“People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?” Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
Throughout this year our blogs and podcasts have addressed the idea of how to think or, more precisely, how to think better by building critical thinking skills. The concept of building vocabulary to build thinking has surfaced in many posts, so we are devoting time this month to a podcast and blog post about how building vocabulary builds thinking.
Vocabulary refers to the body of words used in a particular language. The study of vocabulary includes the definitions of words as well as a discussion about the connotations (an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning) and denotations (the literal or primary meaning of a word in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests)—not just the meanings but the nuances of words and how they are used in context. This can help students think about their word choices and also think about what those words might mean to someone else. I often tell my students that they cannot just pick the first word in the thesaurus—they have to know what that word means so that they use it appropriately.
Why is it important to enhance and enrich our students’ vocabulary and how is it important to thinking? Andrew Pudewa observes, “You can’t think a thought if you don’t have the words to think it.” When he is teaching students about dress-ups, Andrew will encourage students to replace “weak, lame, lousy words” with strong verbs and quality adjectives. If students only have weak, lame, lousy words in their brains, then their thoughts may also be weak and lame. To build strong thinking skills in our students, students need a variety of words that lead to concise thinking and clear expression. Knowing more words leads to thinking more thoughts, perhaps even about the words. Additionally, teachers often critique students’ writing for lacking clarity. Perhaps this is because students lack the words to communicate their thoughts well. Meaningfully enhancing our students’ vocabulary will lead to clarity in their thinking and writing.
Enhancing and enriching vocabulary is not hard, but it does require being intentional. You can start with things that you may already be doing. Memorizing poetry is an excellent place to begin since poets play with words and wrestle their thoughts into words that might be unfamiliar to your students. Read a poem and point out the words the poet chose. Reading aloud or listening to audio books is another way to add sophisticated vocabulary to a student’s repertoire. Often students skip over words in their own reading if they are unsure of their meaning. Listening to an audio book forces them to slow down and listen to all the words. Intentionally commenting on the vocabulary in books, poems, and other media will help your students to become word collectors and better thinkers.
In addition to books and poetry, sources for vocabulary lists and word studies abound. Find a dictionary of idioms, a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal meanings of its individual words. Students enjoy decoding the secret meaning of phrases such as “down to the wire” or being a “stick in the mud.” Look up international idioms to see how other cultures use words to convey meanings that are not literal. IEW’s social media will feature some international idioms this year. Subscribe to a word of the day email from the New York Times or Dictionary.com. Play games such as Apples to Apples® or the dictionary game. Challenge your students to bring in vocabulary words that might be unfamiliar to you as the teacher and see if they can stump you. Learn regional words and phrases that are unique to your neck of the woods. (That’s an idiom.) When you purposefully plan and pursue vocabulary activities, your students’ stock of words, phrases, and ideas will expand.
While books are a source of quality vocabulary, sometimes it is the examples within the books that encourage students to add to their personal inventory. Literature abounds with characters with strong vocabulary. Sometimes their knowledge of words reflects an active, curious mind, such as Anne of Green Gables. Others, like Amy March in Little Women, attempt to use vocabulary and phrases that are beyond them with comic results. One of the favorites in our house when my daughters were younger was Fancy Nancy, who not only enjoys big words but also provides the definitions for her readers. The characters in the Mysterious Benedict Society series speak with precision and clarity. As your students read, encourage them to look at the word choices the authors make. Many famous authors added words to the English language: John Milton (over 600 words), Charles Dickens (over 200 words, such as boredom, butter-fingers, and humbug), and of course, William Shakespeare (over 1,700 words). Some of these were new words while others became popular due to their inclusion in these authors’ works.
Vocabulary is integrated into nearly every IEW course. We encourage students to collect words to replace the banned words. Each daily passage in Fix It!® Grammar includes a vocabulary word to define. Word lists are included in student materials for most courses as well as on the Portable Walls™ for Structure and Style® Students. For even more word options, many students enjoy using A Word Write Now, IEW’s thematic thesaurus that provides words for character qualities and the behaviors associated with them. Do you need a word for what feet might be doing or perhaps words for the five senses? This book has it all. It has been a well-used tool in our home for years.
While most people will not question the need to enrich vocabulary to be a better writer, you may not have considered how it impacts thinking. Providing meaningful and enjoyable activities, discussing words encountered in literature, and encouraging word collections will shape students’ minds and enrich their thinking skills.
by Danielle Olander
