The Great Word Catalogue

In her inimitable way, Susan Ohanian offers something new and different to use in the classroom. She brings language to life in this irresistible invitation to investigate vocabulary, to practice and play with words. At once whimsical and functional, The Great Word Catalogue: FUNdamental Activities for Building Vocabulary delivers on its title, showing teachers and students that fundamentals are fun and that fun is fundamental. This book gets students excited about words and teachers excited by its endless possibilities for teaching. Students learn how to write riddles based on idioms. They discover the history of dictionaries. They know what the heck a hink pink is. And they have hundreds of potential topics for writing or discussioneverything from flower and food names to the hidden delights in car names and the wonderful, sometimes zany histories of American place names are all here. Teachers have a field day too. The Word Watch, Word Challenge, and Word Puzzler features, the Teaching Tips, and reproducible activities are immediately doable. Filled with word lore to fascinate just about any age, The Great Word Catalogue also contains important research. Learn about the promises and perils of teaching "context clues" and word affixes. Be aware of specific do's and don'ts for teaching important vocabulary-strengthening strategies. Draw on the "context bank" of items from children's literature for classroom study or discussion. Most of all, use this book to celebrate words every day in every way. Visit for a wealth of information on education issues and to learn more about her. You'll find commentary, cartoons, letters, resources, quotes and a word of the day offering children a provocative way to increase their vocabulary.

SUSAN OHANIAN is a longtime teacher and free-lance writer whose articles have appeared in periodicals ranging from the Atlantic and Washington Monthly to Phi Delta Kappan and Education Week. Visit www.susanohanian.org for a wealth of information on education issues and to learn more about Susan Ohanian. You'll find commentary, cartoons, letters, resources, quotes and a word of the day offering children a provocative way to increase their vocabulary. Her email address is: susano@gmavt.net.