help them better understand the word. 

    In the article Teaching Metalinguistic Awareness and Reading Comprehension With Riddles by Marcy Zipke explains that riddles are an excellent way to teach children vocabulary. "Riddles offer especially engaging instructional content for teaching language manipulation for many reasons: Most children are familiar and comfortable with riddles. They have heard riddles before, whether r not they understood the ambiguity in them. In addition, riddles are especially suited for young readers because they are whole texts" (Zipke 2008). This quote furthers my thought process on how I can teach children reading and writing comprehension in text without making it a boring task. Creating a way that students can learn with riddles I also believe can create joy in the classroom. 

This can relate to Muhammads text and the standard of joy in the classroom. We can use the differentiated learning from both Tompkins and Zipke to create a foundation of learning that includes all students. We can use texts and rhymes from different cultures and backgrounds to help students establish their identity, become complex thinkers, create skills, and their overall intellectual development. "...a great deal of research has found that students have the potential for success when they see themselves in the curriculum and when their cultural, gender, and racial identities are affirmed" (Muhammad, pg. 69).  Creating a classroom bookshelf that holds books and rhymes/riddles from different backgrounds and cultures can expose children to a whole new world of information, helping them understand not only themselves, but also help them understand the people that surround them.