Chapter 13
Word Consciousness
the interest in and
awareness of words.
Students who have developed
word consciousness:
Use words skillfully
Appreciate word meaning subtleties
Are curious about language
Like to play with words
Enjoy investigating word origins
Teachers can foster word
consciousness each and every
day by building a classroom
that is “rich with words.”
Teachers can also foster word
consciousness through the
use of:
Adept diction
Word play
Word histories and origins
Adept Diction
the skillful use of words in
speech and writing.
Should be found:
In teacher’s language usage
In reading texts
In student’s speech and writing
Beyond the classroom
Categorizing language
contributes to adept diction.
Synonyms: Words that are very close to the
same meaning.
Antonyms: Words that are opposite or nearly
opposite in meaning.
Homographs: Words that are spelled the same
but have different meanings and origins.
The ability to deal with figures of speech
is a part of word consciousness.
“Figurative language uses figures of
speech that enable speakers and writers to
express ideas in fresh, new ways.”
The most common figures of speech are:
Metaphors: A comparison of
two unlike things without using
the word like or as. (i.e. My
friend is a walking
encyclopedia.)
Similes: A comparison of two
unlike things using the word
like or as. (i.e. as easy as pie)
and…
Idioms: An
expression that
cannot be
understood by the
meanings of the
individual words
within it. (i.e. to be
in a pickle)
Bite the dust.
Word Play
A playful attitude toward words and language accomplished through
manipulating sounds, meanings, spellings and other word aspects.
Stimulates interest in and
curiosity about language
Improves reading and
vocabulary
Reveals language structure
Fosters independent learning
Engages students in
active, social learning
Builds on language
curiosity
Motivates students to
build on language skills
Types of word play
W ORD FORMATIONS
acronyms
ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan)
portmanteaus
motel (motel + hotel)
Word Histories
Each word has a story behind it which tells
why the word has come to mean what it does.
New words are coined to represent new ideas
or objects.
Old words can be applied to new situations.
Many words that were common in past years
now have different meanings or have become
obsolete.
Word Origins
Greek
Latin
Anglo-Saxon
Specialized words
used mostly in
science and
technology
Longer, more sophisticated
words used in formal
contexts, such as contentarea texts and literature.
Short, everyday words used
frequently in ordinary
conversation and beginning
reading texts.
Students who are word conscious are aware of the
words around them – those they read and hear and
those they write and speak. – Graves & Watts-Taffe, 2002
Word consciousness forms
the basis for a continuing
love of words and
language.
Adept diction is
essential for
sustained
vocabulary growth.
Word play helps
students become more
aware of the structure
and rules of language.
It also creates animated
and motivated learners.
Lesson Models for Word Consciousness
Animal Idioms
Benchmarks
ability to interpret
literal and figurative
idioms
ability to research
origins of idioms
See pages 580-583
Latin & Greek
Number Words
Benchmark
ability to understand
Latin and Greek number
prefixes
See pages 584-587
Antonym Scales
Benchmark
ability to identify
complementary and
gradable antonym pairs.
ability to scale
antonyms
See pages 588-591
Lesson Models for Word Consciousness
Web Word Web
Benchmarks
ability to use
modern homographs
ability to
understand that word
meanings change and
evolve over time.
See pages 592-594
Five-Senses
Simile Web
Benchmark
ability to use adept
diction
ability to write similes
See pages 595-597
Poetry as Word
Play
Benchmark
ability to use adept
diction in writing
ability to use synonyms
and antonyms
ability to write cinquain
and diamante poems
See pages 598-600
Lesson Models for Word Consciousness
Vocabulary HotShot Notebook
Benchmarks
ability to keep track
of target vocabulary
words
ability to extend
word use beyond the
classroom
See pages 601-606
Word consciousness is crucial
to learners’ success in
expanding the breadth and
depth of students’ word
knowledge over the course of
their lifetimes. ~Graves and Watts-Taffe, 2002