Chapter 13

Word Consciousnessthe interest in and

awareness of words.

Students who have developed word consciousness:

Use words skillfully

Appreciate word meaning subtleties

Are curious about language

Like to play with words

Enjoy investigating word origins

crossword puzzles

dictionaries

literature

word walls

Scrabbleword games

thesauri

poetry booksword playjoke books

Teachers can foster word consciousness each and every day by building a classroom

that is “rich with words.”

Teachers can also foster word consciousness through the use of:

Adept diction

Word play

Word histories and origins

Adept Dictionthe skillful use of words in

speech and writing.Should be found:

In teacher’s language usage

In reading texts

In student’s speech and writing

Beyond the classroom

Adept Diction =

Word Choice = Expressive Power

Categorizing language contributes to adept diction.

Synonyms: Words that are very close to the same meaning.

Antonyms: Words that are opposite or nearly opposite in meaning.

Homographs: Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and origins.

The ability to deal with figures of speech is a part of word consciousness.

“Figurative language uses figures of speech that enable speakers and writers to

express ideas in fresh, new ways.”

Metaphors: A comparison of two unlike things without using

the word like or as. (i.e. My friend is a walking

encyclopedia.)

Similes: A comparison of two unlike things using the word

like or as. (i.e. as easy as pie)

and…

The most common figures of speech are:

Idioms: An expression that

cannot be understood by the meanings of the individual words

within it. (i.e. to be in a pickle)

Bite the dust.

Word PlayA playful attitude toward words and language accomplished through manipulating sounds, meanings, spellings and other word aspects.

Stimulates interest in and curiosity about language

Improves reading and vocabulary

Reveals language structure

Fosters independent learning

Engages students in active, social learning

Builds on language curiosity

Motivates students to build on language skills

W O R D F O R M A T I O N S

acronymsZIP (Zone Improvement Plan)

portmanteausmotel (motel + hotel)

W O R D G A M E S

hink pinksangry father – mad dadpunstime flies like a bird; fruit flies like melon.

riddlesHow can you make a baby buggy? (tickle his toes)

Tom Swifties“Let’s hurry,” said Tom swiftly.tongue twistersShe sells seashells by the seashore.

E X P R E S S I O N S

proverbs

out of sight, out of mind

slang

junk food

N A M E Seponyms (after a person)watt (after James Watt)toponyms (after a place)

sardines (after the island of Sardinia)

Types of word play

W O R D M A N I P U L A T I O N S

anagrams

(formed by rearranging the letters of another word)

read – dear

palindromes(read the same forward and backward)

mom, radar, racecar

Word HistoriesEach word has a story behind it which tells

why the word has come to mean what it does.

New words are coined to represent new ideas or objects.

Old words can be applied to new situations.

Many words that were common in past years now have different meanings or have become obsolete.

Word OriginsGreek

Specialized words used mostly in

science and technology

LatinLonger, more sophisticated

words used in formal contexts, such as content-area texts and literature.

Anglo-SaxonShort, everyday words used

frequently in ordinary conversation and beginning

reading texts.

Students who are word conscious are aware of the words around them – those they read and hear and

those they write and speak. – Graves & Watts-Taffe, 2002

Word consciousness forms the basis for a continuing

love of words and language.

Adept diction is essential for

sustained vocabulary growth.

Word play helps students become more aware of the structure and rules of language. It also creates animated and motivated learners.

Animal IdiomsBenchmarksability to interpret literal and figurative idioms

ability to research origins of idiomsSee pages 580-583

Latin & Greek Number Words

Benchmarkability to understand Latin and Greek number prefixesSee pages 584-587

Antonym ScalesBenchmarkability to identify complementary and gradable antonym pairs.

ability to scale antonymsSee pages 588-591

Lesson Models for Word Consciousness

Web Word WebBenchmarksability to use modern homographs

ability to understand that word meanings change and evolve over time.See pages 592-594

Five-Senses Simile Web

Benchmarkability to use adept diction

ability to write similesSee pages 595-597

Poetry as Word Play

Benchmarkability to use adept diction in writing

ability to use synonyms and antonyms

ability to write cinquain and diamante poemsSee pages 598-600

Lesson Models for Word Consciousness

Lesson Models for Word ConsciousnessVocabulary Hot-Shot Notebook

Benchmarksability to keep track of target vocabulary words

ability to extend word use beyond the classroomSee pages 601-606

Word consciousness is crucial to learners’ success in

expanding the breadth and depth of students’ word

knowledge over the course of their lifetimes. ~Graves and Watts-Taffe, 2002