5 Ways to Improve Vocabulary for Your Homeschooler

By Sabrina on 16 August 2011 / Curricula, High School, Language Arts, Teaching, Writing / 7 Comments

Have you studied British Literature yet in your high school homeschool?

British Literature is a powerful way to earn an English/Language Arts credit in high school. Exposure to the great British writers- their styles and thoughts - can help your homeschooler grow in his/her communication and critical thinking skills.

7 Sisters' 120 page e-text will provide your student with a college-prep level British Literature credit. It can also be adapted to honors level using the suggestions in the book. It comes complete with study guides for nine books, including a "how-to" section, vocabulary, supplemental ideas, and answer keys for each guide. This book includes study guides written by Dr. Gerald Culley, Sabrina Justison, and Vicki Tillman.

This one-credit course is available for just $24.99, making smart use of your homeschool dollar!

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Words.

There is so much power in a well-chosen word.

Building strong vocabulary in our homeschools is so important.  Here are some fun ways to do that.

1.  www.freerice.com  For each answer you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme to help end world hunger.  The words get harder the more you get right.  This is a fun, rewarding way to work on vocabulary and bless those in need.

2.  Crossword Puzzles.  The clues given in crossword puzzles (even the "easy" ones in cheap books available at the dollar store) encourage the brain to think about words differently than it automatically would.  Even when a word is familiar, the clues suggest other uses for the word, other contexts in which the word may vary in shades of meaning.

3.  www.vocabulary.com The exercises here work with words in context, and if you get the answer wrong, hints are available, and an in-depth explanation of the word is given.  This is another way to learn shades of meaning for words with which you may have been familiar, but which are more complex than you realized.

A Tale of Two Cities Study Guide

4.  Literature Study Guides.  Lists of words drawn from a work of classic literature for the student to research and learn while reading the book integrate vocabulary learning with reading.  7 Sisters has study guides with vocabulary lists for lots of wonderful books!

5.  Study the Latin or Greek roots of many words in English.  There are many websites with great lists of common roots, so even if you've never had the chance to study Latin (I highly recommend doing it, by the way!) or Greek you can study roots with your student.  Learning the meaning of a single root can provide clues for decoding many English words that contain that root.

What are some effective ways your homeschool improves vocabulary?

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Poetry uses vocabulary words in new ways.  Check out the Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Guides to Writing High School Poetry in the EBookstore!  Introductory and Intermediate Guides are only $6.99, and this week the Advanced Guide is half-price, just $3.49!

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• Critical Elements of Literature Learning for Homeschoolers
• Step 5 in the Writing Process – The First Pass at This Thing
• The Only RIGHT Way to Teach Literature
• How to Choose Books for Homeschooling High School Literature