Common Core places such a huge emphasis on comprehension.  I am working hard this year on using the text to pull vocabulary from.

Our district has adopted Wonders by McGraw-Hill as our new reading series.  After reading the book, Word Nerds this summer, I have placed greater emphasis on helping the students make personal connections to the text and the vocabulary words.

In my Wonders Supplemental Units (Units 1-4 have been completed), I have added  vocabulary connection pages for each story where my students have the words and definitions and draw a picture to match the words.  This has helped them to make that personal connection to the word.  As the year goes on, the children will be adding their own definitions and them sentences for each vocabulary word.



I am thinking that I would like to combine them into a vocabulary notebook so the children can go back and review vocabulary words.  That, however, might be a summer job:)

In order to aid in the review process and incorporate the vocabulary into their daily conversation, I have created an interactive vocabulary wall just for vocabulary.  The words are categorized alphabetically and include the word and the definition on a ring.



You can read about one of my favorite Vocabulary products HERE.  I would love to hear about what you do with Vocabulary!

What's the big idea about vocabulary instruction? That's the name of Chapter 1 and if truth be told my first reaction before common core came out.  I am a first grade teacher and first instinct is these children need to learn HOW to read.  As I read through the overview at Mrs. Russell's Room about Chapter 1 and reflected on what I have learned through Common Core this first year. I realized that this book was a MUST HAVE for me!

So much of our focus in first is on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency and comprehension.  We need to make a conscience effort to choose complex texts to build that vocabulary. In the book, it is stated that


Check out Jen Jones' blog for an amazing post about Marzano's 6 Steps and more!


One amazing packet I purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers is also from Jen Jones.  It is called Vocabulary Word Sets and compliments Utah's First Text Talk Lessons.  These are amazing lessons and Jen Jones has created a packet that helps to put Marzano's 6 steps to vocabulary instruction into motion.