Banishing Vocabulary Grids

An activity that I always used with my class after reading was a vocabulary map. This was a worksheet that I had adapted from a well-known educationalist. After discussing it with Dr van Hees, I have decided not to use this worksheet any longer, as it didn't really improve the students' vocabulary acquisition. The form took really long to complete and I was getting enough 'bang for my buck' to justify its continued use.

                    


Instead new vocabulary was thoroughly discussed, dissected and used deliberately in many situations. Students are no longer allowed to just copy and paste the meaning from the dictionary. They are still allowed to use dictionaries, if necessary, but the definition must be written in their own words.