Anne Yale, author

Conquering the “End of the School Year” Blahs

May 9, 2019 Anne Yale Leave a Comment

The end of the school year is upon us once again. You know it’s really close when everyone, teachers included, is suffering with a bad case of the blahs. Ennui has set in. We can all relate.

The question is, what can we do about it? How do we make it those last two weeks to the bitter end and still retain our sanity? It’s hard enough to deal with our own torpor, let alone the students’.

I find that two things help me overcome the end of the school year blahs: humor, and mixing up my usual classroom routine. That’s how the last two vocabulary lessons in What’s That Word? came about.

“Boring!” pokes fun at all the tedious lectures, mundane routines, and trite cliches students have experienced at some point during their schooling, while acknowledging the fact that the end of the school year is just that. It even comes with an “Itty Bitty Boring Quizzy!” to cap off an interminable case of the blahs. As an added bonus, there are three French words in the lesson: cliché, ennui, and passé.

“Couch Potato,” on the other hand, turns the idea of the old theme, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” on its head, and focuses on all of the hebetudinous ways to spend an indolent summer break. Enthrall your students with a parting vocabulary word (or ten) before atrophy sets in.

And just to mix things up a little, I’ve started posting the individual lessons from What’s That Word? on the website Teachers Pay Teachers. If you’d like to have a little fun with the end of the school year blahs, you’ll find the “Boring!” vocabulary lesson here, and the “Couch Potato” vocabulary lesson here. Both are downloadable, printable .pdf files, complete with quizzes, short writing activities, and the answer keys to the lesson.

FREE — Sample Lesson for Building Vocabulary — “Bad Words”

September 19, 2016 Anne Yale Leave a Comment

Building vocabulary can be especially difficult with reluctant readers. I personally know quite a number of adults who were formerly reluctant readers themselves. What eventually turned them on to reading? Comic books! There are even comic book versions of most literary classics now.

After all, who doesn’t love a classic “super hero vs. villain” story? In this vocabulary lesson, “Bad Words,” we find our super hero, “Captain Lexicon” battling his nefarious nemesis, Doc Nuisance, who wants to stink up the town with a noxious gas. Building vocabulary is easy and fun with activities students find interesting. It’s the “Comic Con” of vocabulary lessons!

Capitalizing on what is already appealing to them is one way to “hook” kids. The lesson’s title, “Bad Words” lets them think something naughty. The bait-and-switch comes later. Instead of expletives, or similar interjections, the “bad” words found in the vocabulary exercises in this lesson turn out to be college-prep vocabulary words. Maledictions, Batman!

To download a free .pdf of the sample lesson, “Bad Words,” click here:

whats-that-word_sample-lesson_bad-words

Taking the GramMarch Challenge

March 27, 2014 Anne Yale Leave a Comment

With the end of March rapidly approaching, I couldn’t let the month expire without commenting on middle school teacher Heather Shotke’s “GramMarch Challenge,” a quest to halt students’ use of social media shorthand in their academic work and written texts. While the “English teacher” in me cheers on the GramMarch Challenge and lauds Ms. Shotke for her gumption, the “poet” in me questions the need to tamper with the relentless march of living language.

Witness, for example, what the Twitterverse is capable of in the hands of such formidable poets as Elizabeth Alexander, Robert Pinsky, and Claudia Rankine, whose Twitter poems have been featured in the New York Times. In fact, Twitter, with its classic “soul of wit,” has given rise to a whole new genre of abbreviated literature, dubbed “Twitterature“. However, it does not elude the keen readers’ notice that while these poems (and by extension, the very concept of “Twitterature” itself) gleefully embrace and celebrate the possibilities for utilizing a pared language to concede a truncated literary form, the poets themselves are incapable of escaping the impulse for likewise employing a highly developed, even stalwart vocabulary. For example, in “Teeny tiny poem,” Elizabeth Alexander meets the 140-character constraint, but manages nonetheless to work the word Impluvium into the space. Likewise, Claudia Rankine’s Twitter poem, “earth donates,” includes the line: “fallout active plume cloud spills/” — in which the word plume gives away the poet’s highly developed vocabulary.

Of course, it also cannot elude keen readers’ notice that these poets’ consummate use of the language did not occur without prolonged development of their skills. This brings us back around to the question of the GramMarch Challenge: should we make an effort to halt students’ use of social media shorthand in their academic work and written texts? On this question, I must side with no less than the venerable professor William Strunk, Jr., co-author of The Elements of Style, whose entire body of work asserts that “one must first know the rules to break them.” This is, after all, the purpose of formal education: teaching students the rules and conventions of Standard Edited English, so that once they’ve mastered them, they’re freed to break them. And for that, I’d have to say, “Kudos” to Heather Shotke on issuing the GramMarch Challenge.

How Does Vocabulary Predict Success?

March 13, 2014 Anne Yale Leave a Comment

Much ado has been made in the last week or so about the coming changes to the SAT, the entrance exam many colleges and universities in the U.S. use to gauge the potential success of prospective applicants. Besides making the essay component optional in 2016, the College Board, who designs, administers, and scores the exams, has announced its plan to re-vamp the often dreaded vocabulary section, in order to update and modernize its word selections. Reportedly, no longer will examinees’ knowledge and comprehension of archaic words (which have little bearing on current fields of college study, or real-world application) be tested. Instead, the College Board asserts, academic and content-specific words (in line with Common Core Curriculum Standards, and critical to college and real-world success) will start showing up on the exams with the new and improved SAT, beginning in 2016.

The announcement of sweeping changes to the stalwart college entrance exam has brought about yet another round of questioning the efficacy of the exams in fulfilling their stated mission of predicting just exactly who is most likely (and, by elimination, who isn’t likely) to succeed in college in the first place. Which begs the question: what’s the point in testing students’ vocabulary anyway? How, exactly, does someone’s vocabulary equate with college and/or real-life success?

As anyone who has followed Arthur Chu‘s meteoric (albeit controversial) rise to fame and fortune on Jeopardy in recent weeks can tell you, there’s a lot to be gleaned from erudition. It is clear, for example, that most (if not all) of Mr. Chu’s knowledge comes primarily from reading (widely and on a broad range of topics) as demonstrated by the fact that although he correctly identified so many of the “questions” implied by the answer clues, he mispronounced quite a few of them–an indicatation that while he’s encountered these words frequently on the printed page, he doesn’t use them regularly in conversation.

It’s no secret that students with the highest level of reading comprehension skills are the ones who will do the best in college, since college is based primarily on reading. Students who read develop larger and better vocabularies as a natural consequence of their reading, due to their exposure to words in print. Therefore, the more widely a student reads, the broader his/her vocabulary is likely to be. So, if you want a “short cut” to assessing a student’s reading comprehension skill level, the easiest way to determine that is to measure the breadth of his/her vocabulary.

However, as anyone who teaches real, live students can attest, sometimes students lack the vocabulary skills necessary to decode what they’re reading, which is why the new Common Core State Standards also stress direct, independent vocabulary instruction. In other words: the two (vocabulary and reading comprehension) are intimately linked–students who read a lot develop better vocabularies, and students who work at developing their vocabularies become better readers. Thus, reading comprenension and vocabulary skills go hand-in-hand. No surprise.

That explains why vocabulary has long been used to augur college success, but how does this equate to long-term accomplishment in terms of real-world success? This is where Arthur Chu’s example also comes in handy–it’s not enough merely to read and/or study the words as they occur in print. Putting “theory into practice” is where the rubber really meets the road: students must also apply what they’ve read by working academic and content-specific vocabulary words into their own written texts and/or daily interactions and conversations. The more practiced they are at using their vocabularies to communicate clearly in all situations (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), the more confident they will become. The more confident they become, the better they will perform on any test of their language fluency, whether that test is the SAT, an appearance on Jeopardy, a job interview, or a salable business plan.

