Words of the Week!! Weeks 8/8 to 9/24
23 words
4 learners
Learn words with Flashcards and other activities
Other learning activities
Full list of words from this list:
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lucid
transparently clear; easily understandable
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ornate
marked by complexity and richness of detail
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caucus
meet to select a candidate or promote a policy
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ingrate
a person who shows no thankfulness or appreciation
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protean
taking on different forms
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immunity
the condition in which an organism can resist disease
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segregation
the act of keeping apart
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contempt
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
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propitiate
make peace with
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gesticulate
show, express, or direct through movement
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nebulous
lacking definite form or limits
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phenomenon
any state or process known through the senses
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innocuous
not injurious to physical or mental health
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demagogue
a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
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tangible
perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
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perceptive
of or relating to awareness via the senses
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plagiarism
taking someone’s words or ideas as if they were your own
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dexterous
skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
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presumptuous
going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
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animosity
a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility
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recalcitrant
stubbornly resistant to authority or control
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loathe
dislike intensely; feel disgust toward
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shrewd
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
Created on September 18, 2012
Each week we spotlight a few of the the top dictionary lookups based on what is trending in the news, and go in-depth about their meanings, context, and origins.
The Words of the Week — Apr. 14
Lookups from fashion, social media, and politics
The Words of the Week — Apr. 7
Lookups from religion, publishing, and politics
The Words of the Week — Mar. 31
Lookups from social media, international affairs, and Florida
The Words of the Week — Mar. 24
Lookups from the weather, the courts, and politics
The Words of the Week — Mar. 17
Lookups from the law, politics, and springtime
The Words of the Week — Mar. 10
Lookups from politics, the law, and public opinion
The Words of the Week — Mar. 3
Lookups from basketball, medicine, and politics
The Words of the Week — Feb. 24
Lookups from politics, meteorology, and the weather
The Words of the Week — Feb. 17
Lookups from the worlds of railroads and automobiles, law, and from newspaper style guides
The Words of the Week — Feb. 10
Lookups from the State of the Union, the Grammys, and Turkey
The Words of the Week — Feb. 3
Lookups from cyberspace, the environment, and entertainment
The Words of the Week — Jan. 27
Lookups from politics, AI, and the family Salamandridae
The Words of the Week — Jan. 20
Lookups from Congress, Hollywood, and the Supreme Court
The Words of the Week — Jan. 13
Lookups from politics, more politics, and even more politics
The Words of the Week — Jan 6
Lookups from the weather, the royal family, and the House of Representatives
The Words of the Week — Dec. 30
Lookups from aviation, politics, and the holidays
The Words of the Week — Dec. 23
Lookups from the weather, the law, and social media
The Words of the Week — Dec. 16
Lookups from politics, social media, and crypto
The Words of the Week — Dec. 9
Lookups from American history, artificial intelligence, and the law
The Words of the Week — Dec. 2
Lookups from geology, politics, and the world of sports
The Words of the Week — Nov. 18
Lookups from Dickens, politics, and poetry
The Words of the Week — Nov. 11
Lookups from politics, cryptocurrency, and veterans
The Words of the Week — Nov. 4
Lookups from social media, publishing, and politics
The Words of the Week — Oct. 28
Lookups from Congress, elections, and product recalls
The Words of the Week — Oct. 21
Lookups from politics, education, and gaming
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Word of the Day
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With its 120th word, Word of the Week has now come to an end. We hope you enjoyed this free feature and that it has given you an insight into the thinking and research behind the English Vocabulary Profile.
All 120 are still available to read in our archive, below. Each Word of the Week in the archive is followed by a link to the full entry for that word on the English Vocabulary Profile. To view the entries, you will need to subscribe to the EVP: to subscribe for free click here.
