Write each vocabulary word in a sentence that gives contextual clues to the word’s meaning. Contextual clues are words and phrases around an unknown word that point to the word’s meaning.  For example, if the vocabulary word is “succinct,” you might write, “Julia gave a succinct presentation and the meeting was over in no time.” Remember that contextual clues can be misleading. For example, the sentence “As he rushed out the door, Chris felt reluctant to meet his friend,” could imply that “reluctant” means Chris was rushing to see his friend because he was excited or rushing because he was nervous and apprehensive. Using the contextual clues you’ve provided, let your students brainstorm each word’s meaning. Letting your students brainstorm will get their mental juices flowing and they’ll be more primed to remember the meaning of the words later on. Once they’ve had a chance to think about the word on their own, you should tell them what it really means. You can read them the dictionary definition, but it’s more important to present the word in a way that your students will connect with. Use your students’ experience of the world to explain the word. For example, if the word is “hodgepodge,” pull out a plastic crate of different colored markers and “this is a hodgepodge of markers. A hodgepodge is a confusing mix of different things all thrown together.” Students learn words more quickly if they can connect them to images. Come up with different ways to represent a word using imagery.  For example, if the word is “interstellar,” talk to them about the vast space between the stars and explain, “’interstellar’ is the word for that space.” If the word is something more abstract, like “repercussions,” show them pictures of children who were sent to their rooms without supper or pictures of people in jail.

Summary:
Give your students contextual clues. Let your students guess the words’ meaning. Explain the word. Use imagery to make the word come alive.