Story+vocabulary

Story Vocabulary
As vocabulary is a key componant to reading and all it offers, I enjoy a small competition with my students. When our new story of the week is to be introduced and I've assigned the story to be read, it is valuable for the student to have a chance to do their own preview and become familiar with the story. As they read the story by themselves, I encourage them to have a notebook or tablet with them and jot down words for our class discussion another day. They can follow these criterion:
 * Words that are brand new to them.
 * Words that seem familiar but not really sure.
 * Words they know but very rarely use.
 * Words with multiple meanings and what meanings they had in the story.
 * Words with unusual spellings and/or pronunciations.

During our discussion of the story, we will spend some time looking at vocabulary. As I go through my list, I tell them what words I found and we discuss their meanings and other interesting tidbits. They will then get a point for each of the words that match my list which they can use to get awards or prizes. This is also a good way to hear what they found and either update or expand my list for future years.