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Dear Madisson, You asked: Science consist of many difficult words. What is the best way to keep from loosing the attention of your students when this happens? You could make a Word Wall with the new vocabulary words you'll be using in the lesson. Post the words in a large font, where the students will be able to see it during the lesson. You can illustrate the words, where possible, drawing a picture or using a photograph to reinforce the meaning of the word. Define the words the first time you use them, then ask the students to remind you what they mean the second time you use them. It will keep the students more actively engaged. I hope this helps! - Rachel

Hello Madisson,

Regardless of the grade, you should approach science vocabulary just like teaching another language. It is very important that you teach new words in context. Connect the term to what it describes and use it when you need to use it. A poor approach would be to give a list of words to the students to define before you start teaching them the concept. This is when you will lose attention. I would encourage you to check over the glossary of your textbook because I find many of the definitions unintelligible.

You should start small by using just a few terms as you need them and reinforce them often. This is where a word wall, where you add new words as you introduce them, is useful and can be fun. Have students verbally use the terminology as much as possible in discussions with their peers. There are many games you can introduce to reinforcing vocabulary. A favourite is “word of the day” – where the students can have a cheer or some celebration for noticing a new term. Review terms from previous lessons.

At some point you can dissect words to show students that there are many common suffixes and prefixes in science terminology. It may help them piece together a term or at least get the gist of it. “Rhinitis” may trigger a student to put together “rhino-“ and “-itis” into “horn swelling”, which is not far from a stuffy, runny nose!

Hope this helps!

Gabriella, Thanks so much for the information. I am all about getting ideas from teachers who have experience and now what works. Any other suggests are always appreciated! Marcy