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BUILDING WORD POWER

Building a strong vocabulary is half the battle when it comes to success on college entrance exams and later in college. Parents are in an excellent position to help their teens develop a broader vocabulary. The key to fostering effective word skills is to emphasize true understanding of meaning rather than relying on strict memorization. The following are fun approaches to vocabulary building that can be applied at home and benefit the entire family.

Stems and roots grow vocabulary.
A great majority of English words have one or more Latin or Greek roots, prefixes (word beginnings) or suffixes (word endings). By taking time to learn some basic Latin and Greek roots, students can give themselves clues to the meaning of any number of words using that single root. For example, learning the prefix "anthro," meaning "man," will help a student understand the meaning of words like "anthropology" (the study of man)," "anthropomorphic" (taking the form of man) or "philanthropy" (charitable acts or "love of man").

Make up a word game. At home, in the car or on family outings, challenge your teens to come up with as many words as they can using the same roots or prefixes. Then have them define each word, relating the definition to the original root word.

Words in context.
Context clues can help students confront challenging vocabulary questions. Pick paragraphs out of newspapers or magazines and discuss them with your child. Ask your child to determine the main idea and perspective of the piece then see how the words make the ideas flow. This builds both vocabulary and the critical-thinking skills to analyze words within a context.

Keep a word journal.
Keep a notebook in the kitchen, living room or any other gathering place at home. Have family members enter words that they have heard or read and would like to learn. Each person should enter at least five new words a week. By the end of the week, make sure each person has written the definition of the words in the notebook and has used them in a sentence. This way, the whole family can learn from each other.


	BUILDING WORD POWER Building a strong vocabulary is half the battle when it comes to success on college entrance exams and later in college. Parents are in an excellent position to help their teens develop a broader vocabulary. The key to fostering effective word skills is to emphasize true understanding of meaning rather than relying on strict memorization. The following are fun approaches to vocabulary building that can be applied at home and benefit the entire family. Stems and roots grow vocabulary. A great majority of English words have one or more Latin or Greek roots, prefixes (word beginnings) or suffixes (word endings). By taking time to learn some basic Latin and Greek roots, students can give themselves clues to the meaning of any number of words using that single root. For example, learning the prefix "anthro," meaning "man," will help a student understand the meaning of words like "anthropology" (the study of man)," "anthropomorphic" (taking the form of man) or "philanthropy" (charitable acts or "love of man"). Make up a word game. At home, in the car or on family outings, challenge your teens to come up with as many words as they can using the same roots or prefixes. Then have them define each word, relating the definition to the original root word. Words in context. Context clues can help students confront challenging vocabulary questions. Pick paragraphs out of newspapers or magazines and discuss them with your child. Ask your child to determine the main idea and perspective of the piece then see how the words make the ideas flow. This builds both vocabulary and the critical-thinking skills to analyze words within a context. Keep a word journal. Keep a notebook in the kitchen, living room or any other gathering place at home. Have family members enter words that they have heard or read and would like to learn. Each person should enter at least five new words a week. By the end of the week, make sure each person has written the definition of the words in the notebook and has used them in a sentence. This way, the whole family can learn from each other.