Expanding Vocabulary Instruction

Expanding Vocabulary Instruction

Good vocabulary skills can make such a difference!  Understanding the connotations and the multiple meanings of words and recognizing the imagery in a reading passage allows us to get so much more out of it.  Figurative language and analogies add to our enjoyment of reading.  And for kids, those advanced word attack skills can mean the difference between OK reading skills and excellent ones.

Planning lessons for these skills can be time consuming.  To be really effective, the lessons will have to include enough practice, and that means enough content – plenty of words to work with, words that suit both the kids and the topic you are teaching.

That’s why, over the past few years, I’ve taken some time to put together sets of task cards for practicing these skills.  The sets are designed just for middle school and upper elementary kids with plenty of good content.  Each set has thirty large cards.

For word connotations, I’ve included lots of different activities on the cards. Here are the types of activities included:

  • Connotation or Denotation?
  • Positive and Negative Connotations
  • Illustrate the Connotations
  • List in Order
  • Choose the Best Definition or Word
  • What Did They Really Mean?
  • Replace Words
  • List Words

Connotations Task Cards

The figurative language and imagery set was fun to make.  I included a little of each –  similes, metaphors, personification and hyperbole, as well as imagery based on the five senses.

Figurative Language and Imagery Task Cards

Analogies can be a lot of fun for kids, because they’re really just puzzles, but solving word puzzles likes these builds brain power while the kids are enjoying themselves.  This set has plenty for middle school and upper elementary kids to try their hand at, not too hard and not too easy. (at least that’s what I was aiming for!)  There are lots of different types of analogies in the set.  The tasks include:

  • Complete the analogies
  • Choose the correct type of analogy
  • Identify the type of analogy
  • Illustrate analogies
  • Write and illustrate analogies

Analogy Task Cards

There are so many great activities for multiple meaning words.  I’ve tried to include a few of as many different types of activities as possible.  My favorite is having kids define a word as it is used in context, and then having them think of another meaning and drawing a picture that illustrate that second meaning. The activities in the set are:

  • Choose the meaning that fits the sentence.
  • Write multiple meanings.
  • Write meaning to fit sentence.
  • Search for multiple meaning words in sentences.
  • Illustrate the meaning.
  • Use word in two ways.
  • Search in paragraphs.
  • Choose the meaning that fits the picture.
  • Match sentences with word meanings.
  • Identify multiple meanings based on parts of speech.
  • Replace words

Multiple Meaning Word Task Cards

If you would like more details about any of these task card sets, click on one of the image above to see the preview.  They’re all in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Classroom in the Middle.

Related Resource

Vocabulary Task Card Bundle - Word Power    Prefixes Suffixes and Roots Bundle     Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots Task Card Bundle

Expanding Vocabulary Instruction

Expanding Vocabulary Instruction


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