Building vocabulary is vital for special education students! The more words that students know and understand, the easier it will be for them to communicate their thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs. Keep reading for strategies to build vocab in your classroom!
Choose Relevant Vocab Words
When choosing vocab words to focus on with my students, the first thing I think about is relevance. Some things to consider are:
- Is the word relevant to other subject areas?
- Will students come across the word in everyday life?
- Can I give students clear examples of the word?
- Is the word appropriate for students’ academic levels?
These questions can help you narrow down your vocab list and choose words that will be meaningful for your students!
Use Visuals
Visual aids are crucial for so many aspects of the special education classroom, and vocab is no exception! I love using the Boardmaker Vocabulary Units for this. There are visual symbols on each word card. I laminate and put Velcro on the cards so that I can display them in my classroom to reinforce learning.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
After introducing vocab words, the next step is to practice! One way to practice vocabulary is by using file folder activities or adapted books. For example, this free adapted book, The Apple Orchard, is a great way to practice fall-themed vocab words!
Another way to practice is to present vocab words in different fonts and colors. Sometimes students become so accustomed to one type of visual that they have trouble when things are shown a different way. Presenting vocab words with varying sizes, colors, fonts, handwriting, et cetera ensures that students know the word and haven’t just memorized which card the word is on. I love using colorful index cards for this! (affiliate link)
Repetition is Key!
Repetition is the key to mastery! After target vocab words have been introduced, it is important to continue using the words across settings. This ensures that students can generalize the skill. For example, with the word “clock,” you can have students practice using a clock during math and life skills centers. During writing, they can practice writing a sentence with the word. And you can show them different examples of actual rulers to help connect the word to the object.
Building vocab is so important for special education students’ language skills. These are just some of the ways to do it! Know any fun strategies for increasing vocabulary? Share your ideas below!
How do you utilize Boardmaker Vocabulary Units with visual symbols in your special education classroom to enhance vocabulary learning and reinforce student understanding?
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The Boardmaker Vocabulary Units are awesome, and they contain a variety of materials for introducing and reinforcing vocab words throughout the unit. Check them out in the shop:
https://shop.simplyspecialed.com/?s=vocabulary&post_type=product