1/19/10
Vocabulary's Many Facets
Recently, while paging through volume one, I was immediately taken back ten years to the days when I was working to make Word Web a reality for many grades, many classrooms and homeschoolers.
I began writing lessons based on prefixes, roots and suffixes that make up our English language. When I had finished with volume one, I began to realize that our language has many other words that are both interesting and important to understand.
I’d never given a thought to the many other elements and components of our language, Like most everybody else, I knew many products’ names but had never pondered on the why or what of them.
Today, I often have trouble believing that Word Web is in well over 500 homes and classrooms. Regardless of what lessons I look at, I always linger over the ones that teach the “why” of product names. I find them clever and interesting.
Now, with my thinking cap firmly on my head, I thought of the many other aspects that create our language, our vocabulary. Acronyms were the first to lead the way. I remember that ghost writer caught my attention, the skeleton staff sprang to attention, followed by rime and incognito. It must have been fall, since three of those words fit that season.
Then acronyms pushed to be noticed. HOV was the first, as I lived near an area where that sign frequently appeared. When I asked my middle school students what those signs meant, not one knew! Learning something as simple as the meaning of an acronym brings a light into a classroom! Much of what students consider boring is relieved when material that surprises them comes along.
With that thought in mind, I added SUNOCO®, ASAP, TGIF® and WYSIWYG® to Volume I’s vocabulary. Let’s face it. Those types of words have appeal. Not only do they provide knowledge and allow children to know something that their parents often don’t, it gives students a feeling of know-how.
Next, I began to wonder about sports teams’ names because some of them confused me. Take Tennessee Oilers as an example. What does Tennessee have to do with oil? Nothing! However, that team came from Houston, Texas, where oil was a huge industry. It only kept that name for a short time before changing to Tennessee Titans, a more relevant identity. Utah Jazz is another name that is perplexing. Why? Because this team started as the New Orleans Jazz (which makes a lot of sense if you know about New Orleans and its long history of jazz music.), but in 1979 the team moved to Utah, where jazz is not big time. I’m surprised they didn’t want to change their name to something like the Utah Uproars or Upshots!
Now that my creative juices had started to flow, I thought about all the idioms we use. Take lip service. Can’t you imagine the interest a phrase such as this would bring into your home or classroom? Idioms work! Consider the others in Volume I: elbow grease, dumb waiter, hard hat, busman’s holiday.
More of these thoughts will appear in my next Word, and I would love to have your comments about these words! Did they enlighten your students? Did they go home and ask their parents whether they knew the meaning of these words? Did they show them off to their friends? Until my next Ellie’s Word, I’ll be waiting to hear from you!
That’s my Word for this time.
Ellie
