“Children who read build huge vocabularies from immersions in the world of language. They aren’t consciously trying to learn new words; it just happens” (Jago 22).
I really liked that this chapter focused primarily on vocabulary. I was surprised when I read that students make good progress as readers when they add 3,000 to 5,000 new words to their vocabulary per year. Since we can only teach students 400 words per year, I think it is really important to focus on specific vocabulary words. I also thought the section that talked about the four stages of “knowing” a word was interesting. I could definitely relate to Jago when she said that she knew almost all of the words that her students had asked her, but she struggled to explain what the words really meant.
My favorite part of this chapter is when Jago describes the activities for working with vocabulary and Julius Caesar. The way she incorporated the vocabulary of four specific words is what caught my attention. I liked that she gave the students the definitions, had them read an act, and then asked them to find examples of those words in Julius Caesar. I really liked that this activity required active participate from the students while still pertaining to what the class was specially covering at that point.
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