The Great Vocabulary Divide

Educational research is replete with studies about THE GREAT VOCABULARY DIVIDE between successful and unsuccessful students; a fact every teacher knows without benefit of those studies.  

While the research shows that the gap begins in infancy (with a 30 million word difference in exposure to words by age 4 between socio economic classes), the import to education is that vocabulary development is crucial to all learning. It is no surprise that children with larger vocabularies are better equipped for learning when they enter school.  After all, by virtue of hearing more words, they are exposed to more grammar, sentence structure, cadence, expression, and countless other aspects of language that are vital to success.  By 3rd grade, when reading shifts from learning to read to reading to learn, the gap is wider; the consequences more pronounced.  Bottom line, children with larger vocabularies are stronger readers and perform significantly better on standardized tests.

What are teachers to do about this divide? Clearly they must create word-rich environments that entice their students to revel in the power of words.  Direct, daily instruction is key, yet research shows that dictionary work is the least effective method. According to Blachowicz, Beyersdorfer, & Fisher (2006), young children need 4 conditions to develop vocabulary knowledge:

1. exposure to new vocabulary
2. engagement and motivation
3. multiple experiences with new words that promote context and definition
4. independent word-learning strategies.

I will argue that children need 3 additional things:

1. teachers who model a love of words
2. interest in and curiousity about words
3. active involvement in "playing" with words.

I am a self-professed logophile.  Words have always intrigued me and word play delights me. It is only natural, then, that I consistently incorporate word play into my curricula. I call it "play" because that is what it feels like to my students.  It's learning disguised as fun and it fulfills all the conditions cited above. 

One example of word play in my class is Hinky Pinkies.

Intrigued? These vocabulary building, critical thinking exercises are so popular with students that they literally beg to do them. How often do you get enthusiasm like that? 

Hinky Pinkies are often thought to be for gifted students. Certainly G/T students love them and engage easily with them. But there is no universal law that restricts them from being used with regular ed. kiddos. I have decades of experience using Hinky Pinkies with heterogeneous groups as young as 2nd grade. In fact, special ed. teachers and speech and language therapists have left positive feedback about using them with their students.  

As a result of working with Hinky Pinkies, your students will not only increase their vocabularies, but gain facility with syllables, phonemes, synonyms, parts of speech, and verb tenses. They exercise their problem solving and critical thinking skills. My children have been known to voluntarily seek out dictionaries and thesauri!

The vocabulary benefits alone should be enough to convince any teacher to try these riddles. But my favorite outcome is the look of pleasure and satisfaction on my students' faces when they solve their first Hinky Pinky all by themselves.

You can find lots of Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, and Hinkity Pinkities in my TPT store, but you can try these for FREE!  And they are just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

What the Teacher Said

Having been a teacher for more than 30 years, I've said a lot.  But that's not what this post is about.  This post is about what teachers have said about my products.

My teaching passions are many, but chief among them are materials that promote critical thinking and problem solving.  My appetite for this was first whetted wwwaaaaayyyyy back in my second year of teaching when I attended a state conference on gifted education.  It was there that I was first introduced to the  critical thinking activity, Hink Pinks, and their cousins, Hinky Pinkies and Hinkity Pinkities.  

 My enthusiasm for Hink Pinks et al. has never waned.  Indeed, I have used them with every class from 1st grade to 5th. It takes a little more prompting to get 1st graders to combine syllable constraints with synonyms, but there is nothing more rewarding than seeing that "lightbulb moment" when a little one gets it.

You can see examples of my Hink Pinks et al. by going here.  Several of them are free! If you try them, I think you will like them. But, you don't have to take my word for it.  Here's what the teachers said:

If you would like to check out my Hink Pink et al. products, click here.  By the way, they are CCSS aligned.

Election Vocabulary

It's about time, teachers,  to work with election vocabulary.  

I love to sneak learning in with fun activities.  To that end, I cast my ballot for Election Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, Hinkity Pinkities, and Hitinkity Pitinkities. With just a few days left until the national election, you have undoubtedly introduced vocabulary associated with it.  So now, you need to add the fun.  

If you are unfamiliar with Hink Pinks, they are riddles for which the answer must be a pair of rhyming words; each word having just 1 syllable (as do hink and pink).  Hinky Pinkies are riddles with rhyming word pair answers; each answer word having 2 syllables.  You guessed it, Hinkity Pinkities have 3 syllables and Hitinkity Pitinkities have 4 syllables.

Try these examples:

 

Skills involved in solving these riddles include: 

• vocabulary development
• parts of speech
• synonyms
• rimes
• Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

This product includes 24 cards with election themed clues and, of course, an answer key. The cards are copy ready; just print them on card stock (pink, of course), laminate, and cut them apart.  Now you are ready to place them at a center, use them as an anchor activity, grab a few for a sponge activity, and/or use them for whole group problem solving.  If your students have never tried Hink Pinks, et al, solve several together, modeling your thinking.

Were you able to solve the above examples? As you can testify, they are not quick and easy.  I recommend them for upper elementary and middle school.

And the answers are...

• vote tote
• tally rally
• President's residence
• politician opposition

Grab your copy of Election Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, Hinkity Pinkities, & Hitinkity Pitinkities here.  They are only $2.50.

