[MOSAIC] Big Words

[Joy]

This came through my email, and I thought it would be of interest to many on this list. I remember many suggesting Isabel Beck for vocabulary instruction. The link is to an article that further explains why this is beneficial.
   
  SATURATE BEFORE SOAK: EARLY LEARNERS CAN HANDLE BIG WORDS
Researchers now believe that students in primary grades can acquire
more advanced words earlier than previously thought, reports Laura
Pappano in her article "Small Kids, Big Words: Research- Based
Strategies for Building Vocabulary from Pre- K to Grade 3" in Harvard
Education Letter. It is now felt that the mechanism for learning new
vocabulary isn't the same as that for learning new math skills, where
easier concepts are the building blocks for more complicated skills.
"Words are not related hierarchically," said Isabel Beck of the
University of Pittsburgh. "You can learn ˜saturated' before you learn
˜soak'." What's more, children seem to enjoy it. More advanced words
also enrich conceptual understanding and enhance reading ability as a
student progresses. It's especially important in closing the achievement
gap for students who arrive to early grades with a limited vocabulary,
and for English Language Learners. 
http://www.edletter.org/insights/bigwords.shtml


                Joy/NC/4
  jwidmann at rocketmail.com
  How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org