|
COURSE LINKS
Home Page
Syllabus
Calendar
Assignments
Oncourse |
INDEX OF
PAGE CONTENTS
Concept
cards help students learn vocabulary words. They are similar to flash cards, but
result in students learning more than just definitions. Concept cards encourage
students to look at words in context, study the connotations of words, and use
the words in their own sentences.
Concept
cards help students learn both general and technical vocabulary that they
encounter in their readings. They encourage students to interact with new words.
This results in greater retention of the words’ meanings, as well as an
enhanced ability to use the words correctly in writing.
|
1. |
Identify
words for concept cards.
This can be done in a number of ways:
 |
The
teacher may choose to identify words from a text for which students
will make concept cards. |
|
|
Students
can identify new words as they read for which they will make concept
cards. (The teacher may want to indicate a minimum number of words
for students to identify.) |
|
|
The teacher can choose some
words that he or she feels are particularly important, and then
allow students to identify some of their own as they read. |
|
|
2. |
Write
the word and the sentence from the text that introduces the word
on the same side of an index card. Students do this as they read. When they encounter a
word for which they will make a concept card, they stop, write down the
word and sentence on an index card, and then continue reading. (If the
teacher has identified words for students, the words should be given to
students in the order in which they will appear in the text. Also helpful
would be if the teacher indicated on which page in the text the students
will encounter the words.)
|
|
|
|
|
3. |
Complete
the concept cards.
After students have finished reading, they add the following information
to the front of the concept card (where they have written the word and
sentence from the text): Superordinate Idea: This goes on the same
side of the index card as the word and sentence from the text. The
superordinate idea chosen for a particular word should help the student
classify or identify the word.
|
|
|
Students
add the following information the back of the concept card where
appropriate:
|
|
Definitions: Students first write their own definitions,
based on their understanding of the word in context. They then check their
definition by looking in a dictionary. If they feel that a change needs to
be made to their definition based on the dictionary definition, they
should make that change. |
|
|
Characteristics or features: If appropriate, students write
down a short list of characteristics for the words. Students might write
synonyms and antonyms of a word, adjectives that describe a word, ideas
associated with a word, etc. |
|
|
Examples from the text and/or personal experiences: If
appropriate, students provide examples of the words on their concept
cards. These can be in written or pictorial form. |
|
|
Personal sentences: Students writes sentences using the
words. |
|
|
FRONT OF CARD
 |
|
BACK OF CARD
 |
|