Remember to

  

Easter Hink Pinks

Are you egg-cited about checking your answers for the Easter Hink Pinks and Hinky Pinkies?  Or are you egg-ravated that you had to wait?  Are you cracking up at my egg humor or do you just want to yolk choke me?  Before I reveal the answers, I have to share the following egg humor:

This cracked me up, no yolk-ing!  (I think the season has me deviled.)  

Egg-nuff already!  Here are the answers:
     9. Twin rabbits = hare pair
    10. Royal leader of the season = spring king
    11. Egg coloring belongs to me = my dye
    13. Chocolate bunnies by the ocean = sandy candy

    14. Tall building made of lilies = flower tower

    15. Bunny's routines = rabbit's habits

How did you do?  Did you find them to be hard boiled and frustrating?  Or were they over easy?  

One of the things I love most about Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, and Hinkity Pinkities is that they require ALL students to really think.  Even "Gavin Gifted" can't produce the answer before you finish reading the clue.  That alone makes them worth their weight in gold! However, I will admit that the more of them you present to the class, the quicker the response time.  I like to think they are building new neural pathways in their brains.  

If you are intrigued by these riddles, you may be interested in:  

      

These are FREEBIES:

As you can see, I'm really into Hink Pinks.  This is just a fraction of what I have in my files.  Do you think I need an intervention?

Valentine's Day Hink Pinks, ... Freebie

Another holiday, another set of Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, and Hinkity Pinkities.  Ever since I attended my 1st state conference for Gifted and Talented Education, I have seen, heard and read about Hink Pinks.  These vocabulary building, problem solving, critical thinking riddles are staples  in GATE.  Perhaps my decades long connection with Hink Pinks, et al, is best explained by the fact that my students absolutely love them!  They loved them when I was in the classroom and when I became an enrichment resource teacher, my pull-out students literally begged for more of them.

If you are new to the land of Hink Pinks, here's how they work:

• Hink Pinks are riddles wherein the clues lead you to a 2 word answer.  Each answer word must have just 1 syllable and the 2 answer words must rhyme.
• Hinky Pinkies are riddles seeking answers with 2 syllables in each word.  The 2 words must rhyme.
• Hinkity Pinkities are rhyming answer words with 3 syllables each.

Some teachers like to distribute these clues on a work sheet, but I continually strive to eliminate worksheets from my teaching. About 20 years ago, I started putting the clues on 1/4 sheet cards.  By doing so, I was able to create a resource that was ready to use year after year.  

Armed with my Hink Pink, et al cards, I was able to use them as an anchor activity when students were arriving each morning. They also work well as a sponge activity or at a center.  When working as a pull-out enrichment specialist, I used these cards as a warm-up activity.  Without a doubt, G/T students are enthralled with these riddles.  But, I also found that "average" students were intrigued and set their caps to solve them.   

In my TpT store, I am offering a FREE set of Valentine's Day Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, and Hinkity Pinkities.  Here's a preview:

The answer to this Hink Pink is sweet treat.

The answer to this Hinky Pinky is sandy candy.  

The answer to the Hinkity Pinkity below is valentine turpentine.

There are 24 cards in this FREE set.  Naturally, there is an answer key.  Did I mention that it is FREE?  You can retrieve your copy here.

If you like this product, you may like these, as well:

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Find it here.

Groundhog Day 4.0

This is the last post about Groundhog Day, I promise.  Words and word play are really my thing.  I love enticing and intriguing my students to increase their vocabulary through fun activities.  My students and I just love Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies, & Hinkity Pinkities.

If you've never encountered Hink Pinks, etc., you are in for a treat. Hink Pinks are rhyming answers to riddles. The answer is a Hink Pink if both answer words are supposed to be just one syllable. If the riddle calls for 2 syllables in each answer word, it's called a Hinky Pinky. You've probably already figured out that 3 syllable answers are Hinkity Pinkities. Several years ago, my enrichment students begged to know what a 4 syllable answer would be called. Never having encountered one, I let them name such pairs. Voila! Hitinkity Pitinkities were born. Then, of course, I had to quickly create some riddles with 4 syllable answers. Good brain exercise for me!

I have created some Hink Pinks, etc. especially for Groundhog Day.  You are invited to try them with your class. Here are a few to get you started:

I've designed my clues to be on cards that I can use at a literacy center or at a large or small group meeting.  Note that the "Hink Pink" logo appears on the cards so that students know what number of syllables to be thinking about. In the above examples, the answer to #1 is deep sleep. #2 is bright light. Pretty fun, huh?

Now try Hinky Pinkies and Hinkity Pinkities. (Sorry, no 4 syllable answers for this holiday.)

The answer to #9 is rehide inside. Muddy buddy is the solution to #10.  

#17 is prediction description, although I would also accept prediction depiction. Furrow burrow is the answer to the last one.  

Your students will love working on vocabulary, parts of speech, synonyms, rimes, making inferences, and interpreting data when they are disguised as fun. Mine clamor for more everyday.  

You are welcome to download this freebie here. If you visit my store, you will see that I'm a bit obsessed with these word riddles. There are currently 24 more Hink Pink products listed here. All of these products bear the same logos on the cards and are print ready. I recommend copying them on card stock and laminating them before cutting them apart. Then you will have ready-made fun for years to come.  Enjoy!

For economy, you may be interested in these bundles: