Dear Parent/Guardian,

Your child is currently working on the literacy strategy, Ask someone to define the word for you, which helps with the overall goal, Expand Vocabulary.

As adult readers when we come to a word we do not know the meaning of we have many strategies we use to help us figure it out. Most of the time we use the context of the sentence to help us or we take the time to look up the meaning of the word. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have someone close by that is able to assist us in understanding the unfamiliar word. Asking someone to define a word is an easy way to get information without taking a lot of time away from the text being read. This can give readers a sense of the general idea of the word and allows them a chance to return quickly to text for meaning to be preserved. It is important that readers go back into the text and use all their knowledge to confirm the definition given.

How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
  1. Model for your child various ways to ask for help. Remind them to ask one or all of these questions when asking for help:
    • What is the word?
    • What do you think the word means?
    • What are some examples of this word when used in a sentence?
    Be sure you don't rush to answer these questions for your child to quickly. We teach the children that they must do the work!
  2. After asking the above questions, have your child do the following:
    • Go back to the text and substitute the definition that was given for the word.
    • Read the selection again, using the definition.
    • Ask: Does the definition of the word make sense in the sentence?
  3. Have a fun contest at home to see who can use the word correctly the most that day. See who can get to five uses first or keep a tally until the end of the day.
Thank you for your continued support at home!

—Mrs. Boushey

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