In life, as in college, success requires half skill and half confidence–as students work on their skills, their confidence will grow.

How to Make Vocabulary Instruction FUN!

February 13, 2014 Anne Yale Leave a Comment

As teachers, we are often exhorted to liven up instruction and “make it fun.” However, I’ve read very few articles in serious professional journals about just how, exactly, we are supposed to do that. But let’s not let that stop us. Making vocabulary instruction fun is often simply a matter of finding the right material. “What’s ‘fun’ about learning new words?” you ask. Well, for starters, words are the basis for humor: jokes, puns, wordplay, banter, and witty repartee all rely heavily on the use (and sometimes, misuse) of language. Not only that, but jokes and other forms of verbal humor go a long way toward helping students grasp the concepts (meanings, denotations, and connotations) behind complex vocabulary words, because they serve to illustrate them in a memorable fashion. Here are three quick ideas that can easily be incorporated into routine vocabulary instruction:

Have you heard the one about – the teacher who collects jokes to elucidate vocabulary words? Say, for example, the vocabulary word under review is indolent. A sampling of “indolent” jokes might sound like the opening monologue on a late-night television show, and go something like this: “Have you heard the one about the guy who was so indolent that he hates emptying the trash in the recycle bin on his computer? Man, it’s bad. How bad? He’s so indolent, he throws his kisses. That’s how bad it is. He’s so indolent, he came in last place in a snail marathon! You get the picture?” Bah-dump-bump! Jokes like these are easily found all over the internet, and can be adapted fairly quickly for instructional use. I searched for jokes about “laziness” and got a million of ’em. Replace “lazy” with “indolent” and voila! A comedy routine to fit the occasion is born.

Worth a thousand words – another teacher I know collects illustrative cartoons. I, myself, am partial to this method. I read the comics pages of the newspaper (in print!) every day, scouring them for the presentation of relevant vocabulary words. One of my favorites is Bizarro, by Dan Piraro, because of the frequency with which he uses words that come up in vocabulary instruction. For instance, the prefix pseudo– recently came up in my classroom, as in: pseudonym, pseudoscience, or pseudoclassic. By a stroke of pure luck, I had just seen a Bizarro cartoon with a man on a subway explaining to the woman next to him that he was “hooked on Pseudoku — sort of like Sudoku, but not exactly.” I clipped the cartoon and shared it with my students. They got the meaning of pseudo- right away, and a good laugh!

Word play – if the teacher is having way too much fun with words, the students will have no choice but to join in the festivities, and who doesn’t enjoy a good pun? One of the most fun things about the English language, puns require a nuanced understanding of meaning, and the skilled application of that nuanced understanding of meaning for effect, and because of that, they up the ante from other forms of humor. Puns such as this one, “A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal,” could be mobilized in a discussion of the vocabulary word recidivist, for example.

In any case, making vocabulary instruction fun for students is not solely a matter of finding material they can connect with. It’s also a matter of letting them in on the act. Ask students to join you in a BOLO (“Be On the Look-Out”) for jokes, puns, and cartoons that help illustrate the vocabulary words that the class is studying. An even more ambitious project might include inviting students to write their own jokes or puns, or draw their own cartoons. In the final evaluation, a little word play only makes vocabulary instruction that more effective, because the rate at which students retain complex vocabulary words goes up when it can be said that “a good time was had by all.”

Neologism Jackpot: OED word of the year

November 21, 2013 Anne Yale Leave a Comment

Like many teachers, I often peruse newspapers and websites in search of topical items I might clip to share with my students. The Los Angeles Times recently rewarded this practice with a short article about why the Oxford English Dictionary (OED for short) had just named the word, selfie as the 2013 word of the year. Beyond offering a justification for its inclusion in what’s widely considered to be THE definitive source of words in the lexicon, the article inspired me. Jackpot! The fact that the staff of the OED even awards a newly minted word with the distinction of being the “word of the year” would make a terrific way to get the concept of what a neologism is across to my students.

