Anthony poses a question about vocabulary retention

Understanding and internalizing new vocabulary is important for students' overall understanding of new subject matter.  Chapter 8 provided us with many activities and strategies that we can apply in order to introduce new vocabulary to students in our classes.   It is suggested that the use of these vocabulary strategies will (hopefully) help promote retention of the new information that students are about to learn. Which of the activities or strategies introduced in Chapter 8 would you use within your classroom when you begin a new topic or a new chapter?  What, in your estimation, are its benefits?   

Which of these Chapter 8 suggested strategies would you prefer not to use?   Why?     

Laura asks us to think about motivating students

 After reading Chapter 6, about activating student prior knowledge and student interest, why do you think it is important for you as a teacher to prepare a strategy that would raise interest and activate prior knowledge in what you are about to have the students read.  What pre-reading strategy (covered in that chapter) do you think would be helpful?  As a teacher, would you let students decide what they wanted to read or would you choose their readings for them? What do you think the authors of the chapter meant when they suggested that you let students choose what they wanted to read?   How often do you think would you let them have some degree of choice? 

Sarah asks a question about teaching strategies

Of all the different teaching techniques to which you have been introduced in each of your education classes, what is one that you are excited to implement in your content area classroom?   Why did you choose this particular strategy?   Why do you think it will be successful in getting your students to comprehend what they are reading (and learning)?  On the other hand, what is one strategy that you would prefer not to use with your students?   Why?