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Word Dynamo: Vocabulary made fun

November 2, 2011Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment7444 views

What it is: Word Dynamo is a superb site from Dictionary.com. Word Dynamo makes learning new words a whole lot of fun.

Here is how it works:

1. Answer 10 questions and Word Dynamo will calculate how many words a student knows. This is your word score. The word score adjusts as you learn new words, Word Dynamo helps give students study “shortcuts” to learn new words faster.

2. Word Challenge- in word challenge students are offered a custom 20-level game designed especially for their skill level. As students master meanings, they unlock the next threshold of difficulty.

3. The Word Dynamo Library- here students can browse and search for things they need to learn. Students can choose to practice by schooling level, SAT prep, subject or popular word lists.

4. Play Games- students can practice vocabulary by matching terms and definitions, listening to the word and definition, spell a word out in a crossword puzzle, etc. New challenges are unlocked as students succeed!

5. Create a Word List- this one is my favorite, I love that students can create their own lists based on what they need to work on.

How to integrate Word Dynamo into the classroom: Word Dynamo is an easy fit into any classroom k-12. This is a great addition to your language arts, math, economics, science, history, (ANY) classroom. Word Dynamo gives students the keys to their own learning by working with them at their own level. It would be wonderful to use Word Dynamo throughout the year to keep kids playing with words. Students will love watching their own “estimated words you know” score creep up and up over the course of the school year. Vocabulary is one of those things that students don’t always realize that they are learning throughout the school day. Then *bam* they wake up one day and suddenly know a whole LOT of words.

The games and practice items on Word Dynamo make for a great vocabulary center on classroom computers during language arts. But, as I mentioned before, my very favorite part is the ability for students to create their own lists. At Anastasis, we have students constantly adding to their own spelling/vocabulary list as they come across new words they want to learn. I like that Word Dynamo give them a place to keep, practice and play with these words. Students have ownership over their own learning and aren’t stuck practicing and testing on the words they already know. Do you assign spelling and vocabulary words each week? Let students enter those words in their custom list to practice!

Because Word Dynamo is constantly utilizing the feedback it gets from students, it is constantly challenging them and urging them on to a new personal best. Students can watch their score go up, engage in challenges, and choose fun games that keep them learning. In other words, this is a site you are going to want to have handy for your students!

Don’t have the opportunity for students to use Word Dynamo on their own account/computer? Put up a challenge on the interactive whiteboard or projector-connected computer. As students enter the classroom, they can each answer a question on the way to their seats. Keep track of the number of words that the whole class knows.

Tips: The Quick Tour will lead you through all the Word Dynamo goodies and have you ready to use it with your students in no time! Word Dynamo looks and works well on the iPad and iPod Touch browser…great for vocabulary practice anywhere.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Word Dynamo in your classroom!