Literacy Coach
LITERACY MATTERS
ALL THINGS LITERACY, BECAUSE LITERACY MATTERS IN ALL THINGS
Word Consciousness
Word Consciousness refers to ‘awareness and interest in words and their meaning’ Graves & Watts-Taffe, 2008. Teachers and family members who share their love for words (logophilia) and who provide engaging opportunities for children to interact with words both in conversation, reading, writing and research and creative opportunities, help to ignite this passion for words. It is a very effective way to motivate students to read and continue to build vocabulary and embrace the gift of words.
‘Vocabulary is more than words. It is knowledge. To know a word’s meaning is to know what that word represents and to begin to understand the network of concepts that go with it.’ Neuman and Darger 2009
Playing word games in the home invites children to become animated and motivated learners and can help struggling readers. Shared curiosity about words, word origins and word history, poetry, puns, proverbs and idioms and exposure to a variety of reading materials in the home can engage children in a thirst for new, rich vocabulary and a journey toward word consciousness. Vocabulary knowledge is one of the best predictors of reading achievement.
Word of the Week
Week 4
Timorously(adv) In a shy and nervous manner.
He spoke timorously at the meeting.
Week 5
Subrident (adj) - smiling slightly or showing a faint smile
She had a subrident expression during the conversation.
Mrs Maree McKelvie
Literacy Coach