When and where did I find this word: I didn't find this word per se. It found me. I was riding in the car with my husband this afternoon (Sunday, October 30th) and we were talking about our relationship and the strength it takes to make a marriage work. Somehow, in conversation, he used the word fortitude and I paused a moment to ask him what that meant. Even though I am entitled the break this week from words I liked the word and its meaning so I wanted to post it on my blog.
What this word means: Mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger or temptation courageously ([http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fortitude], October 30th, 2011). My husband briefly stated it meant strength but when I looked up the term I was surprised to find the definition perfect for the context in which we were using it earlier today.
Level of familiarity: I have heard this term used before and I am quite positive it never really made an impact on me before today, which is why I have never retained the definition.
Is this a word I want to know well?:I think this is an excellent term to know well because it can actually apply to most classroom experiences. Students must have or overcome their mental and emotional battles to persevere in tough times at school. School is and will always be a challenge for youngsters but that is what part of growing up entails. If you want to function properly in society you must follow the 'guidelines' to living successfully. Technically, you can apply this term not only to school situations but most anything. Very cool word.
Is this a word I want others to know well?: Absolutely. This is most definitely a word I want others to know. It is a strong word in itself that students and professionals should take the time to know. It serves as a good term to describe the strength they need to succeed. I like this word a lot.
Jess Graves's vocabulary for the GREAT!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
8:2 Irenic
When and where did I find this word: This word was used in a text message to me this past Wednesday, October 19th, in the middle of the afternoon. It was sent from my children's father. He told me that he hopes I learn to be irenic because it will help me to be a much happier person. I had to look up the definition because obviously I want to be happy but I didn't recognize the term.
What this word means: Dictionary.com Definition: Tending to promote peace or reconciliation; peaceful or conciliatory. When I first received the word I thought it meant something like try to be more accepting of others and not bitter for everything. My conscious coming out I suppose.
Level of familiarity: I have never heard this term used before. I haven't seen it either. My level of familiarity with the term is zero.
Is this a word I want to know well?: I think this is a term that is most definitely positive, at least what applies to my life. I am bitter about many things that have happened to me in my life and I tend to be a very non-forgiving person. It is not a good trait to have, let me tell you. It was interesting to see the word in my text and it really struck a cord with me. I wanted to be irenic, and I still want to be that way. I think it's a word I won't forget.
Is this a word I want others to know well?: I think that this would be a good word for students to know and understand for when they are going through certain life issues. I want to be there for my students as I am for my children and my self and I think that if I can create a positive learning environment, words such as this one can make their way into my students' vocabulary repertoires.
What this word means: Dictionary.com Definition: Tending to promote peace or reconciliation; peaceful or conciliatory. When I first received the word I thought it meant something like try to be more accepting of others and not bitter for everything. My conscious coming out I suppose.
Level of familiarity: I have never heard this term used before. I haven't seen it either. My level of familiarity with the term is zero.
Is this a word I want to know well?: I think this is a term that is most definitely positive, at least what applies to my life. I am bitter about many things that have happened to me in my life and I tend to be a very non-forgiving person. It is not a good trait to have, let me tell you. It was interesting to see the word in my text and it really struck a cord with me. I wanted to be irenic, and I still want to be that way. I think it's a word I won't forget.
Is this a word I want others to know well?: I think that this would be a good word for students to know and understand for when they are going through certain life issues. I want to be there for my students as I am for my children and my self and I think that if I can create a positive learning environment, words such as this one can make their way into my students' vocabulary repertoires.
8:1 Lament
When and where did I find this word: I found this word last night, Sunday October 23rd, 2011 while reading a story to my sons for bedtime. We were reading a spongebob square pants story and the word happened to be in the story. It took me a minute to regain focus on reading because it didn't make sense to me that such a large word would be placed within a children's book. I suppose I have seen stranger things in my life.
What this word means: Dictionary.com definition: to feel or express sorrow or regret for. The way it was used in the story made it sound like a different definition. I would have said that it meant crying or sad. I suppose it's all relative and the definitions are close.
Level of familiarity: I think I have seen this word in places that are completely random. Maybe I have even heard it but it doesn't stand out in my memory as one of those terms that's really used much (at least in my life).
Is this a word I want to know well?: I think this is one of those terms that's nice to know for worldly, academic purposes but otherwise I wouldn't really resort to using it much. I don't really don't express sorrow or regret very often. It's a handy word but not necessary.
Is this a word I want others to know well? Again, I don't feel the word is absolutely necessary in terms of everyday use but it's a handy word to have 'on file' once in a while. I think that as we are becoming teachers or are already practicing teaching and literacy, it might be important to have these sort of terms 'on file' in the event that what happened to me (reading with my sons) you come across a term that makes you stop and you need to reassess the reading event. If my boys had been older and asked me what the term meant, I would have had to think 'fast' to come up with an answer.
