Non-Linguistic Vocab Interventions

Sep 21, 2010 by Susan Fitzell

Many students who may need a vocabulary intervention are Bodily-Kinesthetic learners, meaning they learn through their bodies and they need to move to work to their highest potential.

The following ideas can help make movement be a positive learning force in your classroom:

1. Have your students act out vocabulary words with their bodies.  This will give them a visual picture to remember  their words.

2. Have the class clap out the syllables in the names of their classmates or their vocabulary words.  This is a great strategy for helping kids remember long and multisyllabic words.

3. Kinesthetic Alphabetizing: Put vocabulary words on individual cards and pass them out to the class.  Then have them move around the room and, at a signal from you, form groups (of five or less, depending on grade level and vocabulary) and line up in alphabetical order.

4. Kinesthetic Prepositions: Have students use an object such as a pencil and hold it in, under, over, next to, beside, or above their desk to act out prepositions.

5. Teach students to finger spell their vocabulary and spelling words using sign language- not only will they learn vocabulary, they’ll learn a great skill at the same time.

6. Build vocabulary skills at home: Suggest to parents that they turn on the closed captioning when their kids watch television.