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Newsletter #398: Vocabulary / Basic Skills Series, Part 3 - Archived Online. Since 1980 The Teaching Home has provided families information, inspiration, and encouragement from a distinctively Christian perspective. Co-Editors: Veteran Homeschool Sisters, Sue Welch and Cindy Short |
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Benjamin, 8, and I were playing Boggle. He spelled the word "pire."
I told him that was not a word. He said, "Yes it is, Mama. You know it is in the song 'Pire in the Blood.'"
Submitted by Kathy B., Banner, Mississippi.
Send your humorous anecdote to publisher@teachinghome.com.
1. God loves you.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
2. Man is separated from God by sin.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) For the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23)
3. The death of Jesus Christ in our place is God's only provision for man's sin.
He (Jesus Christ) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
4. We must personally receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (Eph. 2:8, 9)
Immerse your family in God's truth through systematic reading and study of God's Word.
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It is important for our children (and ourselves) to build a good collection of the most essential communication tools — words.
You will find many vocabulary-building activities in the article below. Your enthusiasm in studying words together as a family can help your children love and enjoy learning words, their meanings, and appropriate usage.
May the Lord bless you and your family for His glory.
Build Your Child's Vocabulary
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First, we should note that an expanded vocabulary is not for the purpose of impressing people, but to enhance communication.
A clear understanding of a large number of words is a valuable asset to any person. It allows him to:
• Understand what others say or write
• Effectively express his own thoughts and feelings.
Well-chosen words give to both speech and writing the increasingly rare qualities of accuracy, clarity, sensitivity, impact, and even beauty.
A good command of vocabulary contributes to success in life-long learning, in interpersonal communication within family or other relationships, and on the job.
Teach and Learn Words in Context of Life.
1. Extensive reading (or listening to audio tapes) of good books will naturally add many words to your vocabulary. Older books have larger vocabularies than more recently published books.
2. During oral reading (yours or your child's), daily conversations, or family Bible reading, stop to ask and answer questions about the meanings of words that you think your child might not know. Also explain the meanings of any new or important words that you wish to emphasize.
3. For young children, you can insert a known synonym after an unknown word as you read or speak. This will help them understand you and learn vocabulary without stopping your reading or speaking.
4. Keep a dictionary nearby so that you can easily look up a word without a long interruption.
5. If you know of unfamiliar words, or words you want to emphasize that will be encountered in your reading, define them before you start and have your children watch for them.
6. Teach words in context, not in isolation. Always use the word in a sentence after reading or explaining its definition.
7. Encourage your children to ask questions when they hear or read words that are new or confusing.
8. An electronic or software dictionary may encourage your child to look up words. Some have a feature that pronounces the word.
9. Practice using new words in sentences and daily conversation. Share the new words with Dad when he comes home or at the dinner table.
10. Use billboards, signs, ads, and newspapers to introduce new and different uses of words.
Study Related Words Together.
11. Learn both synonyms and antonyms of a word to more clearly define it and help your child remember and use it.
12. When you are studying a word that has a homonym (a word pronounced the same as another, but differing in meaning), explain it and learn its spelling so that confusion will not arise later.
13. Explore the depth and shades of meanings or connotations by looking the word up in a thesaurus. Discuss differences in meanings of words that are similar, but not identical, such as giant and huge.
Learn the Building Blocks of Words.
14. Develop word building skills by learning the origins of words, roots, and compound words.
15. Learn common prefixes and suffixes such as:
ab- (away from)
be- (on all sides, overly)
de- (reversal, undoing, downward)
dis-, dif- (not, reversal)
ex- (out of, former)
pre- (before)
re- (again, restore)
un- (do the opposite of)
ad- (to, toward)
com-, con-, co- (with, together)
en-, em- (in, into, to cover or contain)
in- (into or not)
pro- (in favor of, before)
sub- (under, beneath)
Learn New Words Systematically and Regularly.
16. Study all aspects of a word, such as its
Origin
Meaning and Connotations
Spelling
Pronunciation
Usage
17. Cover all vocabulary skills, including:
Input: Understanding the word used in context when reading or listening.
Output: Ability to use the word in speaking or writing (includes spelling).
18. Read a dictionary together -- especially a children's dictionary with illustrations. Read a page or column each day and you will be surprised at the words you find and the opportunities you will have to use them. There are also daily calendars that have a vocabulary word for each day of the year.
