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farm-full of rich vocabulary words

home / reading / vocabulary / farm-full of rich vocabulary words
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I always cringe when I hear parents talking in baby voices and using baby words when interacting with their not-so-babyish children. Or other people’s not-so-babyish children, especially once those kiddos are out of Baby Bjorns and are walking, jumping, feeding themselves, and hanging up their own coats at preschool.

I usually bite my tongue, but what I want to yell is something along the lines of C’mon, Buddy. Are you serious? Vocabulary is a critical component of reading success! Get crazy–use bigger, better words–they can handle it! And they’ll love you for it later!!

Part of what I love about the rich literature available today is stumbling upon a well-written book that plays with words–one that goes beyond “nice, good, bad”.

One of our old-time favorites, The Farmer, by Mark Ludy is a great piece of literature on so many levels, but I’ve had vocabulary on my mind ever since reading an article on Word Consciousness early this week, so that’s what Maddy, Owen, and I talked about when Maddy chose this at bedtime tonight: vocabulary.

  • Farm-Full of Rich Words: The Farmer is an incredible story about a generous and hardworking farmer who loves his animals and his farm, and even when times are tough, the farmer remains steadfast in his devotion to God and in his kindness to others.

Not only does the story provoke thoughtful discussion, the illustrations are gorgeous. The colors are vivid, and the characters–people and animals–are developed through careful detail and expressions.

The whole work comes together in a really amazing way that makes it hard not to fall in love with the farmer, his animal pals, and okay, even the Frump Family who turns around in the end.

So tonight, when Maddy chose the book, she said, I know you like this one, Mom. She was right.

We read the story, like we usually do, and we searched on each page for Squeakers. But instead of sliding by some of the more challenging words, tonight I stopped–briefly–to chat about them.

The Farmer makes me want to dance.

After the farmer re-plants his crops, I read, ‘He is patient. He perseveres. And when soft rains fall, he kneels in thanks.’ I said, The farmer ‘perseveres’. He worked really hard after the fire; he re-plants his crops, and he doesn’t give up. He perseveres. What do you think ‘perseveres’ means?

Maddy said, Um, maybe that he’s a hard worker?

Owen added, That he is a hard worker, and he’s not crying.

I said, You’re right. The farmer is a hard worker, and he’s not crying or giving up. He’s determined to get his farm growing again. He’s working hard even though things are tough. When you persevere, you work hard even though things are not easy, and you don’t give up.

Maddy said, Kind of like he’s determined?

Yes. Woo-hoo! You got it.

We also talked about “pleasant”, the “mature” garden, and “bounty”. We didn’t talk long; I tried not to break the flow of the story, but we talked long enough.

This was also not our first reading of the book–we’ve had it for years and years, so their familiarity with the text also allowed me more time to stop now and again.

Tomorrow, and for the next few days, I’m going to try to use these words in our every day conversations so that Maddy, Owen, and even Cora can add them to their working vocabulary. We’ll throw around a few high-fives and woo-hoo’s when they use them. And I’ll probably even do a little dance.

fyi: This kind of word consciousness, or being aware of new words, new ways of using words, and talking about those super-cool words we run across every day, is an integral component of language development and one of the predictors of success in reading comprehension.

When children are word conscious, they “are motivated to learn new words and able to use them skillfully” (Lane & Allen, The Vocabulary Rich Classroom: Modeling Sophisticated Word Use to Promote Word Consciousness and Vocabulary Growth, in February 2010’s The Reading Teacher.)

And really, why wouldn’t we want our kiddos to play with words and to develop their vocabulary? Vocabulary knowledge has long been identified as one of the best predictors of reading comprehension, reading performance in general, and school achievement (Lane & Allen citing Davis; Thorndike; Beck, McKeown, & Kucan in the article mentioned above).

another fyi: Not only do I have a secret crush on Mark Ludy (I seriously Googled him years ago because after falling in love with The Farmer; I was convinced he’d be a perfect match for one of my good pals, but he was already married), but now I also love him because his website rocks, he and his wife and three kids run a coffee house in Colorado, he blogs, and he spends time chattin’ with people about writing, art, following your dreams, and faith.

What’s not to love?

(And thanks to Amazon.com for the photos from the book!)

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Good-bye to the ole, crappy, tinfoil chocolates. Weโ€™re taking fun, new, and different candies each day of the month!

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Celebrate, we will! โ€˜Cause life is short but sweet for certain. . . 

What a weekend. So incredibly proud of all of these talented athletes!

๐Ÿ† 3rd in the state of Maryland for @sherwoodcheerleading ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿค

UMD Womenโ€™s Basketball won todayโ€” great job by @marylandcheer โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ–ค

#lovethesegirls #cheerweekend #marylandlife #lifeinmaryland #moco
View
Open
This Sugarfina Advent Calendar is what your teens want. 

$33 shipped TO YOUR DOOR w my 10% off and FREE SHIPPING!

