Need a Fun Vocabulary Routine? Try a Word of the Day Challenge!

Has your vocabulary routine gotten stale? Word of the Day or Words of the Week is a fun way to incorporate new vocabulary into your daily classroom routine without much extra time. Better yet, your students will love the challenge of building and using their vocabulary! In this post, I’ll explore how to use this Building Vocabulary resource to enrich word study in your classroom.

This resource includes everything you need to implement a Words of the Week or Word of the Day routine in your classroom. You’ll find digital slides for introducing each word, word cards to post on your word wall, printable activity sheets, and a digital activity sheet option.

If you wish to use the digital component, use it to introduce each word. Begin by showing the slide with the word only. Ask your students questions like, “Have you heard this word before? Where have you heard it? What does it mean?” Then show the slide with the definition and sample sentence and discuss.

Next, post the matching word cards on your vocabulary board, word wall, or a piece of chart paper, where they will stay for the week. I love to use sticky notes for a vocabulary routine – it adds an element of fun and challenge for your students! Have your students write a sentence using a specified number of vocabulary words. Or, provide extra challenge by having students use as many vocabulary words as possible in a paragraph!

If you’d prefer not to use sticky notes, you may also use the printable or digital activity sheets.

Then comes the fun part! Use the words throughout the week in your classroom. Use them in your teaching, notice them in the books you read, and encourage your students to use them in their writing! Another fun idea is to choose a challenge word and have your students use it as much as possible when speaking to other staff members in the school. See how long it takes the other staff members to catch on!

Next, dedicate a space in your classroom to post the new vocabulary words once you have worked with them for the week. This can serve as a year-long word wall that students can refer to for their writing and speaking.

Ready to get started helping your students build a robust vocabulary? Find the Grades 2-4 version here and the Grades 5-8 version here.

Looking for other fun ways to help your students enrich their vocabulary? Find more ideas here!