Vocabulary sentences you write
beat "use the word in a sentence"

Vocabulary instruction should begin with exercises to connect the words to be learned to something students already know. Properly constructed, your introductory exercise can not only activate knowledge but also expose students to the appropriate English usage for that particular word.

Introduce vocabulary words

Here's a good way to introduce a vocabulary words that you want students to learn.

Begin by introducing each word to the class so students hear it and see it. Briefly give the word's main definition(s).

(I suggest you introduceno more than five words at a time to students before having them work with vocabulary sentences that connect the new information to their experience.)

Next give students a written copy of the word list and definitions you just presented. For each vocabulary word, provide the start of a sentence using the word for students to complete with something from their experience that fits the meaning.

All too often word list definitions are incomplete and thus misleading. The teacher-created vocabulary sentences help correct for that problem by showing one way in which the vocabulary word is used.

Sample vocabulary sentences set

Below is a set of five vocabulary words with brief definitions drawn from SAT test preparation materials definitions. Beneath each one, I've added a vocabulary sentence designed to show how the word is used and to prompt students to connect this new vocabulary word to something already in their knowledge base.

Explicit: Very clear
I must be explicit when I tell my mother... _________________________________________

Anecdote: short account of something interesting; story
I like it when President Obama tells an anecdote about his daughters because... _________________________________________

Candid: truthful
I don't think BP oil company was entirely candid when it said ... ________________________________________

Dispassionate: unbiased; fair
One place where only dispassionate people should be allowed is... _________________________________________

Hypothetical: based on guesswork; not proven
Somebody who did something wrong, like breaking a school window, might try to find out what the punishment for that offense is by asking a hypothetical question such as... _______________________________________

Value of teacher-created sentences

It is better for you to write the sentences than to have students "use the word in a sentence" because you know how educated people use the word. Or if you don't, you know enough to look it up.

Without such examples, students who are told explicit means very clear might create a sentence such as, "Cleaning windows with vinegar makes them explicit."

Writing your own sentences also gives you a convenient way to connect your lesson material to events and experiences that are on the students' minds without taking your class time to discuss extracurricular material.

The vocabulary sentences provide valuable formative assessment. From looking at the responses, you will get a good idea of what you will need to teach to give students a correct understanding of the meaning and usage of their English vocabulary words.

For example, students may have no difficulty using three of five unfamiliar words based solely on their definitions. The other two are the words you will need to work on most.

Other vocabulary exercises you probably will need to do with students are:

• Words in context.

• Various forms of the word.

• Identification of structural elements, such as roots, prefix, and suffix.