Word
Week
Word of
of the
the Week
MSD School-wide Vocabulary List (2013-14) 1st Round
WOW
Dates
Word
Definition
Root/Ex.
Sentence
Prompt #1
Prompt #2
8/268/30
gusto (noun)
Hearty
enjoyment;
zest
(L) gustus - taste
Let’s begin this new
year of learning with
gusto!
9/29/6
aspire (verb)
To have a great
ambition for
something; to
seek; to desire
earnestly
(L) aspirare ad - toward +
spirare - breathe
We all aspire to learn a Identify something you
aspire to do.
plethora of new
WOWs this year!
Compare the things you
aspire to do, and the
things you’d rather not
do.
9/99/13
distinguished
(adjective)
Characterized by
excellence
(L) distinguere - to
separate
We are fortunate to
have a plethora of
distinguished people
to represent us in our
community!
Identify someone who
you feel is a
distinguished person.
Describe the life story of
a distinguished person
like the first U.S.
President, George
Washington.
9/169/20
homage
(noun)
Respect;
reverence; honor
(L) homo - man
How important it is to
pay homage to the
men and women who
defend and protect us!
Identify a reason why it’s
important to pay
homage to your
grandparents.
Describe why we pay
homage to our 16th U.S.
President, Abraham
Lincoln.
9/239/27
attribute
(noun)
A quality
considered as
belonging to a
person or thing; a
characteristic
(L) attributas - ad - to +
tribuere - assign
Perseverance is an
important attribute of
successful students.
Identify an attribute of a
good swimmer.
Describe why kindness is
an important attribute
of people who work in
hospitals.
Identify a time you did
something with gusto.
Compare things you do
with gusto, and things
you do with boredom.
confident
Do you remember another WOW that had the root fid in it?
CONFIDENT.
When we debuted confident, we mentioned that fid from fidere
means faith or trust... so since we all now know that con means with,
confident means with trust.
So what about perfidy?
Since per means through, and fid means trust. perfidy translates to
deception through trust! Pretty sinister, eh??!!!!
And there you go…
MEC Weekly Bulletin
First Grader Melvyn: “I concur”
“The real success is in hearing students throughout the school, from kindergarten through
fourth grade, using these words in conversation. The WOWs have become part of everyday
language at MEC and throughout our community.”
--Linda Grace
Fourth Grade Teacher
Resemble
1st Grade WOW Sentence
Readers
"Vocabulary is one of the skills I
focus on as a speech therapist. As
the WOW words are directly taught
and supported in my sessions, my
language delayed students have the
chance to learn along side their
peers and feel a sense of belonging.
The look on their faces when they
use a WOW word independently is
priceless. It is especially rewarding
because it is usually unprompted
and done with such confidence in
an area where they have had
limited success in the past."
--Marcia Baer
Speech/Language Pathologist
Carl’s “Glistening” Head
“Having worked in the
public school system
since 1991, I have NEVER
witnessed an initiative
that has so grabbed the
attention, fascination,
and participation of
students , faculty, and
support staff! (And
anyone who can make a
reference point of my
glistening head is OK by
me!)”
--Carl Wolfe
Custodian
“Yesterday one of the
outside maintenance
employees used the word
plethora when speaking to
us. This program is making
an impact throughout the
district as well as the
community. My hat goes
off to all the people
involved in making the
commitment to educate
our students as well as
everyone they touch.”
--Priscilla Faller
Cafeteria Manager
“Students who once exhibited little interest
in literacy are now proudly proclaiming that
they discovered a WOW word in a book, on a
sign or on TV. The adults in the school are
not immune to the enthusiasm. We have all
become WOW detectives, pointing out a
WOW word when we hear it, or crafting an
e-mail carefully so that it includes a WOW
word. The WOW initiative has transformed
what was once thought of as a dull concept vocabulary - into an exciting, enriching
adventure that has captivated us all and
encouraged us to speak with APLOMB, using
an enriched vocabulary.”
--Karen Madeira
Guidance Counselor
“It's amazing to see our English Language Learners include the WOW words in their daily oral
language and also in their writing. We have students taking ownership of the words and
using them naturally. For example, one of our second grade students recently wrote a journal
response mentioning a plethora of butterflies. Plethora was a WOW word introduced last
school year. How wonderful it is to see our English Language Learners using these words even
a year later!"
