Vocabulary Plus K-8

Grounded on the Nilsens' source-based approach, students and teachers are led through explorations of how over the centuries words have been enlarged and given additional meanings both through lexical extensions and metaphorical processes. Capitalizing on the basic concept of a source-based approach that words have "natural" connections to each other, the Nilsens provide ample applications to demonstrate how these words can be taught through what are variously called gestalts, webs or ladders. The abundance of materials provide students with ample practice in using contextual clues, not so much to figure out a meaning as to exclude the meanings of a word that are inappropriate. Included ready-to-photocopy workshop pages in every chapter are easy to use and serve as conversation topics and as a way to refocus students' attention after they have been engaged in the more free-flowing parts of each lesson. Photographs of student work and of students at work at the beginning of each chapter provide a quick glance at the possibilities for hands-on, multi-sensory activities. Background reading for the teacher in each chapter present an almost-painless introduction to morphology, the part of linguistics dealing with word formation, and provide teachers with background information and "extra" examples, giving them confidence both in the material and in their ability to present it through the workshops for students. Open-ended end-of-chapter activities in every chapter constitute the "plus" part of the text by providing tested suggestions for activities that go far beyond the typical "memorization" of word meanings and include writing, speaking and art activities.