Response # 4 for Dr. Pytash-- Classics in the Classroom Chapter 2

After reading the second chapter of Jago's Classics in the Classroom, I agree with Carol Jago that the acquisition of vocabulary is not only dependent upon reading. As students may read words that they did not initially understand, something I have noticed is that many of them will not take the time to look up the definitions of the new words presented to them. This is common, as many students are already challenged to complete the reading for an assignment that and feel that their time spent looking at definitions will delay their process in completing the text. Little do they know that learning words in one context is not an efficient way to establish a vocabulary. Thus, it is imperative that educators reinforce sophisticated, challenging terms in texts through vocabulary lists and exercises.

When I was in fifth grade, I remember having extensive vocabulary assignments, as I was required to copy the complete definitions for a list of words. As this was tedious at the time and was not a very creative way to teach vocabulary, I was able to understand the definitions of sophisticated terms much better after copying them down and reviewing them several times in class. In hindsight, I now recognize that this form of spiral curriculum was successful in fostering my sophisticated vocabulary.

I have also noticed the importance of teaching vocabulary through my field experience at Firestone High School in Akron, OH. In order to prepare students for the OGT, all of the teachers were required to help account for the general student body's difficulty understanding sophisticated vocabulary terms. I was informed of this after speaking with a science teacher about how I had been admiring her creative bulletin board devoted to a list of vocabulary terms. By having students create a bulletin board with drawings to accompany vocabulary terms, the students are able to develop a deep, multi-sensory understanding of a word. Thus, I saw this approach to reinforcing students' sophisticated vocabulary to be both creative and highly effective in fostering their language development.