Having Fun with Common Core: Word Wizards

Back in the day, kids across America were tortured with a multi-year vocabulary-building program called Word Wizards. Each Monday we were introduced to a new set of words, and each and every Friday, there was a much dreaded test. As if a weekly spelling test wasn’t enough to give us all anxiety nightmares!

Word Wizards may be a thing of the past, but the need to learn vocabulary certainly hasn’t disappeared. And that’s what CCSS for ELA in the Reading Informational Text #4 is all about.

Craft & Structure #4
Kindergarten	Grade 1	Grade 2
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.	Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.	Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.	Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.	Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

Believe it or not, there are fun ways for your kiddos to learn vocabulary.

For grades K-2, songs can really do the trick. For example, let’s say your students are struggling with the terms used to describe the various life stages of butterflies and many other insects. This little ditty (which I wrote and give you permission to use any way you like) just might do the trick:

The Butterfly Song
(To The Tune of “London Bridge”)

Butterflies lay their eggs,

Here and there—

On leaves and twigs.

Butterflies lay their eggs,

Then they fly away.

Catterpillars hatch from eggs.

They creep and crawl,
chomp and chew.

Catterpillars grow and grow.
Then they shed their skin.

Wrapped inside a chrysalis.
Pupae change.

They grow wings.

They slip out of that chrysalis

And slowly spread their wings.

Butterflies flit and fly,

They search and seek

For a mate. Butterflies lay more eggs,

Then they fly away.

FYI, there are more fun songs on my website. Just look here.

What about older students? I have some great ideas, but they'll have to wait for my next Monday post. Stay tuned.