--Amy Bright and Aimee Colindres
ESL Teachers at MEC
"It is a pleasure to see students' faces light up when reading a newly checked out library book
and discovering a WOW word--they are quick to show their classmates and teachers the word
and read the sentence to all. They have also discovered that they can count on certain authors
to use robust vocabulary and they rush to borrow their books. Who knew that the silly and
exciting Dragonbreath series was also chock full of WOW words!“
--Theresa Diaz
Librarian
“We firmly believe that education is the key to personal advancement and hence societal advancement and
know the key to education is reading. The clever use of our town’s name and local Reading leaders to
promote reading was a fabulous idea to energize the kids, teachers, parents, and community to encourage
reading, learning, and community.”
--Dr. Denny DiRenzo
Rēading Pediatrics
“One word at a time, the Word of the Week has truly manifested
itself to have transformed what literacy and vocabulary look like in
our school and in the greater Reading community.”
-- Steve Baylor
Principal, MEC
“The WOWs are unforgettable: multiple exposures – school-wide focus – community
involvement – student friendly definitions – motivates children to find words in
multiple context – transfers vocabulary research to best practice.”
--Dr. Beth Puschak
Reading Supervisor
Muhlenberg School District
“As a key component of our literacy program, the WOW provides our children with
opportunities to acquire “deep” knowledge of words and the ability to understand and use
words appropriately and flexibly in various contexts. We are delighted with the community and
business support for our WOW Initiative and are looking forward to becoming the Reading
Capital of the World.”
--Dr. Vlacia Campbell
Assistant Superintendent
Muhlenberg School District
“My daughter Rachel is in 1st at MEC. I just want to express
how pleased I am with the education my daughter is
receiving at MEC. Last night as we were leaving the Dr. Seuss
event she used the word cacophony in a sentence to
describe the noise from all the people at the event. I don't
remember the exact sentence because I was in complete
shock that she used that word. I never heard it before so I
asked her what it meant. She proceeded to explain it to me.
She has used the words of the week on several occasions
already.
I love that they are learning these challenging words and she
is able to use them in conversations. “
--Naomi Negron, Parent
Our MEC students are learning about word roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Students are utilizing
the WOW words throughout their daily language and writing. In addition, they can not wait to
let you know about a WOW word sighting from a book, commercial, or TV show which in turn,
becomes something that expands and deepens over time.
--Leslie Boyer
Third Grade Teacher
“WOW words have become
a virtual lingua franca at our
school. As I use them in a
demonstration lecture,
students' eyes brighten,
hands go up and
anticipatory fidgeting
begins as students
recognize the WOW. WOW
words light up the
classroom dialogue;
students are excited and
have completely ‘bought
in’.”
--Maureen Yoder
Art Teacher
“I think that building word root knowledge has helped my kids
to expand their vocabulary and become more aware of the
words around them. A few weeks ago, we were reading a
passage on a transcontinental railway. One of my students
raised his hand and said trans means across so does it mean
across the continent? He was very excited that he could figure
that out using his word knowledge. “
--Tara Nelson
Fourth Grade Teacher
WOW Sighting!
“My students can't wait to show me a
WOW in their books, magazines, on TV,
and even on a box of Mac-n-Cheese!
They show me variations of the words
and ask, "is this okay?" Of course it is!
(Which leads to a mini-lesson on word
roots, suffixes or prefixes.)
This year, we have used the WOW
program for our second year. It's
amazing when the students find a word
from LAST year, that they still remember
and know, and ask to show it to their
first grade teacher. The words are
sticking. The children are learning!”
--Crystal Chwatek
Second Grade Teacher
“An effective teacher has a positive impact on her students'
learning and on their dispositions toward learning. The "WOW"
project has exceeded the normal expectancy for making a
positive impact: the whole community is involved in expanding
the knowledge of vocabulary based on roots. Businesses,
medical offices, and radio stations have adopted the "WOW"
philosophy. What a tribute to the teacher who planted the seed,
and the school who helped nurture its growth. How fortunate for
the children (and all community members) who have the
opportunity to be "wowed" with this authentic learning
experience.”
Annemarie B. Jay, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director of Reading Programs
Widener University
• These slides represent the enthusiasm and
dynamic engagement of our students, staff, and
community around vocabulary development. At
our presentation we look forward to sharing with
you a plethora of information and the tools you
will need to incorporate this initiative into your
educational setting as well.