It may seem like teaching vocabulary is just one more thing you need to somehow fit into your day. You may be wondering, “How do I have the time to fit in a vocabulary lesson into my already packed day?” Well, it can be easier than you may think and take little to no additional time in your day. Here’s how you can teach vocabulary in Kindergarten if you're short on time.
What are the benefits of vocabulary instruction?
Teaching vocabulary is just as important as teaching phonics, math, or writing. Studies show that a high vocabulary helps children have better reading comprehension and later attain higher reading scores. Do you remember having to study vocabulary for the SATs and ACTs in high school? That vocabulary instruction starts from birth. The more you talk with children, the more exposure to new words they get. We also know that daily vocabulary greatly benefits English Language Learners, especially in the younger grades. Children need to be exposed to new words to build their vocabulary.
A student having a wider, more advanced vocabulary will also be more successful with writing. Think about Kindergarten writing- it is mainly simple sentences, such as “The dog is brown. The dog likes to eat.” Now, if a student has a bigger vocabulary and uses it in everyday language, the more likely they are to use more vivid words when writing. Those sentences may become more descriptive. For example, “The fluffy, brown dog likes to eat delicious food.”
To sum it up, more vocabulary equals higher reading comprehension and more detailed writing. As students get older, their vocabulary will expand, as will their reading comprehension and writing. However, how do we find the time to teach vocabulary in an already packed day?
How do I find the time to fit in a vocabulary lesson?
Most school days are planned out by the minute. Rather than trying to find 10 minutes to teach an explicit vocabulary lesson, you can incorporate vocabulary instruction multiple times throughout your day!
Incorporate vocabulary into all subject areas
One way to teach vocabulary in Kindergarten is to incorporate it with all subject areas. When students are learning shapes, like trapezoids or rhombus, that can become a vocabulary lesson. When you are teaching phonics and they sound out a word like “den”, that can become a vocabulary lesson. You may not even realize it, but you are probably teaching vocabulary throughout your day with different subject areas. Some curriculums even come with a word of the week or a vocabulary word that goes with the lesson. Make sure you are taking the time to teach those words when you are teaching other subjects.
Teaching vocabulary with everyday conversations
When having conversations with students, do not talk to them like they are 5 years old. Use bolder language to describe things and talk to them using higher-level vocabulary words. This exposure to new words is the perfect learning opportunity. If you’ve ever watched the Disney Junior show “Fancy Nancy” she has a great way of incorporating vocabulary into her everyday conversations.
For example, in one episode she says, “This is my tiara”, then she adds “that’s another word for crown.” You can use that same prompt when talking with your students. I liked to read Fancy Nancy with my students and talk about some of the “fancy words” she uses once we start writing independently.
Teaching vocabulary during read alouds
One of my favorite things I did with my students was a daily read aloud, that was not an actual reading lesson. This story was usually a holiday or seasonal-themed book or just a fun book that my students enjoyed. You can find my favorite read alouds here. During this read aloud, I read mostly for fun, but did tie a little vocabulary instruction in it too. If we came across a word that my students may not know, I stopped and asked them what they thought the word meant. Sometimes I would write it down on the board, and we would revisit it later that day to see if they remembered what their new word meant.
Another way is to tie it into your daily reading lesson. Before you read a text, find 2-3 words that students may not know and talk about the words as you read. Just like we ask reading comprehension questions, we can ask what they think words mean. Stop as you read to have students tell their partner what the word means or have them use it in a sentence. Sometimes the word will be illustrated in the picture and you can point that part out so they can visualize it better. This is an effortless strategy that can be used in our everyday vocabulary instruction in Kindergarten.
Of course, if you do have the time to teach vocabulary, go for it! I suggest doing a “word of the week” or one of these other activity ideas found in this blog post here. You can also check out this blog post with 5 quick and simple vocabulary activities.