5 Ways to use Vocab Cards to build word knowledge
Vocabulary words are the building blocks of every Flocabulary lesson across subjects. When our curriculum designers develop our engaging, standards-aligned content, one of their first steps is to select the subject-specific and general academic vocabulary words that will unlock comprehension of the topic. As students move through the activities in the Flocabulary lesson sequence, they gain repeated exposure to and practice opportunities with these key vocabulary words, an essential strategy for teaching vocabulary.
Inspired to focus on vocabulary acquisition across subjects? Keep reading to explore just a few of the many ways that Vocab Cards can amp up vocabulary instruction in your classroom!
New to Flocabulary? Teachers can sign up for a trial to access our lesson videos and assessment activities. Administrators can get in touch with us to learn more about unlocking the full power of Flocabulary through Flocabulary Plus.
What are Vocab Cards?
Flocabulary’s Vocab Cards activity, available in every lesson in all subjects, is a fun, interactive way to build word knowledge while encouraging student voice and creativity. Vocab Cards are designed based on the Frayer Model and similar vocabulary graphic organizers. The cards provide a student-friendly definition of the word, its part of speech, and synonyms and antonyms, and they show the word used in context in a sentence. Students will also find an image of the word, a great connection for visual learners and English Language Learners.
Vocab Cards are both study and practice material, offering two interactive practice opportunities for each word. Students are prompted to write a sentence showing their understanding of the word’s meaning and to draw a representation of the word. Vocab Cards support multiple learning modalities and enable students to build connections with the words they need to learn to master the standards.
How to use Vocab Cards in the classroom
Teachers on both our Lite and Flocabulary Plus plans can find the Vocab Cards right beneath the video on every Flocabulary lesson page. Preview the vocabulary words with your class and activate prior knowledge before watching the video by clicking through the Vocab Cards front of class. Students on our Plus plan also have access to Vocab Cards on their own accounts. Teachers can assign the Vocab Cards to students to complete, or students can explore and complete the cards on their own. Model this writing and drawing using the Vocab Cards front of class.
Teachers with Flocabulary Plus can tailor the assignment to meet their class’s needs by selecting which of the Vocab Cards they’d like to assign. Looking for a jigsaw activity? Assign different cards to different groups of students, and have them teach each other the word meanings. Keep track of progress on word mastery by grading completed Vocab Card assignments and giving students numeric and written feedback.
For teachers without access to student accounts, there is a printable version of Vocab Cards available in the Teacher Resources section. After students complete the Vocab Cards worksheet, you can hang up their finished products in your classroom to create a word wall!
5 Reasons to use Vocab Cards
1. Provide multiple exposures and contexts
Our first essential strategy for teaching vocabulary is to provide multiple exposures to and contexts for words. The vocabulary words in a Flocabulary lesson are found in the song lyrics, as well as in a sentence on the Vocab Card and in the reading passages in Read & Respond. Click on the highlighted vocabulary words in the lyrics and reading passages to display the Vocab Cards, reinforcing their usage in context. After watching the video once, play it again with the lyrics visible and click on the words to review their meanings in context as they come up.
An individual vocabulary word is often found in multiple Flocabulary lessons, providing additional word exposures and contexts. For example, the word “energy” is a key vocabulary word in 20+ Flocabulary lessons! Students will see and begin to recognize the same Vocab Cards across lessons and even subjects. Their writing and drawing can always be edited and added to as their understanding of a word grows.
2. Cultivate cross-curricular connections
Many vocabulary words in Flocabulary are general academic, or “Tier 2,” words that are used across subjects and often appear on standardized tests. Consider the word “analyze,” a vocabulary word within multiple Flocabulary lessons in Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Life Skills! Students will see the same Vocab Card in all of these lessons, building knowledge and practice with terms that are critical for success across subjects. Similarly, students will begin to notice and recognize how words can have specific meanings depending on the subject. Consider “factor,” a vocabulary word within Math and Language Arts. Students will see and work on two different Vocab Cards for “factor,” building an understanding of the multiple meanings and learning how to identify the correct meaning depending on the context.
3. Support multiple learning modalities
Vocab Cards support different learning modalities and student choice by providing multiple ways that students can show their understanding of words: writing and drawing! Drawing words is especially beneficial for English Language Learners, beginning readers, and students who enjoy expressing themselves artistically. When completing Vocab Cards on their own, students can choose whether to write a sentence, draw the word, or both. You might be amazed at what your students create!
4. Leverage the Frayer Model
Another strategy for vocabulary instruction is to provide a consistent structure to use when encountering new words. Crafting definitions and examples in their own words helps students build connections to the words and solidify their meanings. The Frayer Model is a popular graphic organizer that provides a structure for learning words. It typically includes four boxes for each word where students can write their own definitions, list examples, and non-examples, and describe characteristics or features of the word. Flocabulary’s Vocab Cards were designed based on the Frayer model and give students the opportunity to write an original example sentence and define the word visually. Create a habit of assigning the Vocab Cards along with the video to give students a consistent way to study and learn vocabulary words.
5. Power data-driven instruction and personalized learning
Educators with Flocabulary Plus can track student progress on vocabulary and assign personalized Vocab Practice Sets, which provide students more opportunities to learn and practice vocabulary words that they have previously struggled with. Vocab Practice Sets are automatically generated with only a click and are personalized for each student based on their previous performance on vocabulary words, including their work on the Vocab Cards. When teachers assign and grade Vocab Cards, these grades contribute to students’ word proficiency scores, which in turn are visible to the teacher on their class Vocab Analytics dashboard. Here, teachers can review how their class is progressing holistically on vocabulary and drill down to a specific subject or student. Teachers can assign personalized vocabulary practice sets, which include videos, flashcards, and questions targeting students’ low-proficiency words. Vocab Cards provide word practice and key insights into students’ comprehension of vocabulary, and they power personalized assignments to improve this comprehension.
Start using Vocab Cards on Flocabulary
No matter what subject you teach, vocabulary is key to students’ understanding of the topic. Whether students are learning about types of rocks, poetry, or triangles, Flocabulary’s Vocab Cards highlight the words that are essential to unlocking comprehension of lessons. Modeled on vocabulary graphic organizers like the Frayer Model, Vocab Cards provide word definitions, parts of speech, and synonyms and antonyms, show the word used in context in a sentence, and display an image of the word. Vocab Cards are also interactive, giving students the opportunity to write and draw to show their understanding of the words. Use Vocab Cards in your classroom to provide multiple vocabulary exposures in different contexts, create cross-curricular connections, support multiple learning modalities and student choice, and power personalized learning. Assign the Vocab Cards or let students explore them on their own, and discover how vocabulary creates connections across lessons and lays the foundation for comprehension!
New to Flocabulary? Teachers can sign up for a trial to access our lesson videos and assessment activities. Administrators can get in touch with us to learn more about unlocking the full power of Flocabulary through Flocabulary Plus.