19. In a good dictionary, look for the usage of the word, i.e., when to use which word, and which preposition is usually used after it. (The American Heritage dictionary has usage entries.)
20. Teach your child to use specific words rather than generic ones to enlarge their vocabulary and communicate more accurately. e.g., instead of top, use blouse, T-shirt, dress shirt, turtle neck, or sweater.
21. Most good reading, writing, or spelling curriculum includes some vocabulary study. Or you can purchase vocabulary-building texts, flashcards, or audio tapes and books on word origins (etymology).
22. Every area of knowledge has its own special vocabulary that helps to accurately define its unique information. These words need to be learned well in order to master the subject matter. In fact much of a subject can be learned by simply studying and learning the definitions of the special words.
Play Word Games.
23. Play word games such as Scrabble, Bananagrams, Upwords, Boggle, Taboo, Hangman, and crossword puzzles that challenge vocabulary skills. Some games have Bible versions. (Good gift ideas.)
24. Make up oxymora (the plural of an oxymoron). An oxymoron is a paradox (meanings which are contradictory to each other), reduced to two words, usually adjective and noun (eloquent silence) or adverb and adjective (inertly strong). These are used for effect, complexity, emphasis, or wit. Which are most commonly used, funniest, or best make a point?
25. Make up Ink-Pinks by defining and then guessing rhyming pairs, e.g., an "unhappy boy" is a "sad lad." A two-syllable combination is an Inky-Pinky, e.g., a "comical rabbit" is a "funny bunny." You can do three or more-syllable words as well (Inkety-Pinkety, etc.).
It is evident from Scripture that God places great value on words, provided they communicate truth in an honorable manner.
God directed Adam to name the animals, Noah to preach to the perishing, Moses to issue the Law at Sinai, and prophets from Samuel to the Apostle John to deliver many vital messages to His people or to their enemies. He has inspired every word of our Bible, preserved it over the centuries, and fulfilled His promise to bless those who read, meditate on, and obey it.
The importance God gives to the concept of communication is reflected in one of our Lord's names – the Word (John 1).
1. Study what God Says about Words and Their Use.
It is enlightening and profitable to study what God has to say about words and their use. You can do this by using a concordance or the search feature of an electronic Bible or Bible software program to look up related words. Some words to study include:
word(s)
speech, speak, spoke(n), spake
tongue, lips, mouth
read, write, written
book(s), Scripture(s)
communication, answer
law, statute, testimony, judgments
command(ments), precepts
instruction, teaching
You can also use a topical Bible, cross references, or subject searches to find related passages.
Some key Scripture passages about words include:
2. Study Vocabulary Uniquely Used in God's Word.
Another valuable study would be to list, define, and study vocabulary words that are special to the Bible or its teaching. For example:
Faith, Salvation, Repentance
Justification, Reconciliation, Sanctification
Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent
Infallible, Holy
Sacrifice, Offering
Psalm, Parable
Prophet, Priest
Prayer
Communion, Baptism
Gospel
Creation, Incarnation
Heretic, Abomination, Enmity, Condemn, Blasphemy
Trinity, Eternity
Forgiveness, Atonement, Passover
Some of these words are not found in the Bible, although the doctrines they represent are there. Others of these words are used differently in the Bible than in modern literature and need to be understood in their biblical context. A Bible dictionary would prove useful in this study.
3. Use Word Studies
To Better Understand God's Word.
Sometimes more than one Hebrew or Greek word has been translated by one English word. One example is love, which is agape in John 13:34-35 and phileo in John 16:27.
Other times the same Hebrew or Greek word may be translated by two or more English words. For example, agape is love in I John 4:19, but charity in I Corinthians 13.
You can find out which word is used in a given verse by reading an interlinear Bible that gives the original language directly under its English translation.
You can get the same information from some concordances and at the same time find all the other verses that use the same original word, whether or not it is translated the same.
Such word studies can enrich your understanding of Scripture if you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you (I Corinthians 2:9-16) and compare each verse with others on the topic to get the whole counsel of God on the topic.
It is especially enlightening to identify distinct meanings when a word seems to be repeated in a passage. For example, in John 21:15-17 Jesus asked Peter twice if he loved Him (agape). Both times Peter answered that he loved Him (phileo). Then Jesus asked if he loved Him (phileo). This grieved Peter, but he answered that he did love Him (phileo).
4. Use Words To Spread God's Word.
For a Christian, the most important use of words is to persuasively communicate God's Word, His love, and the Gospel to those around us. II Corinthians 5:14-20.