Communication: Using Your "Words", (Vocabulary)

After a great deal of contemplation, I finally came to the realization that, we are always telling our children to use their "words".  Well what if we took that one step further, and asked them to find new words that work better? We would definitely need to provide them with some skills for finding these new words. So the digital person I am, I head straight for the Internet and this is what I find. Here is hoping that what I found, brings you some help and peace of mind in this non compos mentis educational cycle we are in now.  Hmm....non compos mentis...I'm using my "words", LOL. What am I talking about?

Non compos mentis is a term meaning "not of sound mind". ^[1] Non compos mentis derives from the Latin non meaning "not", compos meaning "having (command of)", and mentis (genitive singular of mens), meaning "mind". It is the direct opposite of Compos mentis (of a composed mind).  ~ Thank you wikipedia!!!

See below for another fine example of the importance of vocabulary:  from Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

convince

verb

1 he convinced me that I was wrong: make certain, persuade, satisfy, prove to; assure, put/set someone's mind at rest.

2 I convinced her to marry me: persuade, induce, prevail on/upon, get, talk into, win over, cajole, inveigle.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD

convince, persuade

Although it is common to see convince and persuade used interchangeably, there are distinctions in meaning that careful writers and speakers try to preserve. Convince derives from a Latin word meaning 'to conquer, overcome.' Persuade derives from a Latin word meaning 'to advise, make appealing, sweeten.' One can convince or persuade someone with facts or arguments, but, in general, convincing is limited to the mind, while persuasion results in action (just as dissuasion results in nonaction): the prime minister convinced the council that delay was pointless ; the senator persuaded her colleagues to pass the legislation.

These notes show fine distinctions in meaning between closely related synonyms to help you find the best word.

Last but not least...
Excellent Resources for those concerned with language, especially in education:

21 Literacy Resources For The Digital Teacher

The following digital tools show promise to support word learning, review, and play with language.
 http://www.teachthought.com/featured/21-literacy-resources-for-the-digital-teacher/

Common Core ToolKit

Top tools to help you become an expert.

1. Common Core Cheat Sheet:
Keep this guide handy to refer to key acronyms, terms, anchor standards, and more - all related to the Common Core.
2. Common Core Resources:
Use this tool to help you dig deeper into the Common Core - enjoy quick access to the best Common Core resources.
3. Common Core Webinar:

(45 minutes): Do you need to go deeper fast? Discover the top 10 implications the Common Core will have on literacy instruction, text selection, and more.

The following four sites are examples of what you can buy from Scholastic. What's nice is that Scholastic provides you with several samples for free!

Greek & Latin Roots – Games and other ideas.
Eight ready-to-go activity packets sharpen students’ word-study skills and boost their vocabularies. In each packet, students learn five common Greek and Latin roots and 15 new words formed from these roots. Crossword puzzles, word searches, and other fun activities provide repeated practice to make new vocabulary stick.

http://www.scholasticdealer.com/prodimages/sample/512412.pdf

Prefixes and Suffixes:
Students sharpen their word-study skills and build vocabulary as they complete fun, independent puzzles and activities that introduce 50 essential prefixes and suffixes. Activities invite students to decode and acquire dozens of words they’ll encounter in grade-level texts. 

http://www.scholasticdealer.com/prodimages/sample/519864.pdf

Content Area Words:
These ready-to-use packets include fun, meaningful activities that offer the repeated practice kids need to really learn science, social studies, and math vocabulary. Activities help teach and reinforce word meanings, usage, and word-analysis skills related to key topics. 

http://www.scholasticdealer.com/prodimages/sample/523694.pdf

No More Over Used Words:

Students build vocabulary and sharpen their elaboration skills as they complete fun, independent puzzles and activities that help them acquire high-caliber synonyms for overused words, such as said, good, and went.

http://www.scholasticdealer.com/prodimages/sample/519863.pdf

Vocabulary is essential for precise dialoguing and communication. In a global community what could be more important? Our future depends on it.

Bridging the Gap

Rob my grad. professor wrote a course description explaining that, this course is designed to help bridge the gap between content area curriculum and literacy through the infusion of ideals presented in the "Common Core".  Although, that is exactly why I enrolled in this class, I feel that we need to bridge more gaps than just the content area. We need to bridge, the texting gap, the mashing gap, the multi-sensory multi-media gap, the instantaneous messaging gap which all leads me to the communication gap. Now, the communication gap between generations has been going on for centuries but, never as demanding and bold as now with technology permeating every aspect of life. For example, tonight at my doctor's office, I saw the bookkeeper holding a bill up to a vendor via facetime. What a visual! Yesterday a student of mine explained how he created inventory for a game he plays. He used screen captures to explain every step, Finally, I understand that MineCraft game. Although, he explained everything using the auditory system for his audience, it was necessary for him to write a script so he could communicate his thoughts accurately and precisely.

Oftentimes to explain this gap, I use an example from a conversation I had with my grandmother, "Nanny", around 1963.   Now in order to make this meaningful, I must tell you that my grandmother was born in Ireland on February 12, 1888.  In the United States that year, Benjamin Harrison became our 23rd president. Our nation was young and prosperous but Ireland was quite the contrary. So my grandmother came to the land of opportunity with her family and settled in Rhode Island. As a young adult she met a sailor, married, and relocated to Brooklyn, NY. It was in Brooklyn, that she learned the importance and value of writing, as she missed her family and friends in Rhode Island. So my story goes, when the phone became very popular my grandmother would practically curse it saying, "it was the demise of writing".
How funny it would be if she could see us today, instead using our phones for speaking, we are using them primarily to write, (aka~texting).   Our adolescents are using a new form of writing, almost what secretaries used for "shorthand"; they are writing again and the communication that comes with writing is different from the communication that comes with speaking.

Background History:
The turn of the century was a tough time for the Bell Companies. Rapid expansion led to poor service and the public was becoming more apathetic with the big monopoly. As service expanded across the country, the company also had a dilemma in that technology could not keep up with the incredible growth. 

The independent companies were at the heels of the Bell Companies and something had to change. And it did.

At the turn of the century, recognizing the many public and competitive concerns, the Bell System executives looked to Theodore N. Vail to lead them once more....and he turned them down flat. Vail didn't feel it was a good time to return, so the Bell company brought in Frederick Fish, who although put in a tremendous effort, was exhausted by 1907 and retired.

The company again turned to Vail. This time around Vail was over 60, his wife and son had passed away, and he felt a real need to get back to the job of heading the Bell System. Vail immediately set to work creating his "universal service" theme, hoping to bring a telephone to everyone in the United States. He also consolidated research and development efforts into one plant at Western Electric. This was in effect, the beginning of Bell Laboratories.

Ripe for expansion, the Bell System completed the first coast-to-coast telephone line in 1915 from New York to San Francisco. Vail also used the "wireless" system to begin overseas cable installations, connecting the U.S. to other countries. ~ www.telephonemuseum.com

So....Bell Laboratories made a big come-back much like Apple, and Nanny wasn't happy, much like "our" older generation in the 20th century. This was the demise of our traditions of proper writing, proper handwriting and communicating with the one's we love.

Should I say it, no one can stop us from communicating with the one's we love. We will find a way. No one will stop us from passing our history from generation to generation. We will find a way. No one will stop us from sharing our ideas. We will find a way. It's human nature. No worries they say; and I believe that they are right. Have Faith!