B. Foundations of Language · Listening, Speaking and Word Power

Words for Every Subject: Learning and Using Grade 6 Vocabulary

B2.2 B2.1 A3.1 A3.2About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can sort words into everyday words, academic words and subject words.
I can learn new subject words with a vocabulary journal and use them in speaking and writing.
I can use word parts and context together to understand new words in science, math and social studies.
I can explain Grade 6 words like biodiversity, conductor, ratio, perspective and treaty.

Words to know

academic word
A word used in many subjects at school, like analyze, evidence or significant.

subject-specific word
A word used mostly in one subject, like insulator in science or integer in math.

perspective
A point of view: how a person or group sees something, based on their experiences.

biodiversity
The variety of living things in an area. bio (life) + divers(e) (different) + -ity.

vocabulary journal
A notebook where you record new words with their parts, meaning, an example and a picture.

Remember from Grade 5

In Grade 5 you learned academic words like compare, contrast, explain and analyze, met subject words for science, math and social studies, noticed words with multiple meanings across subjects (like product), and used Frayer models. In Grade 6 you'll build a system for learning new words for good, and use word parts plus context to unlock words in your Grade 6 subjects.

Let's start with a question

How many times do you need to meet a new word before it really becomes yours?

Once isn't enough! Most people need to see, hear, say and use a new word several times, in different places, before they remember it and use it easily. That's why this lesson is about a plan for learning words, not just a list.

Three kinds of words

Everyday words you use at home and with friends: happy, run, snack.
Academic words you meet in every subject: analyze, evidence, significant, perspective, impact, estimate, conclude.
Subject-specific words you meet mostly in one subject: biodiversity (science), integer (math), immigrant (social studies).

Academic words are especially powerful, because learning one helps you in all your classes.

Three kinds of words. Academic words are the power-ups: they show up in science, math, social studies and language.

Subject	Word	Meaning	Word-part help
Science (biodiversity)	biodiversity	the variety of living things in an area	bio life + divers different + -ity
Science (electricity)	conductor / insulator	a material that lets electricity flow easily (like copper) / one that doesn't (like rubber or plastic)	con- together + duct lead + -or; insul island + -ator
Science (flight)	thrust, drag, lift	forces on a flying object: thrust pushes it forward, drag slows it, lift pushes it up	(everyday words with a science meaning)
Science (space)	rotation / revolution	Earth spinning on its axis (day and night) / Earth travelling around the Sun (a year)	rot wheel; re- again + volv roll
Math	ratio	a comparison of two amounts, like 3 : 2	(from Latin ratio, reckoning)
Math	rate	a comparison of two amounts with different units, like 60 km/h	(per hour, per kilogram...)
Math	integer	a whole number or its opposite: ..., −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, ...	in- not + teg touch: untouched, whole
Social studies	immigrant	a person who moves to a new country to live	im- (in) + migr move + -ant person
Social studies	heritage	traditions, languages and ways of life passed down from earlier generations	herit inherit + -age
Social studies	treaty	a formal agreement between nations; in Ontario, many treaties are agreements between First Nations and the Crown that are still in effect today	(from Latin tractare, to handle or deal with)

Grade 6 subject words. Insul comes from the Latin for island: an insulator keeps electricity cut off, like an island.

A plan for learning new words

1. Record it in a vocabulary journal:

the word and its parts (bio · divers · ity)
a definition in your own words
an example sentence from the subject
a picture or symbol
a connection (a related word, or where you've seen it)

2. Use it three times in the next week: say it in a discussion, write it in an answer, and explain it to someone at home.

3. Review it. Reread your journal for a few minutes each week.

A sample vocabulary journal page. The five boxes, plus a check each time you use the word, help a new word become yours.

Parts + context + check

When you meet a new word while reading:

Parts: Look for a prefix, base or root and suffix you know.
Context: Read the sentences around it for clues: a definition, an example, a synonym or a contrast.
Check: Put your meaning back into the sentence. Does it make sense? If not, use a glossary or dictionary.

Worked example

Let's unlock a science word

Wetlands have high biodiversity: a single marsh can be home to frogs, turtles, dragonflies, cattails, ducks and many other living things.

Parts: bio (life) + divers(e) (different, varied) + -ity (state or quality).
Meaning from parts: the quality of having many different kinds of life.
Context: the colon introduces a list of many kinds of plants and animals. That's an example clue.
Check: Wetlands have a high variety of living things. It makes sense!

biodiversity = the variety of living things in an area.

Worked example

Let's unlock a social studies word

Many people from different backgrounds have shaped Canada. Each perspective, or point of view, comes from a person's own experiences, culture and history.

Parts: per- (through) + spect (look) + -ive: looking through someone's eyes.
Context: the words or point of view give a synonym clue right after the word.
Check: Each point of view comes from a person's experiences. It fits.
Why it matters: in Grade 6 social studies you'll learn about communities in Canada from many perspectives, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives and those of people who came to Canada from around the world.

perspective = a point of view shaped by a person's experiences.

Everyday word, subject meaning

Watch for everyday words with a special meaning in a subject. Drag in flight is a force that slows an object, not pulling something behind you. Rate in math is a comparison, not a rating. Revolution in science is one trip around the Sun.

Just for fun

Funny but true: In flight, drag is a force that slows an airplane down. In everyday talk, "What a drag!" means something is boring. So a slow, boring plane ride is a double drag.

Hands-on activity

Start your vocabulary journal

You need: a notebook (or folded paper stapled together), pencils or markers, and your school books or a library book on a science or social studies topic.

Make a page for five words from this lesson or your schoolwork. Divide each page into five boxes: parts, my definition, example sentence, picture, connection.
Fill in each box.
Use it three times: This week, say each word at dinner, write it in a sentence, and explain it to a family member.
Make a check mark on the page each time you use the word.

What to look for: definitions in your child's own words (not copied), correct word parts, and example sentences that show the meaning ("Copper wire is a good conductor").

Your turn

Sort these words: snack, evidence, integer, analyze, run, insulator. Which are everyday, academic and subject-specific?

Is a copper wire a conductor or an insulator? What about a rubber glove?

What is the difference between Earth's rotation and its revolution?

Write a ratio for 4 red apples and 3 green apples.

What is an immigrant? Use the word parts.

What are the five parts of a vocabulary journal entry?

What are the three steps of parts + context + check?

More practice: warm-up

What is an academic word?

Which force pushes an airplane forward: thrust or drag?

Is −5 an integer?

What does heritage mean?

How many times should you try to use a new word in the next week?

More practice: on your own

A car travels 180 km in 2 hours. What is its rate in km/h? Why is this a rate and not just a ratio?

Read: Plastic covers the copper wire to insulate it, so electricity can't escape and shock someone. Use parts and context to explain insulate.

Explain why drag has a different meaning in science than in everyday life.

Write a sentence using perspective about a school decision.

Why are treaties important to learn about in Ontario today?

Challenge

Make a vocabulary journal entry for revolution (science meaning).

The word significant means important or meaningful. Why is it an academic word? Give two sentences from two different subjects.

Use parts + context + check on this sentence: The migration of monarch butterflies covers thousands of kilometres each fall.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is an academic word you use in many subjects?

A material that lets electricity flow easily is a...

Earth's trip around the Sun is called its...

Which is an example of a rate?

What does perspective mean?

What is the best way to make a new word your own?

Biodiversity means...

For parents and teachers

Big idea (B2.2, B2.1, A3.1, A3.2): Grade 6 students acquire and use explicitly taught vocabulary in various contexts, including other subjects, and use morphology to understand new words in context. The examples connect to Grade 6 science (biodiversity, electricity, flight, space), math (ratio, rate, integer) and social studies (communities, perspectives, treaties).

How to help at home:

Ask your child to teach you one new subject word each week.
Look at words in the news (immigrant, treaty, migration) and use parts + context together.
Help keep the vocabulary journal going; a few minutes of review each week makes a big difference.

Common difficulties:

Copying dictionary definitions without understanding. Ask for a definition in their own words and an example.
Using the everyday meaning in a subject (drag, rate, revolution). Ask, "What does it mean in science?"