Original post:
I am a relatively new SLMS who is in the process of creating the
curriculum for a PK-8th grade parochial school. I am currently planning
for units on "Dictionary Use" and "Using an Almanac." I am looking at
completing the dictionary unit with first and second grade. The almanac
unit is being planned for fourth and fifth grade.
Throughout the planning of these units, questions have come up.
Dictionary Unit ?'s:
1) At what grade level do you begin introducing your students to the
dictionary? Why?
2) Can you recommend an inexpensive, preferably paperback, introductory
(beginners) dictionary?
3) Anything else you would like to add on this topic?
Almanac Unit ?'s:
1) At what grade level do you begin introducing your students to almanac
use? Why?
2) What Almanac do you recommend? Why?
3) Anything else you would like to add on this topic?
I will post a HIT if requested.
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Responses:
I start dictionary use with 2nd graders in the second semester; the
classroom teachers have done some of the introductory work for me
(alphabetizing, guide words, etc.), and what I do is reinforce that with
activities such as a dictionary quest (adapted from something I found in
the archives) where I ask a series of nonsense-yes/no questions and
require the kids (in pairs) to look up the main word in order to answer
the question...ex: May I bring a GIBBON to your birthday party? Will my
WHIPPET fit in your backpack? Does your father put SODIUM CHLORIDE in
his cereal? My favorite set of dictionaries are the Merriam-Webster
PRIMARY and ELEMENTARY dictionaries; I had class sets of each last year
but am in a new building this year, so I'm working on getting them here
too. The M-W INTERMEDIATE dictionary would be a good choice for your
6-8 graders. World Almanac Education sells them all for about $14.00
each in hardback.
I start almanac lessons in 3rd & 4th grade, using the World Almanac for
Kids with those levels and the regular World Almanac for 5+. WAE sells
both in 15 and 25 book class sets and will include lesson kits and games
as well. Their website is www.waebooks.com. Once I'm done talking up
the almanacs and showing off some of the things we can do with them, I
start to let kids check them out (as long as they agree to keep the
books at school), and I can't keep them on the shelves some weeks!
****************************************
I have a set of 30 2003 Almanacs (I don't care what year they are) and
we look up all sorts of things...snowfall - US Cities, Presdients, what
day of the week they were on with the perpetual calendar etc.
The second lesson is a worksheet that I have with my CD1 ...and that is
working with the ONLINE Almanac. Figuring out what keywords to take from
the questions. We do that together in the library. When all the keywords
are written in, we then do the third lesson, which is on my website:
mikids.com ...4th grade: Almanac.
It's fun and the kids are checking out the Almanacs.
I love this lesson and so do they!
**************************************
I start dictionary use with 1st graders. We do very simple things like
finding words that they "know" how to spell and then investigating some
of the new words that are on that same page of the dictionary. It
becomes a contest to see who can come up with the most obscure word on
their page and they love it. By the same token, they learn about how a
dictionary is set up alphabetically and also learn something about how
to work on pronouncing some of those more difficult words. Really don't
have a reason for starting them so young with it other than to get them
into the habit of looking up words on their own rather than guessing
what a word means or going to an adult.
Alphabetizing is always a skill to work on also. We just use the
Webster's Student Dictionaries that we can get quite cheaply here for
starters.
Atlas--I usually start that with 2nd or 3rd grade. Of course being an
international school like we are it is much easier to get into things
like that since we quite often start out the year with the atlas and
globe and try to figure out how to get to the Philippines from our home
countries. Because so many of them have also been in various airports we
also try to figure out how many different countries they have visited
via an airport and try to place all of them on a world map. Once again,
I have no reason for it other than it is something the kids love doing.
Yesterday I had them going through an on-line encyclopedia that I have
for a free trial and I told them they could choose any of the "features"
to play around with once they finished the worksheet--almost every
single one of them chose a country comparison feature and were comparing
their home country to their friend's home country. Maybe it's just
because of the make up of our school but the kids really do love maps
and stuff like that.
**************************************
I use the World Almanac for Kids - primarily with fourth and fifth
grades. The kids absolutely LOVE using them. They are colorful and full
of kid-friendly information. There is also a really great game called
World Almania for Kids that goes along with the almanacs.
************************************
I introduce the idea of alphabetical order in 1st grade, but it's not
until second grade that I do serious work with it. I do my dictionary
unit in 3rd grade. A major teaching point, I've found, is encouraging
the use of guide words. It seems once students learn to use that their
ability to find words quickly goes way up.
I don't feel like Almanacs are relevant to today's research and spend
that time on search skills and internet safety instead.
**********************************
I love the World Almanac for Kids from this site
http://www.waebooks.com/.
I do not purchase it every year. One year I was able to use Book Fair
credits for a set of 20.
I start at grade 3. They are so excited to look at the books. I tell
them that this is one time they MUST TALK because they will find so much
to share in this book. They look at me strangely until they see the
books and start looking. I give them 5-10 minutes to browse before we
start to examine the table of contents, index, etc.
I have tried the World Almanac with sixth graders without much success.
***********************************
Hope this helps>
evie reakes
Evelyn Reakes, Media Specialist
Queen of Peace Academy
Gainesville, Florida
ewreakes@qopacademy.org
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