Palindrome: 2-23-22
⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕
balderdash
ballyhoo
baloney
fiddledeedee
flapdoodle
jabberwocky
poppycock
malarkey
⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕ ⁕
These silly words have something in common.
They are all synonyms for "nonsense."
Back in my teaching days, I used these goofy words (and more) for many reasons.
8th graders are full of excuses.
"Mrs. H., my dog ate my homework." "Balderdash!"
"Mrs. H., I left my homework in the lunchroom and it got thrown away." "Malarkey!"
"Mrs. H., I just didn't feel like doing my homework." "Poppycock!"
"Mrs. H., English is boring." "Baloney!"
These nonsensical words, especially when said with an emphatic, dramatic flair, are attention grabbers. When teaching middle schoolers vocabulary, giving them a list of words of the week, having the them look the words up in a dictionary, write the definition, and then write sentences with the word just doesn't work. Vocabulary learning is a continual process of encountering new words in meaningful and comprehensible contexts. My students knew my love for words, they laughed when I called myself a word nerd. Teachers should display an attitude of excitement and interest in words and language. This can be a catalyst for students to actively, and even playfully, engage in learning new words.
Stay continued for more jabberwocky!
No comments:
Post a Comment