Word of the week: narrow
The word narrow is an adjective and a verb, but only the adjective is known prior to the C levels, in the meaning of NOT WIDE. At C2, the further adjectival meaning of LIMITED is added, as in narrow interests and a narrow interpretation of the law. The phrase a narrow escape is also at C2 and is reproduced in the entry for narrow and also in the entry for escape. The English Vocabulary Profile is an online resource, without the space constraints of a printed book, and so is able to be more user-friendly in this respect, duplicating phrases to multiple entries and avoiding the need for cross-referencing. As for the verb narrow, there are two meanings at the C levels – MAKE SMALLER at C1 and BECOME LESS at C2 – as well as the phrasal verb narrow sth down at C2. There is a separate entry in the English Vocabulary Profile for the compound adjective narrow-minded, at C1 level. Running a ‘wild card’ search for similar compound adjectives (typing *minded in the Search box) yields open-minded at C1 and broadminded at C2. It is interesting that the latter adjective tends to be produced as one word rather than being hyphenated, like the other two.
To view the full entry for narrow on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
Word of the week: gather
The verb gather seems to be known by learners from B2 level. Two meanings – COME TOGETHER and COLLECT – are listed at B2 level, with a further meaning THINK added at C1. The C1 meaning is used mainly in spoken English, but we have also found examples of its use in our written learner data. Also at C1 is the phrase gather speed/strength/support, etc. Verb-noun collocations such as these are important ones to know at an advanced level and learners appear to be acquiring them systematically from C1 onwards – the learner example in the entry includes the phrase gather momentum. The entry for gather in the online resource also has a Word family panel, displaying the verb and its related noun gathering, which is listed at C1 level.
To view the full entry for gather on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
Word of the week: under
The preposition under is known even at A1 level in its core meaning of LOWER POSITION. The frequent meaning LESS THAN, as in under £20, under the age of ten, under 50% seems to be known from A2 level. Further phrases with under are included at the higher levels, such as be under the impression at B2 and be under way at C2. Under also occurs in the common idioms down under, under your nose and be/feel under the weather, all of which are included at C2. It is possible to search for idioms as a separate category in the English Vocabulary Profile – for example, to find all idioms containing the word under, type this word in the Search box and select ‘idioms’ in the Category menu of Advanced search. Under is also used as a prefix and a wild card search (typing under* in the Search box) will return all the words in the English Vocabulary Profile that start with under, including underdeveloped, underestimate, undergo, underline, underlying, etc. To narrow your search for a particular level, for example C1, select ‘C1 only’ – this will restrict the search results to the words and phrases that are thought to be new for learners at C1 level.
To view the full entry for under on the English Vocabulary Profile, please click here.
Vocabulary acquisition is essential to improving students reading and writing skills. The question is, how can we expose students to more sophisticated language and make sure it sticks? Word of the week is one of the ways.
Some Benefits of Word of the Week
As teachers, we know that unfortunately not all students come into our classroom with an adequate level of vocabulary knowledge. This can hinder their ability to communicate through their writing and speaking as well as impact their reading comprehension.
The more exposure to vocabulary we can give to students, the better.
Word of the Week can help students feel confident using more elaborate words in their oral and written communication. It also helps them become part of their personal vocabulary word bank.
The breakdown of the activities gives students the opportunity to really master the words as well as other words related to it through synonyms and antonyms.
The simplicity of Word of the Week and the impact it can make on students’ vocabulary is also a great benefit. Teachers love that it only takes a few minutes to incorporate daily and that students really enjoy the activities.
How to Implement Word of the Week in the Classroom
After reading about the benefits of implementing Robert J. Marzano’s Six-Step Process to help students master new vocabulary words, I introduced the Word of the Week. It was an addition to the other vocabulary acquisition opportunities we had going on in our classroom.
I developed a list of 36 words for my 4th graders and another list for my fifth graders. I chose commonly used words found throughout grade level text that were challenging to many of my students. Then, I created an organizer to help my students routinely implement the first 3 steps of Marzano’s process with ease. That included: 1. provide a description, 2. provide an example, and 3. construct a picture of the term.
This process is weaved into our classroom morning routine. It has been a great way to help increase students’ vocabulary acquisition, and has quickly become one of our favorite (and most competitive) vocabulary activities.
To help the routine run smoothly and efficiently, we follow the schedule below:
- Monday: Students write down the word of the week, the part of speech, and its definition. (This covers step 1 of Marzano’s Six-Step Process.