One of the things I most admire about the English language is its adaptability and predilection for slurping up new words with ease. It keeps the language fresh and vibrant, probably much to the chagrin of academicians, lexicographers, and, well, (truth be told) English teachers. I mean, after all, who’d have predicted ten years ago that unfriend or inbox as verbs would be acceptable usage? (We can all thank Facebook for that.)

But then I thought, Well, if the OED staff can debate and discuss neologisms and decide among themselves to choose only one as the word of the year, who’s to say that we can’t do the same? After all, who better has a “finger on the pulse” of new words coming into the language through texting and “tech talk” than students? They practically coin new words themselves on a fairly regular basis. Why not try to keep track of neologisms such as these ourselves, and award our own “word of the year”?

So, I’m going to be putting a big piece of blank butcher paper up with the title NEOLOGISMS scrawled across the top of it in bold, black letters and inviting all of my students to participate in collecting entries for consideration. Toward the end of the year, we’ll discuss the entries we’ve collected, decide on a winner, and write a brief justification for our choice. Move over, OED, we’re on the prowl for what will arguably turn out to be next year’s best new word.

Creating A Language-Rich Environment

November 3, 2013 Anne Yale Leave a Comment

“Words, words, WORDS! My English teacher’s classroom is plastered with words!” one particularly enthusiastic student wrote in a final evaluation essay. But getting this type of response from a young adult is unusual because while there is a plethora of material on transforming the elementary school classroom into a language-rich environment, I’ve found scant articles with ideas for making the high school language-arts classroom a word-rich environment that is interesting, fun, and still age and grade appropriate. Therefore, I’d like to offer some of the ideas I’ve thought up, gleaned from my colleagues, or collected through my travels for creating a word-centered environment that teenagers will find challenging and intriguing. So, if you’ve encountered any ideas along these lines, please be sure to share them with us in the “Comment” section of the “Leave a Reply” form that follows at the bottom of this post. So, here goes:

Establish a well-stocked classroom library – first and foremost, a language-rich environment must include a wide selection of reading materials that students will find interesting – which can (and should) include everything from comics to the classics.
Use your wall space to set good examples – put up banners, posters, and exemplary student work that feature bits of poetry, famous literary quotes and/or quotes about reading and writing, literary trivia, and stellar sentences (i.e. see “golden lines” below).
Extract “golden lines” – take the very best sentences from students’ compositions and highlight them by posting the quoted lines, along with the student authors’ name(s) on posters or large pieces of paper that you’ve put up on the wall. Consider allowing students to nominate their peers’ best sentences for this feature during any peer review done as part of the writing process. You could go so far as to have students review all the entries at the end of a grading period or semester, and vote for the best one(s). You might even award the winner(s) a prize!
Post previous students’ best work – as examples, including any especially artistic or witty vocabulary flashcards prior students have created.
Stick word magnets on any surface they’ll adhere to – invest in a few Magnetic Poetry kits, or make your own, and stick them on the sides of file cabinets, magnetic white boards, the classroom door (if it’s made of metal) and voila! Watch the magic happen!
Have students start a “word collection” of their own – part of cultivating “word awareness” is having students keep track of any “found” bits of language that fascinates them. Therefore, if students are required to keep a “language journal” and hunt for and write down any particularly interesting words, phrases, sentences, or short paragraphs they stumble upon in their reading or daily routines, they will be more aware of how language is used and the particular patterns that attract them.
Read poetry aloud often!
Engage in word-play whenever possible – if you’re having fun with language, then students will. Fun is catchy.
Use word games as “sponge” activities – it’s five minutes before the bell, and the lesson you planned is all wrapped up. What now? Give “free time”? NO! Play word games like “Hangman” or “Dictionary”!! Keep ready-made materials or a list of word games always at your disposal – they’ll come in handy in times like these.
Hang up a Giant Crossword puzzle – everyone loves to solve puzzles! Giant Crossword puzzles on the wall or door provide a fun group activity. Consider giving out prizes (small trinkets like pencils, etc.) to students who solve a word (or words) correctly.
Institute the Word of the Day – while we’re on the subject of word games, consider borrowing Groucho Marx’ shtick from the television show, You Bet Your Life, and institute the practice of a daily “magic” word. (Read more…)
Add word-centric board games to your classroom library collection – games like Scrabble, Boggle, Balderdash, and Apples to Apples stress having fun with words, and are appealing even to teenagers!

