Mrs Wordsmith materials are designed to be flexible, so that teachers can use them according to the needs of their students. We recommend that teachers order our classroom set, especially designed for use in schools.
We recommend a flexible teaching framework, focussing on the vocabulary that best fits into the literacy program that you are working on. This can be approached in two main ways:
"A Bite a Day" - focussing on a single word per day, for 5 minutes a day.
Choose one word, and spend 5 minutes at the start of day learning it with your child/students.
Throughout the day, try to revisit the word, or to refer to it in context to show how it can fit into different conversations. This approach promotes Word Consciousness and is an effective habit-building learning method.
"Stuff your Face" - focussing more deeply on a group of 6 thematically linked words for 40-60 minutes.
Choose a relevant group of 6 words, and spend 40-60 minutes covering them in depth, comparing and contrasting them within their theme.
Be sure to focus on the importance that the group plays in narrative writing. E.g. "What can eyes tell you about a character?", "What kinds of stories happen in the rain?", etc.
This thematic approach helps children understand how the words they are learning relate to their reading and written work.
We are attaching a document which includes the suggested games of Narrative Journey for teachers in the classroom.