1/9/04
LATE BREAKING NEWS
Welcome back from your holiday break!
Well, I hate to admit it, but I've discovered a big problem with Word Web Vocabulary! Yes, I have a problem with it! With the words of all the volumes in my head, any sort of reading has taken on a whole new dimension, sometimes enjoyable but sometimes not. I cannot read without pen, paper and scissors close at hand.
Let me give you some examples. Recently, when reading the daily paper, this piece of news caught my attention: "Newly-discovered gene MEF2A suggests that it controls a cascade of events that assures the health of the coronary arteries' inner lining..." I couldn’t continue reading without cutting that bit out with the use of cascade (Vol. I, Lesson 4) in it.
Soon after, I came to an article about the centennial of the Wright brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk, NC. I then remembered that Ford Motor Company had also celebrated its 100th anniversary, and I began to wonder what other events in 2003 had also reached that mark. My thoughts took me back to Marconi's first message across the Atlantic in 2001. For me, these triggered Think Link questions: What event(s) celebrated a centennial in 2001? 2002? 2003? 2004? Although centennial appears in a Word Wed volume not yet published, I know it's there, and of course, I had to get to my computer right away and make the necessary changes!
If it's not late-breaking news, then it's hindsight - words I might have included or added to a definition or Think Link answer that I hadn't thought of when writing the text. These can come at any time, without warning. For instance, on a recent trip, we passed a correctional institute. It had an electrifying effect on me - I hadn't thought of that as a euphemism (Vol. II, Lesson 10) for jail or prison! So, those of you who have already passed beyond that lesson, did your students think of this one? If not, please add “jail” to the other euphemisms (remember hoosegow? How about lockup, big house, can, clink, cooler, coop, joint, jug, pokey, slammer, or calaboose?)
Have you experienced any of these "problems?" I would love to hear from you about yours and your students' experiences with particular words. I would like to hear some stories of your experiences with Word Web so I might share them with the rest of the schools using Word Web around the country. Remember, you can always contact me at emiller@seepub.com.
Perhaps I should print this warning or disclaimer: “The more time you spend with Word Web Vocabulary, the more you will become addicted to the words in the lessons. There is a danger that you will not be able to read anything - the daily newspaper, a book or magazine - without some word jumping out at you, breaking into your thoughts and forcing you to lose your place.”
We’ll see!
That’s my word this time. Ellie
WORD WEB VOCABULARY: moving vocabulary from the
edge of the curriculum to its center