What this word means: Dictionary.com definition: to feel or express sorrow or regret for. The way it was used in the story made it sound like a different definition. I would have said that it meant crying or sad. I suppose it's all relative and the definitions are close.
Level of familiarity: I think I have seen this word in places that are completely random. Maybe I have even heard it but it doesn't stand out in my memory as one of those terms that's really used much (at least in my life).
Is this a word I want to know well?: I think this is one of those terms that's nice to know for worldly, academic purposes but otherwise I wouldn't really resort to using it much. I don't really don't express sorrow or regret very often. It's a handy word but not necessary.
Is this a word I want others to know well? Again, I don't feel the word is absolutely necessary in terms of everyday use but it's a handy word to have 'on file' once in a while. I think that as we are becoming teachers or are already practicing teaching and literacy, it might be important to have these sort of terms 'on file' in the event that what happened to me (reading with my sons) you come across a term that makes you stop and you need to reassess the reading event. If my boys had been older and asked me what the term meant, I would have had to think 'fast' to come up with an answer.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
7:2 Trivial
When and where did I find this word: I used this word tuesday, October 11, 2011 while talking with my sister about something non-important (Hence the term trivial). For the first time, though, I actually stopped and pondered the term. It is so commonly used that everyone throws the term around like its nothing. It's a funny term to me but one I use all the time. I wanted to put it down here as one of my terms. The sentence I had used it in was: "That sort of thing is just trivial."
What this word means: Trivial in my mind means: Nothing of importance or something small that doesn't contain a lot of relevance. Dictionary.com defines the term trivial as: of very little importance or value; insignificant.
Level of familiarity: My familiarity with the term is extensive. I have used this word since I don't know when. Forever. I have heard others throw the term around as well. It's almost one of those terms that's just so natural to use in everyday conversation that you just have to learn it at a young age. I wonder if Isabella (my daughter) knows the term? Interesting.
Is this a word I want to know well?: I already do know what this word means and very well might I add, but that doesn't make me unique from anyone else. This term, like I mentioned above, is so commonly used it's hard not to know it well. I would be curious to find out when people actually start using this term in their vocabulary repertoire (what age in life).
Is this a word I want others to know well?: I think this term should be used less often. I think too many people settle on these terms that just offer no growth or development of the English language. People are lazy, so terms like this one will get tossed around like it's no big deal. It's one's inability to see past the end of their nose to be able to expand their vocabulary so as to use a more sophisticated term as opposed to the term 'trivial." Just a thought.
What this word means: Trivial in my mind means: Nothing of importance or something small that doesn't contain a lot of relevance. Dictionary.com defines the term trivial as: of very little importance or value; insignificant.
Level of familiarity: My familiarity with the term is extensive. I have used this word since I don't know when. Forever. I have heard others throw the term around as well. It's almost one of those terms that's just so natural to use in everyday conversation that you just have to learn it at a young age. I wonder if Isabella (my daughter) knows the term? Interesting.
Is this a word I want to know well?: I already do know what this word means and very well might I add, but that doesn't make me unique from anyone else. This term, like I mentioned above, is so commonly used it's hard not to know it well. I would be curious to find out when people actually start using this term in their vocabulary repertoire (what age in life).
Is this a word I want others to know well?: I think this term should be used less often. I think too many people settle on these terms that just offer no growth or development of the English language. People are lazy, so terms like this one will get tossed around like it's no big deal. It's one's inability to see past the end of their nose to be able to expand their vocabulary so as to use a more sophisticated term as opposed to the term 'trivial." Just a thought.
7:1 Disparities
When and where did I find this word: I heard this word used this evening (Sunday, October 16th, 2011) when I had a heart to heart discussion with a person I know. The term was used in the sentence: "We are just at disparities I guess." I vaguely understood what was being because of the context it was used in, but I sat puzzled a moment because I actually didn't understand the true definition of the term itself. This made my overall comprehension of the context slightly fuzzy. I didn't like the way it felt.
What this word means: Disparities, the way I understood it, was the term used to describe things that work against two people trying to accomplish something. Dictionary.com describes the term as: lack of similarity or equality; inequality; difference. The two definitions are close and probably considered reasonable within the context it was understood in.
Level of familiarity: I am familiar with this term, since I have heard the word used in several instances, both inside and outside of school; hence this evening in conversation. I somewhat had a definition for the term as it was used in a sentence in which I was quite familiar with the context. This probably helped me to understand the term more clearly.
Is this a word I want to know well?: After thinking a moment on the importance and relevance of this term, I would think that this is most definitely a word I should know well. The term can be applied to my everyday life since no two people are alike (ie. myself and others) so there will always be disparities that need to be faced. As far as educationally, absolutely. I think this term is important because teachers face student disparities all day, every day.
Is this a word I want others to know well? I believe that no matter who you are, are what degree your studying, or what career your in, the term disparities is certainly an issue that everyone works through at one point or another in each day of their life. There's no doubt in my mind that this term is a valuable term to know, regardless of status.
