Resource #1: Using a Vocabulary Chart in Social Studies

Social Studies is a vocabulary rich subject which students need an understanding of the definition of the words in order to grasp the different concepts. To aid students in the grasping the definitions of the words it is important to pre-teach vocabulary. At the start of each unit I gave my students a vocabulary list with all the unit’s vocabulary. I then have the students use a vocabulary chart where they define the words, create their own definitions, use the word in a sentence and then create an image to help with remembering the meaning of the word.

Example of Chart:

Vocabulary Word	How the word is defined	How I define the word	How I use the word in a sentence	How I create a picture to help me remember

Using this chart helps my students manipulate and use the vocabulary words before they are exposed to the concepts. Often times after my students are instructed on the different concepts they will go back and change the way that they defined the words and how they used it in a sentence. The vocabulary chart that I use in class is consider a working document where students are constantly referring to and changing information. The exposure to the unit’s vocabulary words helps my students focus on learning and applying the concepts rather than trying to decipher the meaning of the vocabulary words.

Students have the option of using the vocabulary chart in their social studies interactive notebook or on Google Classroom™.  Check out my TeachersPaysTeachers’ store for vocabulary list for the different units that I teach.

Thinking like a Historian unit’s Vocabulary Words