Words Work : Activities for Developing Vocabulary, Style, and Critical Thinking

"Like many English teachers, " Tom Carnicelli says, "I've felt my students would read, write, and even think better if they knew more about words." The solution he offers couldn't be simpler: integrated activities in which students explore words and, at the same time, develop their language arts and thinking skills.

This way teachers can pay more attention to word study -- without sacrificing other parts of the English curriculum and without resorting to word lists and memorization.

To help teachers use the activities, the second section of Carnicelli's book -- a brief, nontechnical history of the English vocabulary -- discusses the differences between native words and borrowed (loan) words.

The third section, on writing style, offers activities in which students analyze the kinds of words used by often-studied writers such as Frost, Hemingway, and Thoreau.

Students also explore writing in different styles themselves, as they learn the special advantages of a balanced style, combining the best features of native and borrowed English words.

The final section, "Word Study and Cultural Values, " aims to give students greater awareness of the cultural values embodied in the words they encounter -- in sports, clothing, food, relationships, government, education, and more.