- Tuesday: They look up and discuss synonyms and antonyms. Having them find synonyms and antonyms helps them expand their vocabulary even further.
- Wednesday: I share with them the use of the word in a sentence. Then, they write their own sentence. As they write their sentence, I walk around and read them. I provide scaffolding for those students who need it. A couple of the best sentences get chosen to be posted up in the classroom on an index card. (This covers step 2.)
- Thursday: Students illustrate their sentences. According to Marzano, “this third step in the process is crucial – having students represent their understanding of a new term by drawing a picture, pictograph, or symbolic representation. When students do this step well, achievement soars.”
- Friday: Students rate their understanding. This helps me get an idea of who is feeling confident and who still needs extra exposure. Students also share their worksheet with a partner. Giving students a chance to share is a form of best practice. We know that students tend to do their best work when they know they will be sharing their work with someone other than the teacher.
You can sign up below to receive this free worksheet in your inbox and start using it in your classroom immediately.
If you’re looking for more word work and vocabulary acquisition ideas, check out this Prefixes and Suffixes Blog Post. It also includes a FREE worksheet your students can fill out as you introduce a new Prefix and Suffix to them.
As you can see, Word of the Week can be a quick activity with many benefits. In as few as 5 minutes a day, students can truly master a variety of new words.
So what’s all the hype about Word of the Week? It comes down to the simplicity of the idea and more importantly the huge impact it can make in expanding your students’ vocabulary as well as improving reading and writing.
Vocabulary is a critical factor in the development of reading skills and comprehension. Unfortunately, not every student comes to school with an adequate level of vocabulary knowledge to support reading success. The more words your students know, the easier it will be for them to read and understand what they have read.
As we know, reading and writing skills are closely linked and each helps improve the other. Introducing your students to challenging words through Word of the Week can help to increase your students’ confidence to use sophisticated language in their writing and begin to understand the power of words.
If Word of the Week is something that you would like to try in your classroom, read on to access our Word of the Week teaching resources and information that you need…
Word of the Week PowerPoints – Foundation Year to Year 6
We have created a Word of the Week PowerPoint for each Primary School year level. Each presentation includes teacher notes, 40 slides and activities that introduce new vocabulary. Each slide includes:
- a new word
- the definition of the word
- an example sentence, showing the word being used in context
- a question or activity for the students to discuss
- words that are similar or relate to.
The vocabulary chosen for each year group has been carefully selected by our talented team of Resource Content Producers. There is a steady progression in the difficulty of the words across the year levels and the presentations for lower years include illustrations to support comprehension.
Word of the Week Flip Books
Our new Word of the Week Flip Books are a great addition to our Word of the Day/Week Collection. They are a brilliant alternative if you have limited access to an interactive whiteboard and a great addition to a Word of the Week classroom display. There’s a flip book for each year level.
We recommend giving these flip books justice by printing them in a larger size. You can either bind the flip book or punch holes at the top and use card rings or keyrings to hang your flip book.
Word of the Week for Lower Years
For lower years, Word of the Week should be all about getting your students excited about learning new vocabulary, having fun and exploring new words through play and discussion.
Word of the Week activities for lower years should include:
- brainstorming other words that have a similar meaning
- putting the world into real-world context
- making connections between words and the lives of your students
- exploring new vocabulary through movement, drama and actions
- games
- music.
Movement, Drama and Actions.
Can you imagine the buzz in the classroom when you ask your students to show you what sort of actions a beast would make?
Here are some other examples of how you and your students can explore new vocabulary through movement and drama:
- Word of the Week: giggle – What does your giggle sound like? How is your giggle different from your friends? Can you giggle like them?
- Word of the Week: paddle – What action would you use to paddle?
- Word of the Week: dance – What is your favourite dance move? Where did you learn it?
Remember that Word of the Week is all about loving language and having fun, especially for lower years.
Word of the Week Poster
For upper years, we have created a Word of the Week Poster that includes a variety of tasks to give context and meaning to a new challenging word. It is ideal to use as a whole class vocabulary activity or as part of your English Group Activities.
The teaching resource encourages students to deconstruct the word, identify it’s meaning and to use the word in a written context. This activity works very well as an English Group Activity or a whole class activity. You can easily support less confident students by encouraging them to work with a partner.
