Explore new words and examine an unusual alphabet book with your young scholars. They are introduced to an alphabet book containing many unfamiliar words. They are then guided as they search for definitions in a dictionary. They then...

Third graders practice dictionary skills. They use a digital camera and insert pictures from a floppy disk into a document. They play a game in which they are handed an anonymous definition of each other and must find each other in class.

Second graders create a reading, vocabulary,picture dictionary on the computer. They participate in becoming familiar with some basic capabilities of a word processor. They build vocabulary, spelling, and dictionary skills, reinforce...

Students explore vocabulary by analyzing the current events. In this dictionary addition lesson, students discuss a news topic about word additions into the Oxford Dictionary. Students complete a list of activities about the story...

Who named the shapes, or the days of the week? Should words be removed from the dictionary if they're no longer commonly used? Are there too many words in the English language? Language arts students explore these and additional...

Students illustrate Spanish phrases. In this Spanish language development instructional activity, students work in pairs to illustrate phrases, then copy the phrase in Spanish and English. The class uses the illustrations to create a...

Students construct a geography dictionary. In this geography lesson, students work in small groups to construct a dictionary of geographic terms. Students use illustrations and descriptions to develop their geographic dictionaries.

Students create dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy, using events and biographies from both their state's history and U.S. history.

Third graders examine the concept of alphabetizing. They develop a class dictionary, creating definitions of themselves, and typing in their names, pronunciation, and the definitions, and inserting their picture into their document.

Create a fun song for your young learners! It should include each of their names and use rhyme to make it memorable. Then show the class a picture dictionary, and have learners make their own class dictionary! If you have time, consider...

Middle schoolers read a chapter in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and define new words for their dictionaries. In this vocabulary lesson students choose two or three assignment from a list of projects and complete...

Students create picture dictionaries to encourage the development of letter-sound recognition. For this alphabet project, students cut out pictures from magazines and glue them onto tagboard, and then write the name of the picture below...

Elementary schoolers discover that the world is at their fingertips as they acquire new vocabulary. Several suggested activities and strategies are provided here, building new reading and oral vocabulary. 

Students, assessing a variety of formatting tools with Microsoft Word, utilize a bank of vocabulary words to make a personal dictionary of nouns. They classify nouns for people, places, things and ideas and separate them into common and...

Using context clues, synonyms, antonyms, dictionaries, and original sentences, middle schoolers work through a new list of vocabulary words. A SMART board file guides them through the process of learning and reinforcing the words. After...

No wonder the ship was called the Titanic. An investigation of Norse, Roman, and Greek Mythology provides insight into mythological characters and corresponding words in the English language. A close look at roots, prefixes, and suffixes...

Use pictures and manipulatives to develop vocabulary with your beginning language learners. This plan can be used with foreign language learners (although you'll have to provide the vocabulary), English language learners, or a young...

You can use this lesson with English language learners, a young language arts class, or speakers of a foreign language. The phrases learned are I need and I don't need. The teacher collects several items around the room, and learners...

Create a picture dictionary for one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. After readers finish The Tempest, they assign each letter of the alphabet to a concept or character, and add a description and evidence from...

Third graders explore various media. They identify the characteristics of various sources and use that material effectively. Students identify the characteristics of Dr. Seuss' work and the characteristics of a dictionary. They create a...

Students explore healthy foods and dictionary organization. Students create a list of healthy foods. They construct their own food dictionary, with illustrations. Students model how a dictionary page should be filled with a picture,...

Duke Ellington, jazz, and jive kick-off a fun and creative lesson on responding emotionally to music. The class will learn about jive talk used in the 1920s and the life and music of Duke Ellington. They'll listen to a selection of his...

Students practice looking up the definitions of words using a dictionary. They put the defintion of the word into their own words. They create a PowerPoint slideshow to show illustrations related to their vocabulary words. Using the...

Use online dictionaries to define vocabulary words and create a visualization of word meanings through digital art. Middle schoolers go online to define assigned vocabulary words. They visualize the meanings of the words in photo...