Four-Square+Vocabulary

= **Four-Square Vocabulary** = I would use Four Square to help build the vocabulary of my students. This is something they struggle with all the time, but even more so when reading informational texts. So that my students don't get caught up on vocabulary when reading I would use this as a pre reading strategy to go over words and find their meanings before reading the story. This strategy can be used at all levels and content areas. It is very flexible and allows the teacher to make each "square" meaningful to them and their students. It also could be adapted so that the kids have to decided what words they are going to do a four square on as they read the story (during reading). For a after reading strategy it could be adapted to think about context and the meaning of the word within the story after it has been read. Words can have lots of meanings so pick the one that makes sense within the text. The flexiblity of this strategy inables the teacher to reach a variety of learners. Instead of just coping definitions out of the back of the textbook, students are able to draw picture that help them remember the word or allows them to make a personal connection to the word. Teachers can adapted the requirements for each square to fit the learners in the classroom.
 * Rationale**
 * Implementation Suggestions**
 * Diverse Learners **

1. Use the four-square template as a guide and adapt squares to meet your needs. 2. Teacher chooses words from text that are important for the students to know. The word goes in one of the squares. 3. In another square is the definition of the word. This can either be the students summarized definition or from a dictionary. 4. In a third square draw a picture that represents the picture. 5. In a fourth square write a sentence using the vocabulary word. 6. Keep in mind the squares be changed to fit the purpose of the lesson. For example, maybe you want to list antonyms and synonyms.
 * Procedure **

Teachers need to carefully select words and make sure that there are going to be clear responses to put in each square. Sometimes it is hard to come up with a drawing to represent the word or to find a opposite to the vocab word. Just keep in mind what you are asking the students to do and make the words fit with the requirements of the squares. Lenski, S. D., Wham, M. A., Johns, J. L. (2003). Reading and Learning Strategies: Middle Grades through High School. Dubuque, IA:Kendall/Hunt.
 * Potential Issues**
 * References**

Four Square Template: