Support Different Learning Styles With the Word Wizard Dictionary

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There is no one-size-fits-all method for effective vocabulary instruction. The Word Wizard Dictionary provides support for your students' different learning styles.

Auditory Learners

Students who absorb content best by listening will find the audio features of the dictionary particularly useful. Encourage students to listen to the word and then repeat it to themselves, like truck. Auditory listeners may also benefit by working in pairs. Have one student type in the word and then click the sound icon. The other student can then repeat the word and use it in a sentence.

You can also assign auditory learners sets of words that rhyme or focus on alliteration. After they've listened to those words, ask them to come up with other examples of their own. They can then test the rhyme or alliteration by listening to the words.

Auditory learners may find homophones particularly tricky. These are words that sound alike but have different meanings. Word Wizard provides homophone notes for words that sound alike. Direct students to some examples to explore homophones, and explore the clues that help a listener distinguish among them. (Examples include ad/add, brake/break, cell/sell, and waist/waste.)

Visual Learners

Students who learn best by seeing will benefit from the image features of Word Wizard. Words accompanied by a photo icon , such as the word "couch" have photographs or illustrations. Words with video icon , such as the word "commute" feature short video clips to demonstrate the meaning in action.

For visual learners, direct students to a highly visual feature, such as Scholastic's top news story. With the Word Wizard dictionary window available on every page, students can engage visually and simultaneously get the support they need for meaning and sound.

In addition, the interactive aspect of reading online, including polls, comments, and simply choosing where to navigate within the site, engages students in learning vocabulary on a deeper level.

Differentiated Learning

The students in your classroom most likely represent a wide range of vocabulary levels. The most important way that Word Wizard accommodates differentiated learning is through the floating dictionary window that appears on Scholastic's articles and activities. Using the dictionary window, each student is free to look up all the words-- and only the words— that he or she needs to know.

With Word Wizard's Mini-Dictionary Maker, it is easy to customize lists specific to the level and needs of each student. In addition, you can refer to the Your Recent Words list to see what words a particular student has been looking up. This feature can provide you with insights about a particular student's needs.

Active Learners

As every elementary school teacher knows, many students learn best with their whole bodies! For these active students, it may be best to move away from the computer. Using Quiz Maker , print out words and definitions, cut them apart, and create a matching game. Try our Get Up & Move Word List (PDF) for kinesthetic activities.

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