One thing I like about Vocabalogues is that they keep kids moving and active and doing and a little loud the entire time. Sometimes, though, I’d prefer they not be quite as moving, or loud – although hopefully the ‘active’ and ‘doing’ parts are still in play.
Vocab Squares are not new. You’ve seen variations called Frayer Models and such, and to be honest I no longer remember which are which. Once you’ve started using these silly things, you can vary them endlessly as you see fit for your darlings.
Here’s my standard Vocab Square:
Here’s a completed example:
Note that the top two segments – “Sentence from the Text in which Term is Used” and “Dictionary Definition” – are things ANY level of student can do. Both are useful – the first gives context and the second is a requisite step in figuring out the meaning of a new word – but neither are difficult. In other words, if a student doesn’t do these segments, or doesn’t do them somewhat well, he or she is simply not trying.
Those of you for whom this is a useful distinction understand entirely why I point it out. The rest of you may simply nod knowingly and move on.
“Plain, Simple English” is generally the toughest part for kids. It’s not the same as a dictionary definition with half the words omitted. If it doesn’t make sense to an 8-year old, it’s not a plain, simple English definition. “Illustration” should be hand-drawn, unlike my sample. I generally discourage any illustration consisting of two stick figures with word bubbles – I have many students for whom that seems to be the ideal visual for every word ever used in any language in the history of mankind. Not helpful.
As I said, there are many variations of the magic vocab square. The one I remember from some workshop or the other was something like this:
Note that “non-examples” don’t have to be opposites. They’re just things that aren’t examples of the term:
I haven’t liked the “Examples” / “Non-Examples” format for history stuff. It seems to work better in math or some sciences, or in non-linear Social Studies subjects like American Government, so… your call.
I prefer learning HOW to do them as a class, practicing them in small groups or pairs, then using them as needed – either assigning 5-7 words to do individually or as pairs. Groups tend to simply split the work and avoid learning what the activity is designed to help them learn – or so my experience has been.
Finally – as I’ve said with other activities – I’m all for spending hours and hours laboring creatively to keep each class fresh and unpredictable. I’m a big fan of teacher suffering and exhaustion. BUT (and I have a big ‘but’), these can be effective tools, require almost NO prep time (other than choosing your vocab), and are ridiculously easy to grade. So, on the off-chance any of those issues are factors in your world from time to time, I thought I should mention it.