Vocabulary Development for Gifted Students

Advanced vocabulary development is essential for students for many reasons. It not only helps them excel at college admissions tests, it also helps them succeed in a wide variety of endeavors. For example:

• Increasing vocabulary encourages the use of more descriptive words when writing or speaking and enables one to communicate thoughts more clearly.
• Understanding the meaning of a wide range of words enables better reading comprehension, thus increasing retention.
• A large vocabulary helps verbal communication flow smoothly and eliminates unnecessary noises such as "umm" and "uhh" when speaking.
• Using richer and more colorful words projects a more intelligent image.
• Having the right vocabulary for planning and solving problems helps students maximize their thinking skills.

There are many ways that students can increase their storehouse of words. They can

• increase their vocabulary significantly by reading widely and actively, noticing and looking up new words as they read. Students should also seek out classics and other books that require them to pay close attention and think deeply about language and ideas.
• explore fun and relaxing ways to learn new words, such as solving crossword puzzles and playing word games. These activities help students to not only learn new words, but also learn alternative meanings for words.
• deepen their vocabulary further by studying the meanings of root words, as well as prefixes and suffixes. These devices help students intelligently guess the meanings of words that they do not already know. They also help students gain a broad understanding of language.
• experiment with the words by using a thesaurus when while writing. Young people will not only learn new words this way, but they will also gain a richer appreciation for choosing the right word in a sentence.

 

The following websites represent just a few of the online activities that encourage students' vocabulary development:

• FunBrain: Rooting Out Words has good exercises for students in elementary and middle school.
• Language Arts Games features a variety of vocabulary games for all ages, ranging from simple games for elementary school students to advanced games and quizzes for high school students who are studying for the SAT and ACT.
• Number2.com offers free online test preparation, including a vocabulary builder. This website includes practice sessions that adapt to a student's ability level. The website requires students to set up a free account.
• SuperKids: PSAT and SAT Vocabulary Flashcards and Matching Games allows students to study and learn more than 1,000 words that are frequently found on the PSAT and SAT exams.
• Word Games From Merriam-Webster has more than a dozen different online word games that students may enjoy.

Mensa for Kids Website

Mensa, the high IQ organization, has website titled Mensa for Kids. The site provides

• numerous interactive educational games and puzzles
• a monthly feature written by Mensa members on a wide variety of topics
• lots of information and resources for parents and teachers, including articles, booklists, lesson plans, and Internet resources
• additional resources for kids, K-12

The site is colorful, easy to navigate, and continues to grow in content. It is one more worthwhile resource you will want to bookmark.

More Academic Competitions for the Gifted

Academic competitions can provide higher level learning for gifted students. (Check the index in the right-hand column of this blog for more competitions.)

• The National Geographic Bee—This is an educational program of the National Geographic Society. It is a nationwide geography competition for U.S. schools for grades 4–8, designed to encourage the teaching and study of geography.
• National History Day Contest— Students in grades 6-12 discover and interpret historical topics related to an annual theme. They produce creative and scholarly projects in the form of exhibits, documentaries, historical papers, or performances.
• National Spelling Bee—This is the one you've read about and seen in movies. It begins with a school competition and progresses to a national competition.
• Word Masters Challenge—This is a classroom competition in language arts for grades 3-12. The emphasis is on vocabulary, analogies, and analytical reading.

Although many competitions are initiated at schools, homeschoolers often group together to participate. Some competitions are also available to individuals.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of competitions. Many others are available—some that are well run and some that are not. Find out as much as you can about each competition or contest before entering. Some ways to find competitions are to

• Explore your favorite search engine on the Internet. Search the words "competitions" or "contests" and add the words of the subject in which you are interested (i.e., art, French, writing, etc.). You might even try adding the name of your city or state.
• Academic Competitions is compiled by the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. It is organized by subject area.
• Book: Competitions for Talented Kids: Win Scholarships, Big Prize Money, and Recognition—This is a treasure trove of information on selecting, entering, and competing in national contests. It also features complete information on who to contact, how to enter, prizes, judging criteria, contest origin, significant dates, and tips from the contest organizers themselves.

Vocabulary Enrichment for Gifted Kids

There are so many ways to enrich vocabulary and word usage at home. These should be fun and challenging activities for everyone.

Begin reading out loud to children at an early age, and don’t stop as the kids develop their own reading skills. Shared reading is beneficial into the teenage years and beyond. In addition to reading aloud, share with one another the interesting parts of books that each member of the family reads. Excitement about reading is contagious.

Use big words at the dinner table. Don’t talk down to children. It is only by hearing big words that those words become incorporated into everyday vocabulary. Young people will figure out the meanings of many words through context. They can ask you about the meanings of the ones they don’t understand.

Play family word games together like Scrabble, Boggle, and UpWords. Crossword puzzles and other word puzzles are also fun to do together. Games and puzzles also increase vocabulary and help one to look at words in unusual ways. Inexpensive word puzzle books are available in the magazine sections of grocery stores and drug stores. Word games and puzzles are also available on the Internet. Some of the many sites available are

• Interactive WordPlays
• Dictionary.com
• FunBrain.com
• Vocabulary.com 
• Mirriam-Webster Online