If there are any other ideas that you have, or that you’ve come across in your travels for creating a language-rich, word-centered environment that young adults would enjoy, please leave a reply to this post and share it with us!

Vocabulary Flash Cards w/ High School Students

October 24, 2013 Anne Yale 1 Comment

Listening to Ron Koertge read his delightful poem, “Coloring,” I was reminded of just how much joy even high school students still take from participating in “art projects.” One of the projects my students (even seniors!) always seem to enjoy is creating their own flash cards for reviewing and studying new vocabulary words. Since it’s difficult to give up a lot of precious class time when there’s always so much to teach and only so many minutes to teach it in, what I’ve found works best for me is to dedicate 20 minutes or so at the beginning of each week to explaining the process and allowing students to work on their miniature masterpieces during class at the start of the school year, but to gradually taper off on the amount of in-class time given to this activity as the weeks pass, and encouraging students to keep up the practice on their own (out-of-class) time. Nonetheless, the practice of making vocabulary flash cards also makes a good “sponge” activity – a nice way to wrap up the last 5–10 minutes of class in a productive, fun, and word-centered pastime.

Making vocabulary flash cards is pretty straightforward and requires only a few materials, but there are a few tricks and tips for assisting with language acquisition that I’ve learned through the years which students have found rather helpful. For example:

Instead of copying the dictionary definition onto the card for rote memorization, it’s important for students (especially English-language learners) to actually practice working with the language, so translating the dictionary definition into their own words is preferable:
It’s also important for students to allow the mind to translate the word into an associative picture. Since many of the vocabulary words at this level are abstract, a literal representation may be quite out of the question. Therefore, an associative one is perfectly acceptable and even encouraged. For example, for the word ameliorate, one student thought right away of hot tea and chicken soup (i.e. comfort foods):
Because students are trying to incorporate the new vocabulary words into everyday speech situations, it’s also important to let them experiment with generating sentences that use (or attempt to use) the new words correctly in context. However, the key word here is practice. Students’ initial attempts may require monitoring. Some student-generated sentences may be a bit “rough around the edges” and in need of gentle editorial suggestions for revision. Moreover, inspecting students’ flash cards periodically at the outset may prove to be a natural tool for assessment, so that you can quickly gauge the level or difficulty/ease of their language acquisition:
Finally, it’s important to allow students the opportunity to creatively and playfully engage with language, so that the mind is allowed to do what it does best (i.e. work associatively) and each student’s learning is owned. This does take some time, but the payoff is well worth the investment:
All you need to get started is a stack of 3 x 5″ index cards, highlighters in four different colors, and crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Alternately, students may want to cut-and-paste pictures or computer-generated clipart onto their vocabulary flash cards. Instruct the students to:

Write the vocabulary word and its part of speech (i.e. noun, verb, adj., or adv.) on the front of the flash card, centered in the middle.
Also write out the vocabulary word’s part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, or adverb) in the upper right-hand corner on the front of the card.
Using a different color highlighter for each part of speech (i.e. all nouns one color, all verbs a second color, etc.) highlight the part of speech in the upper right-hand corner. For example, you could make all nouns yellow, all verbs pink, all adjectives green, and so on.
On the back of the card, draw (or cut-and-paste) a picture that expresses the meaning of this word for you. It may be associative, or even abstract; it doesn’t have to be a literal representation. You may also choose to include more than one picture, if you’d like.
Underneath the picture(s), write the word, the part of speech, and a definition in your own words (as opposed to copying down the dictionary definition).
Complete your vocabulary flash card by thinking up an original sentence that uses the word correctly in context. Write your sentence on the back of the card beneath your definition.