Developing word consciousness through discussion, research, and reflection.
Every year, Word of the Year programs stimulate interesting discussions about the state of the world and our culture. While most of these conversations begin on the Internet or social media, they can start at home or in the classroom. We would like to provide some activities to get your students excited about participating in choosing the Wordsmyth Word of the Year.
- The question of importance: why does this word matter? Why has the word become part of our cultural discussion? Who is it important for? When your students select the word they want to be the Word of the Year (WOTY), ask them to think about why that word matters, and to whom. What ideas does the word call to mind? Does the word relate to their personal values, or reveal a concept they want to learn in the coming year? Are there multiple meanings that revolve around a central idea?
- Discussion and dialogue. Students can discuss these words and compare their choices for WOTY. These discussions provide practice in talking about words and their meanings. This meta-cognitive and meta-linguistic discourse is important in building their capacity to communicate effectively.
- Research and reflection. Next, students can research their word to learn more about its meanings and why it has become part of our cultural discourse. If their word has multiple definitions, they could focus on a specific meaning or consider how the meanings interact with each other. How do these meanings relate to their goals or values? In some cases, the Wordsmyth dictionaries may contain interesting “Word History” paragraphs to show younger students how their word has changed over time.
- Using the word. Finally, encourage students to use these words in guided assignments to show their understanding and appreciation for these Word of the Year nominees. Writing assignments are a great go-to exercise for using a Word of the Year. Students can write about what their word means to them, or how it impacts the world at large. These exercises also encourage creative writing through poetry and short stories inspired by each student’s choice of a WOTY. Their writing may even lead to an “extended definition” essay. Other activities might involve learning about how the student’s WOTY choice has been used in the news and media. Science and social studies classes can use a specific Word of the Year to engage students in discussing current events.
- Share Your Words. After your students have chosen their Word of the Year, encourage them to share it! Create a class word cloud to show the different words students picked. Then, to show students’ individual choices, have them create posters or collages to display in — or outside — the classroom. Powerpoint presentations are another great way to share. Each student can make a slide giving the reason they chose their Word of the Year. The slides can be compiled into a slideshow to share with other classes, teachers, and parents.
How do you use Wordsmyth’s “Words of the Year” in your classroom? Let us know in the comments, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
Don’t forget to review our nominations in detail, and vote for Wordsmyth Word of the Year 2020.
Happy Wordsmything!