How to Build Vocabulary Lessons Using Digital Interactive Notebooks

If your students are anything like mine are, you understand the hassle and frustration of learning vocabulary. They absolutely hate copying vocabulary words and definitions. I absolutely hate hearing their complaints about it too. What exactly does just copying terms and definitions on a piece of paper really accomplish, anyway? I believe all that does is make our students master-memorizers. But is that really helping them? Are they really getting anything out of that, aside from boredom? No.

That’s why today’s blog post will showcase how to build vocabulary lessons using digital interactive notebooks and Google Apps.

Why Vocabulary Instruction?

First off, let’s discuss why we incorporate learning vocabulary into our curriculum. Well, it’s obvious. It builds our own vocabulary. We sound smarter. We sound intelligent. We sound like we actually know what we’re talking about. We study the root of the word which helps us learn other related words.

Learning vocabulary allows our brains to think at a higher level, to be able to read more challenging text, and to understand the text more easily. Learning to build our vocabulary is essential for any mental growth, especially at the middle and high school level.

 

So, if my students hate copying terms and definitions, just to memorize them and forget their meaning after I test them on it, what else can I do? How can I be more efficient and effective at this?

1. Your Words List: This file contains a basic working list of vocabulary terms and definition. The actual vocabulary word is given a specific color. The actual vocabulary word is located on the left and the definition and parts of speech are to be filled in by your students. Both sides are a textbook and is easy to complete.
2. Vocabulary Organizer: This file resembles a 5×10 table. The first column is again colored and designed for imputing the working list of vocabulary words.  The rest of the table, which are text boxes, are for your students to input the definition, part of speech, synonym, antonym and an image or icon representing the word.
3. The Roots: This file helps students understand how vocabulary words are related to a root word. Students input the root word and definition on the truck of the tree, which is the background image of the page, and find related words, which are located on the roots of the trees.

4. Definition Snapshot: This file helps students understand words, one at a time, and visually. In the center of the page, the student types the vocabulary word. In each of the four colored corners, they find a synonym, antonym, part of speech and create an original sentence  using that specific vocabulary word. Upon completion, students browse the internet for an image that represents that word.

1. Need help with inputting images from the Internet? I’ll provide a tech-tip below

Tech-Tip

You may be unfamiliar how to get images from the Internet and into a Google Doc or Slide file. At the top, locate the toolbar. You will find a tab that says INSERT. From INSERT, choose IMAGE. You can retrieve an image that has been saved to your computer, by copying the URL from the website, by locating the image in your own photo album on Google Drive or by completing a quick Google search directly from the INSERT IMAGE pop-up.

Hopefully these files eliminate some of the boredom and frustration of traditional copying words and memorizing definitions. Good luck as you continue to build vocabulary lessons using digital interactive notebooks and Google Apps!