This year's TCTELA conference theme was "2 Walk in my Shoes," a theme inspired by one of my very favorite characters in all of literature, Atticus Finch. I thought that I would be able to post my reflections in just a couple of posts, but as I drafted I realized that would not be the case. So...here is post one of ?
Vocab Gal
A couple of hours with Sarah Ressler Wright from Ohio was a great way to kick-off the weekend. I was worried that I took too much of a risk in deciding to begin with a session about vocabulary, but I left feeling so much more enthusiasm towards vocabulary instruction in general.
The Vocab Gal isn't just about having her students memorize a list of words and definitions. She challenges them to use those words in and out of class. Probably her most powerful tool in facilitating this is her own commitment to using the vocabulary terms in her own instruction. It becomes a game for everyone. The list-on-Monday-quiz-on-Friday approach is gone. Students don't look up definitions in the dictionary Instead, they are provided with opportunities to explore a word's meaning and use it in relevant contexts.
Here is a link to Ressler's presentation from the conference: http://info.sadlier.com/Portals/95641/docs/TCTELA%20presentation.pdf
Check out her blog for great, downloadable resources:
www.vocabgal.com
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