Normally itโ€™s $60! 

I have been sharing my fave, super-COOL, Advent Calendars for teens and adults in my stories today!

This one right here was ours from last year, and we โค๏ธ LOVED it!

It is made by @sugarfina and each day we were surprised with FABULOUS sweet treats! 

Good-bye to the ole, crappy, tinfoil chocolates. Weโ€™re taking fun, new, and different candies each day of the month!

Grab it here: zulily.gfpv.net/MX9Ngn

#linkinbio @zulily #adventcalendars #adventforteens
View
Open
Hey #MoCo Voters, Itโ€™s #ElectionDay2022! 

Do you need a ride to the polls? If you do, @VOTE411 and @lyft has got you covered! 

So, #NoExcuses. Get out there and make your voice heard!

#VotePlan #VoteReady #expectus #MomsDemandAction #appleballot #MCEA
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Get out and VOTE. 

Please. 

Not sure where to vote? https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/

#midtermelections #getoutandvote๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ #linkinbio
View
Open
Did you have a chance to join my IG live today?

It was a rainy, gross Sunday here in Maryland, and I shared one of my top picks for the holidaysโ€”> LEGO but for BIG KIDS. 

Or GRANDPARENTS. 

Or PARENTS. 

Actually ANY grown-up who likes to unplug once in a while and CREATE. 

I showed how I was doing with the LEGO Flower Bouquet (๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒผ) and how many other awesome sets are 15% off and FREE SHIPPING (yayyyyy!!) over on @zulily ๐Ÿ’œ. 

Check it out. Theyโ€™ve got a ton of sets to choose from, like 
Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Friends, Disney, Mario Brosโ€”you name it. 

Find them here: https://zulily.gfpv.net/jWqkmn

Fab prices + free shipping = BIG WIN. 

#linkinbio #ad #LEGOforgrownups #everyonelovesLEGO #holidaypicks
View
Open
LEGO at 15% off and FREE SHIPPING! 

Check out the AWESOME set that is PERFECT for teens, grandparents, and ANY grownup who likes to create! 

This bouquet will last forever!

๐ŸŒผ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ’

Use this link โ€”> zulily.gfpv.net/jWqkmn

#bestgiftsforkids #grandparentgifts #ad #LEGOforgrownups @zulily
View
Open
WHAT HAS ARRIVED FROM @zulily !?

Since Zulily carries such a vast array of items, it could be ANYthing: 

๐Ÿ’œ boutique-style clothes or shoes

๐Ÿค brand-name clothing & shoes

๐Ÿ’œ toys

๐Ÿค books or magazines 

๐Ÿ’œ pantry items, snacks, & treats

๐Ÿค haircare or cosmetics 

๐Ÿ’œ pet toys, treats, or accessories 

๐Ÿค personalized gifts

๐Ÿ’œ houseplants, seeds, or bulbs

๐Ÿค basics for kids through adults

๐Ÿ’œ craft supplies and kits

๐Ÿค furniture or home goods

๐Ÿ’œ designer handbags, sunglasses, or belts

๐Ÿค luxury items and gifts

๐Ÿ’œ sports equipment 

๐Ÿค sports gear for ALL fansโ€”NFL, MLB, NCAA, you name it

๐Ÿ’œ small appliances & kitchen items

๐Ÿค towels, sheets, blankets, linens

๐Ÿ’œ home storage & organization items

๐Ÿค coats, hats, scarves 

๐Ÿ’œ just about anything you can imagine!

Follow my stories for the deals and steals for families and educators, or check the Zulily Highlight!

Especially nowโ€”as we move into the exciting holiday seasonโ€”I will more frequently share items, and they will MOVE QUICKLY! 

So make sure you are checking in regularly, and pleaseโ€”if you are looking for specific items and a specific price point, let me know! 

I am happy to do some research to help you out!

๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’œ

#zulilypartner #linkinbio #ad #holiday #giftgiving bestgifts

Want to check it out for yourself? zulily.gfpv.net/teachmama
View
Open
๐ŸŸฆ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฉ๐ŸŸจ

THE best toy for kidsโ€”and classrooms!โ€”is on sale right now. 

The 101-piece PicassoTile Building Set (WITH CARRYING CASE!)
is only $34.99 on Zulily WITH an extra 15% off!

Stock upโ€”think: teachers, daycare providers, classrooms!
AND birthdays, holidays or rainy days!

This is a toy that I cannot recommend highly enoughโ€”perfect for littles through elemor middle school. 

From a tween I know and love: The *click* of the magnetic blocks is so satisfying, and honestly, theyโ€™re just really fun and relaxing to use. 

๐ŸŸฆ๐ŸŸช๐ŸŸง๐ŸŸฉ

hereโ€™s the link that will get you AN ADDITIONAL 15% off โ€”> zulily.gfpv.net/JrDdbE

And remember: FREE SHIPPING ON orders of $89+

#ad #linkinbio #besttoysforkids #dealoftheday

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