The Science of Reading: Vocabulary

This new paperback edition of the Oxford School Dictionary of Word Origins gives an engaging insight into the origins of the everyday language we use. It provides additional language support and information through funny and absorbing word histories, feature entries on especially curious,"yucky", and "mind-boggling" words, and a full thematic section on words from the worlds of food, fashion, dinosaur names, invented and onomatopoeic words and much more. John Ayto, top word expert, entertains all ages from eight to eighty with this informative and humorous dictionary and languagereference tool. Free downloadable learning resources, word games, puzzles, and much more are available for additional online support at www.oxforddictionaries.com/schools.

Where do words come from?―Teaching kids ages 9 to 12 vocabulary through word origins The English language is made up of words from different places, events, and periods of time. Each of those words has an exciting story to tell us about where, when, how, and why they came about. Once Upon a Word is packed with easy-to-understand definitions and awesome word origin stories. With this dictionary for kids, you can understand the history and meaning of English words, improve your vocabulary and spelling, and learn to play with language. Explore how weird words like gnome, fun words like zombie, and common words like caterpillar came to exist. Discover why some words sound funnier than others (like cackle, sizzle, and twang) and why some groups of words start with the same few letters (like hydrate, hydrogen, and fire hydrant). In this dictionary for kids, there's a whole world of English words to uncover! This unique dictionary for kids includes: Roots & branches―Learn about the building blocks that make up words, called roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Kid-friendly definitions―Look up definitions designed for your reading level in this dictionary for kids. Word tidbits―Find out where your favorite food words got their start, from bacon to marshmallow, spaghetti, yogurt, and beyond. See how the English language evolved with this colorful dictionary for kids.

Many teachers are frustrated with not only how spelling traditionally is taught, but also with finding time to support young spellers with explicit strategy instruction. So Mark Weakland has developed Super Spellers, an approach to teaching spelling in a way that is research-based, focused, developmentally appropriate, and tied to authentic reading and writing.   Mark does not advocate for adopting a new "spelling program"; instead he shows you how to transform what you're already doing. He's made spelling instruction approachable and completely doable.   Super Spellers first helps teachers understand what their students need through frequent formative assessments. The book then focuses on the scope of spelling instruction and goes deeper into teaching more words and directly teaching spelling strategies to increase students' word-solving skills. Once kids are comfortable and competent spellers they become super readers and writers, too.   In addition to step-by-step guidance, each chapter features an "If you only have 10 minutes" segment with suggestions for things you can implement immediately and a list of PD questions. The appendix contains word inventories, a sample scope and sequence, examples of spelling list transformation, and word ladder activities.  

Spelling can be a source of anxiety for school children and working professionals alike. Yet the spelling of words in English is not as random or chaotic as it is often perceived to be; rather, it is a system based on both meaning and a fascinating linguistic history. Misty Adoniou's public articles on the processes of teaching and learning spelling have garnered an overwhelming response from concerned parents and teachers looking for effective solutions to the problems they face in teaching English spelling to children. Spelling It Out aims to ease anxiety and crush the myth that good spelling comes naturally. Good spelling comes from good teaching. Based on Misty Adoniou's extensive research into spelling learning and instruction, this book encourages children and adults to nurture a curiosity about words, discover their history and, in so doing, understand the logic behind the way they are spelled.

"There is a myth that English spelling is unnecessarily complex, and it is spread by those who don't understand the writing system. Spelling for Life offers lucid, accessible tools which help to reveal that, when explicitly and systematically taught, spelling is scientific, law-abiding and even elegant. Using a synthesis of theory, research and teaching experience, the fascinating nature of English spelling is systematically teased out. The examples and exercises throughout offer an encouraging, accessible way to implement the program of study and strive to reveal the beauty of spelling. Spelling for Life enables teachers and students to: learn what the common spelling coping strategies are gain insights into undoing poor spelling habits work together to reveal patterns not only in regular spelling, but also in words which on the surface seem to break the spelling rules practise successful spelling strategies, progressing from simple to complex words rapidly and with confidence. This new and improved edition includes updated spelling techniques as well as new chapters on orthographic mapping, spelling assessment, teaching consonant clusters well and suffixing rules. Aided by example lessons, formative assessments, unique tools, a scope and sequence and extensive practice lists, this highly acclaimed overview of spelling succeeds in developing theory and practice in the writing system for teacher and student alike"--