Collecting Long Words
Collecting long words is reading strategy that helps to improve word knowledge. Students are asked to collect long words that they are able to read (Caldwell, Jennings, and Lerner, 2014). By doing this, they develop awareness that they are able to pronounce many long words and are able to use these words to figure out words that they do not recognize. By building students’ big words vocabulary reduces the threat that big words often pose to struggling readers. The more familiarity they have with using and reading big words, the more their comfortable they will become in learning more big words. Practicing and learning long words also helps students develop and practice decoding skills, as well as strengthen their knowledge of word parts.
How to Implement This Strategy in the Classroom
First, ask students to collect a list of long words that they find interesting or particularly important as they read. It is recommended that students do not select words they do not know because this may be threatening for struggling readers. Teachers can give students a list of targeted words that they can use to find words being studied in class or that will be found in upcoming texts. Next, put the long words on display in the classroom and discuss them. Ask students what those words bring to their minds, how to pronounce them, and how to divide the syllables. Discuss the words in context of the text, this helps struggling readers combine context clues and phonics when studying the long words. Caldwell, Jennings, and Lerner suggest limiting students to two or three very important or interesting words per reading as to now overwhelm them (2014). Finally, have students write each word on an index card. This is a great way for students to take pride in the amount of words they have learned, as the pile grows larger. This activity can be made more complex by asking students to search for big words that fit into suggested categories like adjectives or synonyms, prefixes or affixes, or specific spelling pattern words. This is a great way for students to acquire proficiency with multisyllabic words and develop a level of comfortability with large words.
How to Implement This Strategy in the Classroom
First, ask students to collect a list of long words that they find interesting or particularly important as they read. It is recommended that students do not select words they do not know because this may be threatening for struggling readers. Teachers can give students a list of targeted words that they can use to find words being studied in class or that will be found in upcoming texts. Next, put the long words on display in the classroom and discuss them. Ask students what those words bring to their minds, how to pronounce them, and how to divide the syllables. Discuss the words in context of the text, this helps struggling readers combine context clues and phonics when studying the long words. Caldwell, Jennings, and Lerner suggest limiting students to two or three very important or interesting words per reading as to now overwhelm them (2014). Finally, have students write each word on an index card. This is a great way for students to take pride in the amount of words they have learned, as the pile grows larger. This activity can be made more complex by asking students to search for big words that fit into suggested categories like adjectives or synonyms, prefixes or affixes, or specific spelling pattern words. This is a great way for students to acquire proficiency with multisyllabic words and develop a level of comfortability with large words.