PARENT TALK

Research findings in education and ways to help your child - Volume 98-1

Building Vocabulary for Success

By focusing on one area of learning, can you...

... raise your child's IQ?
... boost your child's success in school?
... improve your child's job opportunities?

The answer is yes. And that one focus area is vocabulary - good old powerful words.

Though there are certainly other reasons for success, studies show that IQ test scores, school grades, and job status are linked to vocabulary size. People with higher IQ's, with better grades, and with more desirable jobs have larger vocabularies than those with lower grades and less desirable jobs.

These studies should not surprise us. Ideas and nuances of meaning are expressed with words. The more words you have at your fingertips, the more precise you can be in presenting your ideas. In school and in the business world, you are usually evaluated on your ability to present your ideas clearly. In an information- intense society, the pressure for precise expression will grow.

Building vocabulary, then, becomes the most concrete means you have to improve your children's ability to express and clarify their ideas. By sharpening their vocabulary skills, they gain control over school subjects, workplace issues, and the world of ideas in general. That's the reason that the strategies in this bulletin are so important to you and your children. Each of the techniques has the potential of expanding your children's vocabulary. Altogether, these vocabularybuilding techniques can easily double the average child's vocabulary.

Your children's teachers may be using some of the same techniques that you find in this bulletin. Why don't you talk with the teachers and ask for advice on ways to connect vocabulary development in school with the informal work that you do at home? Extensive reading remains the best informal means that we know for building a rich vocabulary. By encouraging reading, by using the techniques in this bulletin, and by working with teachers, you will increase your children's curiosity about words and their vocabularybuilding skills. Curiosity and skills will pay big dividends now and in the future.

Six Steps to Word Power

The best way to use these steps is with a week-by-week plan. Each week, focus on one of the steps, applying it during the week as opportunities arise.

1. Read and use context. See if the new word is defined in the surrounding text.
2. Search for synonyms and antonyms. Find words that mean the same, or words that mean the opposite.
3. Look for related words. Do other words have the same roots?
4. Use word maps to define. Lay out associated words.
5. Mine the wealth of other languages. English borrows from many languages.
6. Use the dictionary. Clarify and refine word meanings with this handy reference.

Step 1. Read and Use Context

Start your program to a larger vocabulary at its richest source-reading books. As your children read, have them keep a list of the words they want to learn and encourage them to figure out the words from context if they can. Although context will not always clarify the meaning of an unfamiliar word, it is important for children to look at any new word as part of the entire passage they are reading.

Point out that writers often use signals to indicate that a word is going to be defined. For example, the colon (:) may introduce a passage that explains a word, or it may introduce lists of things to help define a word. In such cases, the colon often stands for the words "as follows."

In the microscope we saw that the drop of water contained many bacteria: one-celled organisms that are too small to be seen by the eye alone.

Other signals are given by words such as "that is" or "for example" or "for instance." These words let you know that more information follows:

One symptom of the disease is lethargy; that is, a feeling of sluggishness and a lack of alertness.

You won't always find these obvious clues to let you know that a word is being defined by context. Look below at the word "festive."

Susan's ninth birthday party was the best she had ever had. There were plenty of hats and noisemakers, and the room was filled with balloons and streamers. Everyone had a great time on this festive occasion.

These sentences tell of an enjoyable party and of a room filled with balloons and party decorations. This context suggests that festive means "joyful, happy, glad, merry." Your child may even know the word festival and be able to connect the two forms of the word. So even though there is no direct indication (such as a colon or the words "that is"), your child should realize that the second sentence contributes to the meaning of festive in the last sentence.

Here is another example showing how context helps to define a word, even though the connection is not clearly signaled:

The drought had caused enormous damage. After months without rain, all the crops had withered and died.

Not only is drought defined ("months without rain"), but the results ("damage," "withered crops") are in the surrounding text. Help your child look for cues which show that a word is being explained.

In other situations the new word may not be clearly defined, but its meaning can be inferred from context. In the next example, the new word is followed by sentences that provide examples of what it means.

Ozzie was the most cantankerous pig in the barnyard. He never ate his spinach, and he never did his homework without a lot of squealing. Whenever his mom said it was time for a mud bath, he always climbed a tree and hid in the branches.

Point out how the whole paragraph demonstrates that cantankerous means "difficult or irritating to deal with."

Ed has always been interested in prehistoric animals. He likes to read about the ways scientists can figure out the age of extinct animals by studying fossils. Ed wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up.

Use the information in this paragraph to help a mature reader form a definition of paleontologist: "scientist who studies the fossils of extinct animals." Confirm this by checking the dictionary, where the main entry is paleontology. Make sure your child understands that paleontology is the branch of science and a paleontologist is someone who specializes in it. Refer to other pairs of words such as science/scientist or art/artist.

In these cases, the reader discovers the meaning of a word by relating other information to it. This use of inference is an important part of getting meaning from context. As students mature, they will be able to infer more and more from the surrounding text when they encounter unfamiliar words.

Many words in the English language have a variety of meanings; context will suggest which meaning applies. Just look in a dictionary to see the number of entries for words such as go or run, for example. It is only through context that we can tell which definition applies in each case.

run (verb): They run every morning for exercise. (to move quickly; faster than a walk) The lawn mower will run better if you oil it. (to operate or work) Buses run every hour from here to Boston. (to travel regularly).

run (noun): I took the dog for a long run last night. (the act of running) The play had a run of almost a year (a period of time during which something happens repeatedly) There was a big run on purple socks at the store. (a sudden demand) This ski run is very popular (a steep path or track)

While context can't always give a complete definition, it does provide a good starting point. When words have more than one meaning, we must look at context before we go to a dictionary. It's the only way to tell which definition fits the passage being read.

Even if your child does use context to figure out a new word, this does not mean the word will be remembered or made a part of everyday vocabulary. If words encountered in reading are important enough to be added to your child's vocabulary, then they should be practiced more extensively.

Step 2. Search for Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms

For the second week, shift your attention to finding alternative words for the ordinary words your child uses everyday. Synonyms are words that have the same or almost the same meaning; antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. These terms suggest ways to help your child define words that are unfamiliar. A new word is understood more fully if it is related to a familiar word whose meaning is very similar or is the opposite. For example, if something is colossal, it is not just large; it is huge, enormous, gigantic (even stupendous). It is also the opposite of small, tiny, or insignificant. You can choose the words that are appropriate for your child.

Look at these familiar synonyms and antonyms, and help your child discover even more examples:

Synonyms
Antonyms

start, begin
off - on

sad, unhappy
up - down

odd, unusual
stop - start

ask, request
slow - fast

answer, reply
bright - dark

calm, still
light - heavy

jump, leap
question - answer

Searching for synonyms and antonyms is an excellent vocabulary-builder that encourages children to discover ideas in different ways. You can give a familiar word and ask your child for one other word that has the same or the opposite meaning.

There are also many words that have the same sound, but different spellings and meanings. These are called homophones. Words that both look and sound alike but have different meanings are called homonyms. Here are some homophones encountered in the elementary grades:

ate, eight
bare, bear
eye, I

for, four
hear, here
know, no

one, won
son, sun
tail, tale

In the intermediate grades, children will discover more challenging homophones such as these:

aisle, I'll, isle
cereal, serial

cite, sight, site
coarse, course

dual, duel
guessed, guest

Help your child distinguish between these homophones by talking about the meaning of each word, by pointing them out when they are encountered in reading, and by using them in sentences.

Step 3. Look for Related Words

This week, turn your attention to the common elements in words. Search for similarities as a way of better understanding the differences that prefixes, suffixes, and inflections make.

Related words are built on the same base. They differ primarily in their use of prefixes and suffixes: act, activate, action, activity, active, react, etc. Although the parts of speech change, the meaning of the word act is implicit in each related word.

Suffixes are especially important in creating groups of related words. Because they change the way the word is used, suffixes permit a number of words to be derived from a single base. Show your child that some words do not change their spelling when suffixes are added:

detect - detective
break - breakage

govern - government
joy - joyful

Some words do change their spelling. The final e is dropped or some other letter is substituted at the end of the base word to make pronunciation easier:

use - usable
decide - decision

locate - location
simple - simplify

The following exercises can help your child understand how suffixes make groups of related words.

Give some familiar base words that are verbs and ask for suffixes that change each word to a noun. In the early grades, give a list of suffixes along with base words, so the child can see the possibilities.

Suffixes
Verbs
Nouns
Answers

-ion
elect
_____
(election)

-er
help
_____
(helper)

-ment
enjoy
_____
(enjoyment)

-or
sail
_____
(sailor)

-ance
perform
_____
(performance)

With older children, you may want to give only the list of verbs without showing the suffixes.

