RPI Day 6- Vocabularly - More than just a word!

I have loved all the practical tips we have been given on Day 6 of RPI tody.It has made me really stop and think about vocabulary and how it makes such a huge difference for our kids - especially those who start school already behind. Dorothy shared some eye-opening stats about the number of words children from different backgrounds have heard by the time they start school, and the gap is massive. The good news is, as teachers, we can help close that gap.

We talked about Word Consciousness, which is basically about being aware of words, curious about their meanings, and noticing how and when new words are used. People who are word conscious are motivated to learn new vocabulary and can use words confidently and effectively.

Here’s a fact that stuck with me: vocabulary knowledge makes up around 80% of what affects reading comprehension. So, if we’re serious about growing readers, we have to be serious about teaching words.

Some easy ideas we looked at to enhance teaching vocabulary, many of which I will use in my own teaching.

• Word Spotlights: kids tick where they sit with a word — never heard it, sort of know it, or could use it in a sentence. It’s a quick way to see where everyone’s at before and after a lesson.

• Keeping key words visible in the room so they stay front of mind.

• Giving kids multiple chances to hear, see, and use new words in meaningful ways.

• Rhebus or Dingbat problems which are fun brainteasers based on vocabulalry.

• Word Associations where you are given some words and you choose the best fit and explain your reasoning. 

• Which would you....Connects to students’ lived experiences and reasoning deepens active processing.

We also explored how not all words are equal. There’s a tier system:

• Tier 1: everyday words (like run or happy).

• Tier 2: words that turn up more in books or school work (like reluctant or fortunate) — these are the gold for teaching.

• Tier 3: specialist words for topics (like photosynthesis).

We also explored morphology — which sounds fancy but is really just breaking words down into their meaningful parts like prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Teaching this helps with reading, spelling, and understanding tricky words. The updated curriculum is big on this now, and it makes sense to start with base words and build from there.

Key takeaway: If we don’t teach them, they might not pick these words up on their own. And it’s not just about new words — it’s about giving every child the tools to understand what they read, join in big conversations, and feel confident in their learning.

This has definitely given me a few new ideas to try out, and a good reminder of how much power there is in something as simple as a word.  Thanks for another Great day ( and for the Netflix recommendation!!!!!!)