Weboword
What it is: It can be really difficult for visual learners to get a good handle on vocabulary. Without good visual aids, the definitions behind words can feel abstract and hard to grasp. Weboword is a fantastic visual vocabulary site that offers students illustrations that help students understand vocabulary. I believe that everyone remembers concepts better when they are surrounded by story. Think about a tsunami. What comes to mind is probably not a word for word definition of the word but images, and stories about tsunamis. You probably think about the destruction that they cause, a story you heard from someone affected by a tsunami. Because we make deeper connections with stories, it only makes sense to offer students vocabulary words with a visual aid that will help them create story references and pictures. Each vocabulary word is accompanied by a sketch of the word, a definition of the word, a history of the word, the pronunciation, and situational uses of the word. There is a limited number of words pictured, but it should help students to build up a stronger vocabulary and word fluency. Each day a new vocabulary word is featured on the Weboword home page. Students can also review past vocabulary words on the “vocabulary” page. Students can complete crossword puzzles based on the Weboword vocabulary.
How to integrate Weboword into the classroom: Vocabulary and word fluency is an important ingredient for strong readers. Begin each day with the newest Weboword vocabulary on your projector or interactive whiteboard. You can subscribe to Webowords free daily updates to get a word each day delivered to you. Because the vocabulary on Weboword is limited, you may not find the specific vocabulary you are looking for. Encourage your students to create their own visualizations and cartoon sketches for the vocabulary they are studying. Weboword is excellent preparation for the SAT’s but can also be used with younger students to build vocabulary. My elementary students really enjoy learning “big kid” words. The advanced vocabulary can make them feel empowered. Webowords is also a great way to spice up student writing, when they have a greater vocabulary base to pull from, their writing will become richer.
Tips: Embed the Weboword widget in your classroom website. Students can get the vocabulary word for the day with one stop.
Please leave a comment and share how you are using Weboword in your classroom.