 Advanced Vocabulary |
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Nationally recognized vocabulary expert Michael Graves has written that there are four essential strategies for teaching vocabulary effectively: providing rich and varied language experiences; teaching individual words; teaching word-learning strategies; and fostering word consciousness (The Vocabulary Book, 4-8). Meta-threads implements all four of these strategies. |
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Steven Stahl and Katherine Dougherty Stahl are to Vocabulary Experts who explain the power of teaching individual words in the same manner as Meta-threads. “Consider the power that a name gives a child. Now this is a table and that a chair…. Having a name for something means that one has some degree of control…. As children get more words, they get more control over their environment… To expand a child’s vocabulary is to teach that child to think about the world.” |
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It is estimated that the average fifth grader will be exposed to approximately 10,000 words during the fifth grade alone. It is nearly impossible for a teacher to teach each of these words. Therefore, building word consciousness with Meta-threads and providing word learning strategies through explicit lessons on prefixes, suffixes and roots along provides students and kids with the power to figure out new words, to self-teach. |
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According to Vocabulary expert Michael Graves, “Students should have a receptive vocabulary of about 50,000 words by the time they graduate high school. Only a small number of these words can be directly taught.” Meta-threads helps teachers, parents and schools teach words that we wouldn’t otherwise have time to expose our students to. |
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Studies show that students with richer vocabularies perform better in school and on tests. The reason is because different words are not just a different way of saying the same thing. |
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Each of the more than 500,000 words in the English language represents a different concept. A wider variety of words means a deeper understanding of myriad concepts. It allows students to more easily and fluently recognize nuances. |
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Researchers have found that many schools lack consistency of approaches to vocabulary curriculum within their districts and sometimes even within their same buildings. Meta-threads provides an anchor for any vocabulary and language building curriculum because Meta-threads are portable, versatile, and highly visible throughout your school and beyond the walls of the school! So even when school is out, your child is still learning! |
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So, if you’re a parent or a teacher, lobbying for Meta-threads in your school is one way to enhance your child’s learning environment. They have to wear clothes to school anyway, why not be learning from those clothes in a fun, stylish, and immersive way!! |
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Click on the links below for activities and lessons on how to enhance your child or student’s vocabulary and language skills. |
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Also, if you want to learn more about the research and references that supports Meta-threads, check out our Curriculum and Resources page. Here you will find all of our references and additional resources.. |
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