8/21/09
UTILIZING ALL OF WORD WEB VOCABULARY’S VOLUMES
As many of you may know, Word Web is currently available in three separate workbooks. Most teachers choose Volume I, a logical choice, especially if they think that it’s always best to start any project with the first of anything. However, Word Web’s three volumes are not sequential.
Any classroom may begin with Volumes II or III, since each presents words in the same manner and levels of learning. Eventually, Word Web will grow to five volumes, since there is an overabundance of words that fit Word Web’s unique format of a central word around which a web shows five, ten or fifteen words related to it, each inside a special shape that indicates its level of difficulty.
If more than one classroom in your school is using Word Web, the ideal would be for each to use different volumes. That way, students would be able to present interesting sentences and ideas from their favorite words to each other’s classes. It would encourage students to find as many Periodical Pearls® to share and to teach to other classes. They could challenge students in other classes to explain the meaning behind certain products, Awesome Associations®, Cool Connections® and acronyms. They could also listen to others’ Super Sentences®.
When students are using the same books in different classrooms, teachers could set up competitions between the classes, using some of the same suggestions I make above.
Word Web is about to join a few of the social networking online sites. Plans call for Twitter® advertising, as well as short videos of discussions between a boy whose classroom uses Word Web and a friend who doesn’t. Many of these will focus on the architectural features that appear in Volume III, lessons 13-22.
Furthermore, I’d love to hear your ideas on how to expand WWV’s visibility to teachers, students, and homeschooling families or groups not already using this program.
That's my word this time.
Ellie
