Content Vocabulary Strategy: Word Drawings

Hi Texas Teachers!  It's Ari from The Science Penguin.

I want to share a strategy for content vocabulary.  Someone asked me this summer if there was any better way to help students with vocabulary other than writing a definition and drawing a picture.  This occurred to me the other day while I was listening to a presentation.  I've seen word drawings for math, but not for science, so I decided to try it out.

 

It takes creativity and a true understanding of the word in order to create a word drawing.  Students use a variety of skills in creating a word drawing.  I made some examples in the image below.

Word drawings are something new I am trying this school year.  I will definitely model the technique and have students work whole class and in small groups before making it individual.  I think GT kiddos will enjoy this.  It seems like a great idea for interactive notebooks, science stations, and pairs work.

My students keep a vocab folder of the MOST important terms for 5th grade science and word drawings are a great option to incorporate.