Assess your own vocabulary.
What are your strong points; what are your weak points when it comes to the trait of Word Choice in your writing and reading?
My strong points when it comes to Word Choice is coming up with words that mean the same way to me, as a writer, and towards the reader. My weak points are coming up with the specifcs and a vivid use of vocabulary without using the thesaures/dictionary to find vivid words that might go against my Voice.
Describe how you have studied vocabulary in the past. What kinds of class activities and assignments have you experienced to work on your word choice?
I have studied vocabulary through reading books and listening to what my peers say while they are talking. Some class activites that involve word choice include writing essays about different ideas and participating in word games.
Describe how you, personally, learn new words. Give a specific example of how you have learned a new word recently.
I mainly learn new vocabulary words from the "SAT question of the day" that I get on e-mail everyday. Most of the questions involve finding the vocabulary word(s) that fits into a certain sentence. Wether I get the vocabulary question right or wrong, I take in the vocabulary word and its meaning, and end up learning something new! I also learn new words from people who are talking to me with vocabulary words that I am not even familiar with. Especially in school, when the teacher is teaching and says an unfamiliar word, sometimes I would look for that particular word in the dictionary.
What are your specific vocabulary/word choice goals? How many new words would you like to learn this semester? What will be your evidence that you “own them” and can use them in your speaking and writing?
My specific vocabulary/word choice goals include focusing on the "specifics" and using effective, vivid vocabulary in my everyday language. I want to learn as much words that I can this semester, using these new vocabulary words in my essays that shows that I "own them" if/when I do better in the trait, Word Choice-- get an "exceeds" in this particular trait.
Hi Traci,
ReplyDeleteThis was a pretty insightful self-analysis of your vocabulary. And I commend you for using the SAT question of the day to learn new words. I agree that you could improve in your use of specific detail. That's where you need to distinguish between the more abstract, concept words (that you often get in the SAT list) with the specific, sensory words that will make your writing come to life.
Good luck on achieving your vocabulary goals!
mrs s