Wordstorming to Anticipate Content Laura Lundquist

What is Wordstorming? A way to get students to think about various new vocabulary used in a content area Students are asked several questions about the word The last question asks the students to write a meaningful sentence using the word.

Sample Wordstorming Questions 1. What is the word? Chrysalis 2. What does the word mean? The hard shell covering the pupa 3. What other words do you think of when you hear this word? Cocoon 4. Name two people who would use this word. Zoo worker, exterminator 5. What are other ways of saying the same thing? Hard shell 6. Make up a sentence using the word. Your sentence should tell what the word means without saying it directly. The caterpillar forms a chrysalis and hangs upside down.

Why would I teach Wordstorming? Effective pre-teaching activity Activates background knowledge Allows students to make connections between the new vocabulary words and the content area Can be used for any content area Can be adjusted for any grade level

How to teach Wordstorming Briefly introduce the topic you are going to be teaching Read a book, watch a video, etc Present the word, or words to the class Model how you would answer each question Elicit answers from students Give the students another word to wordstorm in pairs to allow them to practice the strategy and learn another word

After you have taught the students how to word storm they should be able to complete the worksheet on their own You can have students complete it in pairs or groups with each pair or group having a different word Once they have finished word storming they can share their results with the class Or they can compare results if some groups had the same word