Student Created Math Dictionary.

 In language arts, students are exposed to dictionaries beginning in early elementary but in math, we kind of expect students to "get" vocabulary without the use of dictionaries but what if we made math dictionaries a part of our regular instruction. 

Dictionaries are important for students to develop their vocabulary and connect the word to multiple meanings. Mathematical vocabulary consisting or words and/or symbols. Math has words that may be general words, multiple meaning words, or words that are specific to math.  An example of a general word might be car which appears in word problems but it means the same thing in English that it does in Math.  Product has multiple meanings such as the result of a multiplication problem, something that is made and sold in a store or the result of a situation such as a child in a marriage. The word "Torus" is a math specific word referring to a shape like the doughnut. It is important to know mathematical vocabulary to unlock the meaning of any problem.  A dictionary helps students learn the vocabulary while providing a personalized reference.

I know many teachers teach vocabulary, have students fill out some sort of graphic organizer as a word but not enough teachers have students create their own dictionaries so today we'll look at how to do this.  The nice thing about creating a student dictionary is that it can be done in a composition note book or a spiral book with tabs, or a digital notebook program. 

When students make their own personal dictionary, they are more likely to take ownership because they created it. Since it is their own personal dictionary, they are the only ones using it so they can tailor it to their needs. When they come across a new word, they learn more about it as they enter the information into their dictionaries so they are more likely to remember the term. It is portable so they can take it home and use it at school. 

There is no one way to do a dictionary so it is up to the teacher to set up how they want the word done.  One way is write the word down, define it, and then use it in a sentence.  Another choice is to write down the date, the page the word is found on, the word, and it's definition.  Then there is dividing the dictionary into sections for the various letters.  When students enter the word, they might put the word, it's definition, a visual drawing, and an example of what it isn't.  

Of course, you can just use Frayer-model graphic pages with two to six per page.  You punch holes in the pages and place them in a binder with tabs to mark the different letters.  If chose this method, it is helpful to provide students with an alphabetical list of all the vocabulary words they will run into throughout the year so they know what word goes where and the words remain in alphabetical order.  As they fill in the word, they check it off the main list. A variation is to fill out the graphic pages, cut them out once they've been filled out before folding them in half and glueing them to a blank page in a notebook.

Although this can take time, it is worth the time so students are exposed to vocabulary and are able to create their own personalized dictionary.  On Monday, I'll look at more ways to expose students to vocabulary.  Let me know what you think I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.