This concrete vocabulary strategy will appeal to your students at all levels from gifted range to students with learning disabilities, attention deficit and kids falling between the cracks.
Fold a sheet of paper vertically. As you can see from the photo, cut a horizontal fringe from the outside to the fold. The number of cuts is determined by number of vocabulary words and the grade level of your students. I like to give students 4-5 vocabulary words but then ask them to add to their “personal list” from the content. Young children will need wider and fewer flaps than older students.
How to use it:
There are four steps. List one word per fringe on the outside. Open each fringe and ask students to draw a visual cue that helps them recall the meaning. Directly across from the visual, students will write the meaning. Turn the fringe book over and ask students to write a short sentence using the word on the back.
Use blank paper or fold a page of lined paper in their spiral vocabulary notebook . You may decide to make a template with words provided and lines indicating where to cut. See what would work best in your classroom. Your hands-on kinesthetic learners will love this strategy! Providing a list of words for everyone to learn but then encouraging students to add their own vocabulary is a simple way to differentiate instruction.
You’ll find 12-15 more vocabulary strategies in The Teacher’s Toolbox for Differentiating Instruction – 700 Strategies, Tips, Tools and Techniques.