Word of The Week Homework Activity
Word of the Week provides a great opportunity for meaningful homework activities. Here are some ideas that you might like to include as part of your homework matrix:
- Create a Word of the Week poster to illustrate it’s meaning.
- Find and cut out examples of Word of the Week found in newspapers or magazines.
- Use word of the week in a conversation with your family and explain what it means to an adult.
- Write a synonym for Word of the Week.
- Find Word of the Week in a dictionary. Record the dictionary definition.
Word of the Week Roll a Dice Activity
Rolling dice is a great way to generate six different activities related to your Word of the Week. Use our Dice Roller Widget to take this activity to the next level.
When using the Dice Roller Widget, you could either roll 1 die for the whole class or roll up to five dice to assign different tasks to different groups. Simply roll the dice and ask your students to complete the corresponding activity. For example:
Roll 1 – Write your word in a sentence.
Roll 2 – Draw a picture to express the word.
Roll 3 – Write a newspaper headline that includes the word.
Roll 4 – Write the definition of the word.
Roll 5 – Find the Scrabble score of your word.
Roll 6 – Count the number of vowels and consonants in your word.
For independent fast finisher activity, allow your students to collect a die and work through the tasks, rolling the die until all six tasks have been completed.
Word Tile Total Activity
Your kids will love building your Word of the Week with these Giant Letter Tiles. They are available to download in Giant Uppercase Letter Tiles or Giant Lowercase Letter Tiles.
Word Tile Totals
If you are looking for a more structured task why not try our Word Tile Total Activity? This teaching resource encourages students to think mathematically while developing their spelling skills. It can also be used as one of your English Groups Activities or fast finisher activity to revise and revisit challenging vocabulary from Word of the Week.
Each week, encourage the students to spell out Word of the Week using the word tiles and to calculate the word score for the word. When you have recorded ten words, challenge your students to calculate their overall word tile total!
Word of The Week Revision
Remember that children need to be exposed to new vocabulary multiple times before they understand it. A great way to do this is to use your Word of the Week and revisit it daily by using our Word of the Day Spinner.
Simply add your Word of the Week or create a list of words that your students have learned so far and press spin for instant activities. You can even customise the activities by selecting from lower, middle or upper years activities.
Spin activities for middle years include:
- using the word in a compound sentence
- writing 3 clues which would help someone to guess the word
- writing a list of synonyms for the word
- writing a list of antonyms for the word
- brainstorming a list of other words related to the word
- …and lots more!
Whole School Initiative
Be that person who is brave enough to suggest a Word of The Week whole school initiative. Just think of the huge impact that you could create and the positive difference that you could make by expanding the vocabulary of the students across all year groups.
This is one of the easiest whole school initiatives to implement because everything you need is there at the click of a download button. All you need to do is provide each year group coordinator with the Word of the Week PowerPoint and the corresponding Word of the Week Flip Book! All your colleagues need to do is commit to sharing the word of the week on Monday morning and following it up with a few fun activities.
Big Words for Little Geniuses
By Sue Patterson, James Patterson, Pan Hsinping
Ages: 4-7
Published: 4th September 2017
Hardcover available at Booktopia
eBook Edition on iBooks and Google Play, Kindle edition on Amazon
This New York Times bestselling picture book is a fun book to share with your students. For each letter of the alphabet, a sophisticated word and its definition is given. Your students will love to learn this adventurous vocabulary. You might even have some trouble reading some of these words! But hey, there presents another learning experience as you model how to sound out tricky words and decode them! Here’s one for you…
Arachibutyrophobia (Ah-RACK-ee-byoo-tee-ro-FO-bee-ya)
Arachibutyrophobia is the alarming fear of peanut butter sticking to the top of your mouth!
Research suggests that vocabulary is enormously important to children’s development and you as their teacher can make a huge impact on your students’ vocabulary knowledge. A wide knowledge of vocabulary improves all areas of communication — listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Word of the Week is a quick and easy way to make a massive difference to your students’ futures.
Don’t hesitate, just do it. Try Word of the Week in your classroom and spread the word.