Boosting Vocabulary with Marie's Words

"It's so nice to hear the Queen's English in our small town. I can tell you read a lot and are not schooled in our system." 

This was the comment that my eye doctor shared at our last appointment as we were leaving. I really appreciated this assessment and encouragement about my boys. One of the things that I place as very high in our education is language and vocabulary. We live in a small rural town in Kentucky where the "hillbilly" is strong in action, accent, and words. Growing up outside of this area, everyone always acknowledged "you aren't from 'round here, are ya..." Speaking clearly, fluently, and using a variety of vocabulary is rare in our area. This is why we encourage reading books beyond reading level, read aloud regularly, and incorporate new vocabulary into our weekly studies. It can be hard to find an easy vocabulary curriculum, but I've found a routine using the vocabulary set Marie's Words to expand our word knowledge.

It is commonly recognized that the way you speak, especially the words used can really set someone apart. Think about all the stereotypes you know for a hillbilly and how they are portrayed language-wise. Now think about your British or Australian friends and how they talk. Vocabulary is so important, especially as students get older and closer to the testing they will have as a senior or for college placement/entrance. One of the sections on those tests is heavily vocabulary oriented which can be a challenge for children not previously exposed to bigger words. 

Enter Marie's Words. 
I did a review of Marie's Words back in 2016 which you can check out, but I will give a quick run-down. Marie's Words were created by a high school junior who was preparing for the SAT. To assist in the memorization of the words, the student drew illustrations that represented what each word meant. And just like that, Marie's Words was born! The original illustrations communicate the meaning of 550 words used in literature and standardized testing. Not only do you learn the meaning, but also the correct pronunciations, definitions, synonyms, and antonyms for each word. Each card also features a sentence in which the word is used properly. All of this is structured to SAT standards. The addition of the visual representation delivers a more complete way to learn and retain word meanings!

While we started strong, I took a break for a little bit. Last year, I realized I wanted to do this regularly again, so I started it over with BOTH of my boys this time. There are so many ways you can add them in, but here is the simple way we've done it.

Monday:

Each boy randomly picks a card from the box. 

I read the word and they look at the visual clue to see if they can guess what it might mean. Because of the very accurate visual design, they usually can get very close to the meanings. Once they have guessed, I read them the sentence to see if they can figure out if they are correct or not. Then we read the definition, part of speech, synonyms, and antonyms. Then I have them repeat the definition to me again. 

I typically grab 10 old cards and read them off for them to define so we always have a regular review.

Tuesday-Thursday
I hold up the card and say the word with the sentence on the back and they can guess. They usually get it right. 

We review 10 more old cards.

Friday
I pull 10-15 cards to put with our new ones. I make two columns on my whiteboard: words on one side and definitions (in random order) on the other. They each get a piece of paper and try to match the words with the definitions. This is a GREAT review WITHOUT the visual reminders to really try to cement the word with the definition.

One of their most favorite bonus activities for using these is when I deal them out 15-20 flashcards and then we do MadLibs. They have to use their cards for the parts of speech. They really love this and we laugh a LOT when we read everything. 

Take Away

Because we have been using these flashcards every week, the boys have recognized words in their upper-level books. My oldest found several of the words in his English curriculum and was glad to know that he didn't have to "learn" them. My boys have USED these words in their writing which makes me soo happy! I love it when they sneak it in without telling me. They've used it in their conversations too. I like to drop it in my own discussions. I also give "bonus points" if when we talk about definitions they define one term with a synonym from our words. 

At this point, we've probably learned 25% of the words--remember that there are 550 of them so this is still a large amount! I think some of our favorites have been wizened, pertinacious, spurious, ebullient, dither, zephyr, fecund, lackadaisical, fetid, and execrable. 

One of my boys can memorize the meanings very quickly and doesn't need the visual clues, but the other one relies heavily on the visual clues. This is why I try to mix it up to help get it all put together in their heads. 

We are adding about 2-3 words per week during the school year AND I continue to do it during the summer. At the rate we are going, we are doing 50+ words during a school year. We could do more, but I like the way we are working through this and it isn't overwhelming with everything else going on.

I hope that gives you another idea for how to make vocabulary fun in your homeschool--or even just your home! 

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