No matter what your content area is, you have vocabulary the students need to know to be successful in your class. Teaching vocabulary words and definitions takes up valuable class time that can be used for other higher level activities, and quite frankly, it is boring for the student AND the teacher.
With so many technology tools available, introducing, practicing and/or testing on vocabulary can be quick and entertaining while often adding another level of thinking to the lesson.
1. Online Dictionary:
- Rewordify --change words and text to easy to read and understand.
- Visuwords --Online graphical dictionary
- Vocabulary.com
2. Padlet padlet.com (formerly WallWisher)
- My Honors English class worked on this Padlet Wall (password is sat2.1). Using a list of 9 SAT vocabulary words they were to choose 3 words and do one of the following with each word: write the definition, write synonyms, write antonyms, use it in a sentence, or write the other word forms. They were to try to not repeat what someone else had done.
- OERI Padlet wall
Animoto animoto.com
- My Honors students created an Animoto video using their SAT vocab words then uploaded it onto a Padlet wall.
3. Kahoot.it
- Teachers go to create.kahoot.it
- Students go to kahoot.it
- Look up the "Public" Kahoot.it's and favorite the ones you like.
- Kahoot.it is usually used to review words, but I also like to use it to introduce words. The students get really good at using their reasoning to determine the meaning of words. I use the words several times in one quiz to give them time to really get the definition down.
- My Honor's students created Kahoot.it's using words from their vocab list. They were very creative in their question and answer choices.
4. Answer Garden answergarden.ch
- This is a fairly new site. You ask one question and everyone puts in their answer.
- OERI Answer Garden
5. iFakeText ifaketext.com
6. Boom Writer/Word Writer http://www.boomwriter.com/
8. Comic Strip Creator
- Make Belief Comix http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
- Honor's students created a comix using at least 4 of their vocabulary words.
- Storyboard That http://www.storyboardthat.com/
- Honor's students created a comix using at least 4 of their vocabulary words.
9. Quizlet quizlet.com (works with the iPad app Flashcardlet)
- Quizlet for my Honors class
- I sometimes print off the test as the quiz for my students.
- Students create quizlets for other students
