what are you reading my Lord? words, words, words...
Look at me quoting Shakespeare! Somehow it seems fitting for this book:
Part of a series from American Heritage Dictionaries, 100 WORDS EVERY MIDDLE SCHOOLER SHOULD KNOW has an interesting format and back story. The words were selected from some of the favorite books of middle school students (though I do question how some of the titles came to be known as faves of students: i.e., THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, THE APPLE AND THE ARROW, LOUIS PASTEUR AND THE HIDDEN WORLD OF MICROBES and some are children's books and some are anthologized in textbooks, etc.). Each word is given a nice entry with an example from a book, definition, word origin, etc. I am not certain that middle schoolers will find some of the words as useful as others (aplomb as opposed to cunning, brackish as opposed to tactic, or jabber as opposed to grueling). However, it seems an interesting way to perhaps make vocabulary more pertinent to kids. Why not take this concept and have kids (gasp!) keep their own list of important words? Oh, that's right, Janet Allen suggested that how many years ago?
Enough of the snark. I do think it is worthwhile for teachers to read this series and to make some decisions about vocabulary that is essential versus SAT prep-ish. I love words like: imperious and meander. Did I know them in middle school? Don't think I did even though I was an avid reader back then, too. Who knows? <245>
We leave tomorrow for DC and ALA (and I thought all along we were leaving Thursday, so imagine my surprise when the airline called to ask me to check in online this morning). Sometimes I frighten myself with my ineptitude (and there is one of the 100 words people my age should know). Scout is already unhappy as he has been climbing inside the suitcases all morning and removing things in his way...
Part of a series from American Heritage Dictionaries, 100 WORDS EVERY MIDDLE SCHOOLER SHOULD KNOW has an interesting format and back story. The words were selected from some of the favorite books of middle school students (though I do question how some of the titles came to be known as faves of students: i.e., THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, THE APPLE AND THE ARROW, LOUIS PASTEUR AND THE HIDDEN WORLD OF MICROBES and some are children's books and some are anthologized in textbooks, etc.). Each word is given a nice entry with an example from a book, definition, word origin, etc. I am not certain that middle schoolers will find some of the words as useful as others (aplomb as opposed to cunning, brackish as opposed to tactic, or jabber as opposed to grueling). However, it seems an interesting way to perhaps make vocabulary more pertinent to kids. Why not take this concept and have kids (gasp!) keep their own list of important words? Oh, that's right, Janet Allen suggested that how many years ago?
Enough of the snark. I do think it is worthwhile for teachers to read this series and to make some decisions about vocabulary that is essential versus SAT prep-ish. I love words like: imperious and meander. Did I know them in middle school? Don't think I did even though I was an avid reader back then, too. Who knows? <245>
We leave tomorrow for DC and ALA (and I thought all along we were leaving Thursday, so imagine my surprise when the airline called to ask me to check in online this morning). Sometimes I frighten myself with my ineptitude (and there is one of the 100 words people my age should know). Scout is already unhappy as he has been climbing inside the suitcases all morning and removing things in his way...