Kid-Friendly Language Means Easily Understandable Vocabulary
For Example:
Resources = Useful things and valuable supplies
Curate = Collect
Aligned = Matched Up
Massive = Huge
Cloud Computing = Computers do the work but store it elsewhere
Alternatives = Other choices
Transformation = Change
Topics on the Page
- Origins and Meanings of Words
- Purposeful Praise Statements and Strategies
- Learning Academic Language
- Kid-Friendly Definitions for Key Terms
The Origins and Meanings of Words
National Council of Teachers of English (September 7, 2017)
Student-Created Dictionary with Animations on YouTube
Glossary of Common Science Terms
Rewordify: Takes Difficult Text and Makes It Easier to Understand
The Many Origins of the English Language
- From Borrowed Words: A History of Loanwords in English by Philip Durkin (2014)
For examples of kid-friendly language definitions to words, link to the picture book, The Fairy Dogfather. Alexandra Day. Green Tiger Press, 2012
Shakespeare Invented 1700 New Words
- Link here for a list with each word hyperlinked to the play where it appears
15 Words You Use Without Realizing They're From Foreign Languages
25 of the New Words Merriam-Webster Is Adding the Dictionary in 2018
Role Before Rule
The phrase role before rule is a helpful way to explain writing and language conventions to both multilingual as well as native English speakers.
- A term like "exclamation point" or "interrogative sentence" offers little context or frame or reference for understanding its meaning.
- As a result, young learners struggle to remember definitions or rules for usage.
- Restating the terms in kid-friendly language helps students to build a memory of the role or function that each convention plays in language and writing.
- Exclamation point becomes Excitement mark
- Interrogative Sentence becomes Question-Asking Sentence
- Role Before Rule supports children's natural inquisitiveness throughout the learning process.
Purposeful Praise Statements and Strategies
5 Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job, Alfie Kohn, Young Children (September 2001)
- For example, Say "I notice you never give up" instead of Good Job.
Learning Academic Language
The Critical Words Your Students Must Know for the Common Core State Standards
180 Essential Vocabulary Words for 5th Grade, Scholastic
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know, Vocabulary.com
Writing Process Terms in Kid-Friendly Language
VOCABULARY WORD
|
KID-FRIENDLY LANGUAGE DEFINITION
|
Capital Letters
|
Attention-Getting Letters
|
Comma
|
Slow Down, but Don't Stop
|
Dialogue
|
Talking on Paper
|
Excerpt
|
Small part of a larger piece of writing or book
|
Exclamation Point (!)
|
Excitement Mark (!)
|
Imperative Sentence
|
I Declare |
Interrogative Sentence
|
I ask; Question-Asking Sentence |
Period.
|
Full Stop. |
Question Mark
|
Answer Needed |
Quotation Mark
|
Someone Said
|
|
|
Peer Editing
Semi-Colon
Standard Spelling
Revision
Rhetoric
|
Reader Response
Pause, More Coming
Book Spelling
Do again to make better; to change something you have done
Getting someone to do what you want using words
|
Mathematical Symbols and Their Definitions
Link to A Maths Dictionary for Kids
Link to Tutoring Math wiki
Technology Terms and Kid-Friendly Definitions
VOCABULARY WORD
k
|
KID-FRIENDLY DEFINITION
|
Algorithm
App
Clickbait
Cloud
Data
Digital artifact
Digital citizen
Ergonomics
Hardware
Laptop
Mouse
Simulation
Smart device
Smartphone
Social media
Software
Spam
Tablet
URL
Virus
Website
Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies Terms and Their Definitions
VOCABULARY WORD
k
k
|
KID-FRIENDLY DEFINITION
|
A
Abbreviation: Shortened way to write a word
Acronym: First letter of a group of words that represent full words; for example ASAP (As Soon As Possible)
Acquire: To get
Adversary: Someone trying to block what you are doing
Alter: Change
Alliteration: Group of words that begin with the same sound; for example (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers)
Amendment: A change in rules
Analogy: To compare two things
Appreciate: To grow in value (in economics)
Asset: An item of value (in economics)
Authentic: True, not false
B
Bias: To favor
C
Capital Letters: Attention-Getting Letters
Circumference: Distance around measured by a circle
Cite: Give credit to the original source
Clarify: To make easier to understand
Collapse: To fall down
Comma: Slow Down, but Don't Stop
Commence: To start
Compound: Consisting of more than one part; in math, to add more to a total over time
Compute: To find a total or an amount
Confirm: Make sure something is right or true
Contemporary: Up-to-date; current; modern
Contrast: To find differences between two or more things
Credit: Buying without money
D
Declarative Sentence:
Definite: For sure
Depict: to show
Destination: Somewhere you are going
Dialogue: Talking on Paper
Discovery: To find something new or that you did not know
Distinct: Something different from others
Dramatic: Attention-grabbing; full of emotions
Duration: How long something lasts; length of time
E
Element: Part or ingredient
Elevation: Height or distance from the ground
Employ: Pay someone to do a job or service
Erosion: Breaking down or moving over time
Eventually: Will happen in the future
Evidence: Information that shows something is true
Evolve: To change over time
Examine: Look at carefully
Exclamation Point: Excitement Mark. (!)
Exclamatory Sentence
Excerpt: Small part of a larger piece of writing or book
Executive: Person or people directing a company or government
Explanation: To give a reason why
External: Outside of something
F
Flexible: Able to bend or change easily
Formula: Directions about how to make something or figure something out
Foreshadow: To hint or imply what is going to happen
Foresight: To understand or know what is going to happen
Fraction:
G
Glossary: List of words with definitions
Guarantee: To ensure something will happen
H
Header: Information at the top of a page
Headway: To move forward
I
Ideal: the best
Identical: Looking the same
Imperative Sentence
Impending: Something that is about to happen
Income: Money you get
Indifference: Not caring
Infer: To figure something out using clues only
Innocent: Not at fault; without blame
Internal:
Interval: Short spaces of time in between two things
Interrogative Sentence
Inventory: To keep track of or make a list
Investment: Putting effort or time into something to get something back
J
Judicial
K
L
M
Majority:
Malleable:
Maintain:
Maximum: the most
Metaphor:
Military:
Minimum: small amount
Minority:
Modify: change shape or appearance
Motive: reason to doing something
N
Narrative: a story of what happened
Negative:
O
Obvious:
Occupy: to take up space
P
Paraphrase:
Period: Full Stop
Periodic: repeating in a pattern
Persist: to keep going
Policy: rules to be followed
Positive:
Precious: very valuable and important
Precise: very accurate
Previous:
Property
Proposal: suggested or possible plan
Q
Question Mark: Answer Needed
Quotation Mark: Someone Said
R
Random
React:
Reform: changes to make it better
Remarkable: really special
Rephrase: to say in a different way
Resist: to oppose, disagree, or fight back
Resolution: outcome or end
Revision: Do again to make better; to change something you have done
Rhetoric: Getting someone to do what you want using words
S
Salary: Money paid for during a job
Salutation: Greeting someone by name
Scarce: few
Scope:
Semi-Colon: Pause, More Coming
Skim:
Solution: answer to a problem
Specific
Stable: not often changing
Standard Spelling: Book Spelling
Stanza:
Submit
Suggest: offer an idea
Summarize: give a short explanation
Survey: ask questions
T
Target
Technique
Temporary: lasting only a short time
Transfer
U
Unify: to bring together
Unique:
V
Valid: true
Variation:
Voluntary:
W
X
Y
Z
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