Word Nerds

Everyone should be obsessed with the book Word Nerds. 

The title alone is enough for a passerby to pick it up off the bookshelf. 

I picked up the book due to the needs of students. Many of the students in my class have below grade level vocabularies. I have always known the correlation between vocabulary and reading ability but am trying to be more explicit with my vocabulary instruction to support struggling students. 

This book has turned out to be much more than a book about effective vocabulary instruction. It is a book about great teaching practices! Another reason I am enjoying this text so much is that it is a fun read. Many of the books about education and best practices are dry and boring; not this book. 

It follows the classrooms of two young teachers and how they are supporting vocabulary development in the classroom. Vocabulary development, these two teachers believe, can be found in all parts of the classroom. For organization, to teaching approaching, behavior management, and explicit instruction vocabulary is being supported.

Now, I am not a new teacher. I have been teaching for many years. My sister and husband are teachers. My mother and two aunts are principals. Even my grandmother was a teacher! On breaks I spend time in classrooms observing teachers to refine instruction. With that said, I have learned a lot from this book and would recommend it to teachers of ALL levels, abilities and experiences.

Take this excerpt from the book for example:

Click on the book text above to enlarge.

This excerpt has nothing to do with vocabulary instruction YET has EVERYTHING to do with effective teaching practices and therefore strong vocabulary instruction. This book is amazing!

A few paragraphs is enough to change a stagnant or ineffective teacher's approach as to how they should model their classroom.

As a teacher, many of the practices from this book I can take and use in the classroom. I can read a chapter a night as a quick and enjoyable read. Then I use strategies talked about in the text when planning. This section, for example, put into words how I feel about classrooms.

As an administrator, many of the approaches presented in the text would be a quick fix if presented and discussed with staff (i.e. professional development or staff meeting). You can present this text in a passive and welcoming way to promote self reflection!

Like I said... it's amazing.

For more information on the text check out GoogleBooks where you can read many of the first 147 pages for free. Or if you would like to see other reviews on Word Nerds check out this review from The Electric Journal for English as a Second Language.

Works Cited:

Overturf, B. J., Montgomery, L. H., & Smith, H. M. (2013). Word Nerds. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.