They ask questions about words in different contexts and also provide information about word structure for some words. ![]() We mentioned this site in our article, ‘ How Can I Improve My Child’s Vocabulary? ’ As well as providing child-friendly definitions, it uses sophisticated computer algorithms to help children learn new words and can be played as a game. Considering the word structure and origins can sometimes help with this step. Mnemonic / association – this might not be possible for every word, but see if there is a way of linking the word to something your child already knows.Pictures or examples – representing the meaning of words with concrete examples or images can improve a child’s understanding and make the information more memorable.You might want to help them construct more than one sentence if the word has more than one meaning so they can see how it’s used in different contexts. Example sentence(s) – if your child first encountered the new word in a book, you could copy the sentence from the book as one example and then help help them to make up a sentence of their own.Your child might notice that the word dissolve also contains ‘sol’. ![]() You could discuss how molecules (or ions), which are stuck together in the solid form (the solute), work loose when they dissolve in a solvent to form a solution. All of these words start with ‘sol’, and probably originate from the Latin word ‘solvere’ which means ‘to loosen’ or ‘unfasten’. For example, if you were introducing the word ‘ soluble’ in a scientific context, it would also be helpful to consider the related words ‘solute’, ‘solvent’ and ‘solution’. ![]() Just thinking about related words and how they might be used in different sentences can still be beneficial.įor some technical words, it can help to look beyond grammatical variations. You don’t need to explain the correct grammatical terminology for each word if your child hasn’t studied much grammar in school yet. Related Words – recognising related words can also improve a child’s understanding and widen their vocabulary.įor example, if the new vocabulary word was the adjective ‘ expensive’, you might also include the adverb ‘expensively’, the nouns ‘expense’, ‘expenses’ and ‘expenditure’ and the verbs ‘expend’ and ‘spend’.See below for links that can help you find word origins. Word structure/origins – identifying common root words, prefixes or suffixes can help children understand the meaning of words (and this can also help with spelling).Antonyms – ask your child, ‘what is the opposite of this?’.Ask them, ‘what is this similar to?’ Or, ‘what other words do you know that mean the same thing as this word?’ Use a thesaurus to find more examples. Synonyms – see if you can prompt your child to think of some synonyms.It’s also important to consider alternative definitions if the word has more than one meaning. We’ve included some links to child-friendly sources of information in this article. Definition – this could be copied straight from a regular dictionary, or it might be a simplified version that’s more accessible to children.More elaborate word maps might contain an assortment of the components listed below: Essentially, dual coding gives us two ways of processing and remembering information rather than just one. According to Marzano and others, the more we use both systems of representation, the better we are able to understand and recall knowledge. ![]() 1Ĭombining linguistic information with non-linguistic representations (imagery) utilises what psychologists call the ‘ dual coding theory ’. Visual representations of information are know as graphic organisers in education circles and Dr Robert Marzano found that these strategies were particularly effective when he compiled his meta-analysis of classroom instruction techniques. They’re all designed to help children see the relationships between words, knowledge and concepts by organising the information in a visual framework. However, no matter what term is used to describe them, all word maps serve a similar purpose. For example, they are sometimes called ‘ vocabulary maps’, ‘ semantic maps’ or ‘ concept of definition maps’. There are a variety of different styles of word maps and a number of different terms are used to describe them.
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