Developing Vocabulary at Home

[Reprinted from the book The Shut-Down Learner by Richard Selznick, Ph.D.; copyright © 2009 by Richard Selznick, Ph.D.; published by Sentient Publications. Reprinted with permission. This article may not be reproduced for any other use without permission.]

Vocabulary development is crucial to many aspects of reading and writing. Shut-Down Learners do not have well-developed word awareness or word consciousness. To develop this, do the following:

• Consult one of the essential vocabulary books on the market, such as 504 Absolutely Essential Words (compare prices) or 1100 Words You Need to Know (compare prices).
  
  
• Each week add about ten new words.
  
  
• Put each word on an index card.
  
  
• Have the child draw a picture illustrating the word on the front of the card. For example, for the word impede, the child could draw a stick figure of a person trying to get by an obstacle of some kind.
  
  
• Have the child color the picture with markers.
  
  
• On the back side, have the child write the definition of the word in her own language.
  
  
• Place the cards in a box or on a ring.
  
  
• Review the words frequently with the child.

This is not a juvenile or childish method. When my daughter was a junior and senior in high school, she used this approach and it greatly helped her to internalize very difficult and challenging SAT words.