Verbs
Nouns
Answers

invent
_____
(invention)

adjust
_____
(adjustment)

consume
_____
(consumer)

impress
_____
(impression)

depend
_____
(dependence)

dependent
_____
(dependability)

Step 4. Use Words Maps to Define

A word map is a diagram of relationships between concepts and related ideas. Much of our knowledge of words and concepts can be thought of as being stored in word maps. These maps represent the kinds of knowledge units we store in addition to linkages between these knowledge units. They incorporate four important relationships: (1) class, (2) example, (3) attribute, and (4) related concepts. By thinking about the various aspects of a concept, we can plan strategies for relating what is new to what is known.

Draw word maps with your children using objects that are immediately at hand. For the younger ones, make sure you use nouns, such as chair, stove, or tree. As vocabulary increases, experiment with conceptual words like courage, hope, or caring.

Step 5. Mine the Wealth of Other Languages

Throughout its history, the English language has borrowed words from other languages and has also formed new words using a number of processes. For example, two words can be joined to form a compound word, as was often done by the Anglo-Saxons (renboga = rainbow). Many words borrowed from Latin could be changed in meaning by the use of affixes (complete - incomplete; admit - admission).

Other processes can be used to create new words. For example, parts of two words can be blended to create a new one (MOtor hoTEL = motel); a word can be clipped, with a part used to represent the whole (flu for influenza); or an acronym can be formed using the initial letters in a term containing several words (NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

Have your child match each WORD with the SOURCE of that word. Then see if they can determine the process used to form the new word: Clipping; Blending; or Acronym.

Process
WORD
SOURCE

_____
1. deli
a. sound navigation system

_____
2. quasar
b. video camera/sound recorder

_____
3. camcorder
c. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

_____
4. sonar
d. delicatessen

_____
5. OPEC
e. quasi-stellar (objects resembling stars)

Words from the Greek Language

The following words entered the English language from Greek. Find the definition in a dictionary, then look back at the Greek word element and find its definition as well.

1. apology: Gr. log-, logo-:

2. agonize: Gr. agon-:

3. tactical: Gr. -tactic (taktikos):

4. glossary: Gr. gloss-, glosso-:

Words from the Latin Language

The words listed below are made up of Latin prefixes and roots. After each word, write its present definition as given in a dictionary, and then show the Latin prefix and root contained in the word. Also give the meaning of each prefix and root.

1. collect: __________
Latin prefix: __________
Latin root: __________

2. effect: __________
Latin prefix: __________
Latin root: __________

3. offer: __________
Latin prefix: __________
Latin root: __________

4. abduct: __________
Latin prefix: __________
Latin root: __________

Words borrowed from Spanish and Native American Languages

As European settlers moved westward across America, they absorbed a number of words from the languages of the native Americans in the eastern and central parts of the country and of the Spanish people in the Southwest. Look up each word in a dictionary to find its origin and meaning, and indicate the specific Native American language when this is given. (You may find reference to Nahuatl: this is the language of the Aztec Indians.) Also be sure to look for the correct entry when several are given (as with the word squash, for example).

1. mustang
6. coyote

2. totem
7. tomato

3. bonanza
8. ranch

4. squash
9. tornado

5. canyon
10. plaza

Step 6. Use the Dictionary

Children will encounter words they can't figure out by using the techniques discussed in earlier steps. Then it is time to turn to the dictionary to clarify and refine word meanings.

Make sure that your child understands how the dictionary is organized; look at the first few pages to find instructions. Dictionaries for students usually include some or all of the following features:

1. Guide Words: The first and last word defined on the page are in boldface at the top of that page.

2. Main Entries: Boldfaced words listed at the left side of each column of words.

3. Definitions: Meanings for each main entry. If there are many meanings, they're numbered separately.

4. Example Sentences: These show a particular meaning of the word.

5. Parts of Speech: These show if a word is a noun, a verb, an adjective, etc., with examples showing how the word is used in each instance, if it can function as more than one part of speech.

6. Syllable Structure: The word written with dots between syllables (de•tec•tive). In some dictionaries, the main entry shows syllable structure; in others it may be at the end of the entry.

7. Pronunciation: An indication of the way the word sounds. Special symbols may be used to show how the letters are pronounced. These symbols will be explained in a pronunciation key, usually at the bottom of each page. (Dictionaries for very young children do not try to use phonetic markings to represent pronunciation.)

For younger children to use a dictionary, they must understand the principles of alphabetical order. Give them lists of words to arrange in alphabetical order, and make sure they understand how to alphabetize to the second letter, the third letter, and so on.

Here's a simple exercise to make your child feel more at home with the dictionary. Make a list of guide words and the pages on which they are found.

Guide Words
Page
Guide Words
Page

afraid - again
14
chair - clear
32

before - beneath
21
fair - fly
43

Now give the child a list of words to determine the page number on which each word can be found: