Word Hunts
What is it and what does the research say?
"Word hunts are one way to focus spelling study on patterns within words. Typically used within word study, word hunt activities engage students with texts they have previously read. Students hunt for other words that follow the same spelling features studied during their word or picture sort. Word hunt activities help students make the connection between spelling words and reading words" (Reading Rockets Inc., 2014).
"Word hunts and writing sorts, variations of word sorting, are both activities which help children consolidate word identities" (Abouzeid,1994). Going beyond a simple worksheet like the one seen at right, yuo can do what Vaughan (1979) suggests and actually require the students to physically hunt for their vocabulary words while working in groups. "The potentialities of Vocabulary Scavenger Hunts can go beyond just the visual. Group work insures auditory input, as each word is spoken and heard in discussion. When students can bring in the item itself rather than just a picture, the kinesthetic modality for learning is used. So a Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt can be truly a multiple-modality approach to word study" (Vaughan, 1979). |
Examples of Word Hunts and Possible Uses
Two examples of word hunts are provided here. Above, a word hunt about various different vocabulary having to do with weather. A word bank is provided at the bottom allowing students to look at, identify, search for and compare words they see in the search area with the correct spelling in the word bank. IN this example, the words are jumbled around in the bank, not really organized.
In the second example below, these various different word hunts all have one main topic, but within each word bank the words are grouped together into similar categories. By grouping similar words into categories for a word hunt, you will help promote word association for the students.
In the second example below, these various different word hunts all have one main topic, but within each word bank the words are grouped together into similar categories. By grouping similar words into categories for a word hunt, you will help promote word association for the students.
Video Example of Word Hunts
This first video, seen at left, is an example of a computer ran word hunt. Students identify as many words as they can within the box. A list of words they should look for is at the bottom. Most vocabulary building word hunts have a word bank, this one is no different.
The second video at right is a tutorial on how to create your own word hunts using "Puzzles Maker" a software available online. You can see that your own creativity is the limit when it comes to creating your word hunts. You can change their over all look, difficult, what words are there, the rules (frontwards, backwards, diagonal).
The second video at right is a tutorial on how to create your own word hunts using "Puzzles Maker" a software available online. You can see that your own creativity is the limit when it comes to creating your word hunts. You can change their over all look, difficult, what words are there, the rules (frontwards, backwards, diagonal).
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Online Resources for Word Hunts
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/word_hunts
Online resources of what Word Hunts are and how they can be used
Online resources of what Word Hunts are and how they can be used
References
Abouzeid, M. P. (1994). Word sort: An alternative to phonics, spelling, and vocabulary Retrieved from http://ezproxy.mnsu.edu/login? url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/62739085?accountid=12259.
Vaughan, S. (1979). A multiple-modality approach to word study: Vocabulary scavenger hunts. Reading Teacher, 32(4), 434-437. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.mnsu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/63802925?accountid=12259
Vaughan, S. (1979). A multiple-modality approach to word study: Vocabulary scavenger hunts. Reading Teacher, 32(4), 434-437. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.mnsu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/63802925?accountid=12259