Happy Tuesday, all! I hope you had a FABULOUS weekend and enjoyed some down time. For some of you, it was probably sweet relaxation from the beginning of school, and some of you are soaking up the last few weeks of summer :) I've been busy in my classroom, but took the day at home to catch up on some work and blogging...so here it goes!
Today's blog is all about my beloved WOW Word curriculum. I started using this system a few years ago when I first switched to 3rd grade. They're at that stage in their learning where the "eye roll" starts....*gasp*. Yeah, I said it. Something about this adorable stage lends itself to the kiddos wising up a bit...they're not as easily excited about EVERYTHING school related. Something like "vocabulary work" or "vocabulary journal" elicited groans. It does sound a bit boring, right?! Enter WOW Words!
These WOW Word sets are basically frequently used words beefed up a bit. I hold my students accountable to use these words in their daily journal writing, as well as ALL of their writing assignments. We spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year doing the standard "boring vs. vivd" words. I have my students use AT LEAST one WOW word in their Writing Journal every day {take a peek at my Writing Grids to see how we do writing journals, McSmartPants style ;)}
When my students enter the room each morning, I have a WOW Word poster displayed on the front board. HINT: I actually have these in a binder in page protectors. I just pull the poster out each morning and pin it to my objective bulletin board. I have my students copy down the word and definition in a journal specifically for these words. They move straight into their Writing Grid work, where again, they must use a minimum of one WOW word per entry.
Sounds simple, right? I can promise you one thing, it is AMAZING to hear how sophisticated the kiddos' writing sounds after just a few weeks. They absolutely LOVE this curriculum!! My students take this on as such a challenge and take HUGE pride in knowing that their writing sounds sophisticated.
SO, seeing how much my kiddos love this system, I'm taking it one step further this year. I've actually created WOW Word Flashcards to use in my Word Work centers this year! These flashcards sets can be used during writing or reading centers as a way for students to truly integrate these vocabulary words into not only their writing, but their speaking as well.
Whew, enough blabbering. You can take a peek at the WOW Word Set #1 in my TPT store right here
and the flashcards here!Have a great afternoon!
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