What this word means: Disparities, the way I understood it, was the term used to describe things that work against two people trying to accomplish something. Dictionary.com describes the term as: lack of similarity or equality; inequality; difference. The two definitions are close and probably considered reasonable within the context it was understood in.
Level of familiarity: I am familiar with this term, since I have heard the word used in several instances, both inside and outside of school; hence this evening in conversation. I somewhat had a definition for the term as it was used in a sentence in which I was quite familiar with the context. This probably helped me to understand the term more clearly.
Is this a word I want to know well?: After thinking a moment on the importance and relevance of this term, I would think that this is most definitely a word I should know well. The term can be applied to my everyday life since no two people are alike (ie. myself and others) so there will always be disparities that need to be faced. As far as educationally, absolutely. I think this term is important because teachers face student disparities all day, every day.
Is this a word I want others to know well? I believe that no matter who you are, are what degree your studying, or what career your in, the term disparities is certainly an issue that everyone works through at one point or another in each day of their life. There's no doubt in my mind that this term is a valuable term to know, regardless of status.
Monday, October 10, 2011
6:2 Inflation
When and where did I find this word: Again, I receive a million and one magazines through the mail and as well as the NCTE English Journal, I picked up the MONEY magazine and sifted through it on our trip down to Arcade to ride the train. The issue of MONEY is May 2011. The featured article discusses inflation and how to regulate it. First of all, the term inflation is whipped around like a kid with a balloon. Secondly, even though I have a vague idea of what inflation means, as I was reading about it, I found myself not really understanding the term at all. I wonder if others feel the same way about this. My question would be, can you explain to someone else what this word means? If you can, you know and understand the word. If you can't, then you don't know the word. In any event, I wanted to add this term to my vocabulary bank.
What this word means: This term refers to the general rise in prices connected to the increased volume of money and decreased value of currency.
Level of familiarity: I have seen this word beyond a hundred times throughout my educational career (including middle and high school). This term is often associated with Economics and social studies but as I have grown, I have come to realize that the term, though used for economics, describes the way we are currently viewing our country's level of stability. I can read a magazine (ie. MONEY) or the news and I will find this term somewhere in the posted articles.
Is this a word I want to know well?: I believe that whether or not I want to know this word well, it is an important word that should be known if one wants to survive in our day in age. The economy is very important for the survival of people and inflation isn't necessarily a positive term on the economic spectrum therefore the more people know and understand the term inflation, possibly the more ideas we can obtain to try and alleviate the pressures of it.
Is this a word I want others to know well?: Absolutely. The more people know and understand this term, the better off I think our economy will be. There will be more people trying to fix the problems associated with inflation so that our economy doesn't collapse and/or the value of our dollar doesn't diminish. Very important term.
What this word means: This term refers to the general rise in prices connected to the increased volume of money and decreased value of currency.
Level of familiarity: I have seen this word beyond a hundred times throughout my educational career (including middle and high school). This term is often associated with Economics and social studies but as I have grown, I have come to realize that the term, though used for economics, describes the way we are currently viewing our country's level of stability. I can read a magazine (ie. MONEY) or the news and I will find this term somewhere in the posted articles.
Is this a word I want to know well?: I believe that whether or not I want to know this word well, it is an important word that should be known if one wants to survive in our day in age. The economy is very important for the survival of people and inflation isn't necessarily a positive term on the economic spectrum therefore the more people know and understand the term inflation, possibly the more ideas we can obtain to try and alleviate the pressures of it.
Is this a word I want others to know well?: Absolutely. The more people know and understand this term, the better off I think our economy will be. There will be more people trying to fix the problems associated with inflation so that our economy doesn't collapse and/or the value of our dollar doesn't diminish. Very important term.
6:1 Canonical
When and where did I find the word: I receive a million and one magazines through the mail and I collect the ones I want to read (when I get to it) in a box tucked away. Occasionally I'll sift through my small box and read a magazine or two just to take me somewhere else. It's a strange little habit but I don't want to "miss" any information. In any event, I grabbed the NCTE English Journal because I received September's issue and thought the articles in it might serve some purpose to me as far as school assignments go. My family, some friends, and myself took a train ride this past Saturday and I had an hour and a half to read my Journal. I came across this word in the article titled The Literary Changes: From the Book Room to the Discovery of American Literatures and NCTE (2011) written by R. Joseph Rodriguez. Ironically in the same paragraph I found this word was the title of the book I have pulled for my other class with Dr. Jones, The House on Mango Street written by Sandra Cisneros.
What the word means: This word means authorized, recognized, and/or accepted (in the context it was used).
Level of familiarity: I think I might have seen this word at some point in my schooling because it doesn't strike me as one of those "new" words I have never seen. It looks vaguely familiar but I didn't know what it meant when I was reading the article so now it appears on my vocab blog.
Is this a word I want to know well?: Now that I read the sentence it was placed in and I understand its meaning, I think it is definitely a word I want to know well since it fits nicely into the literary repertoire of vocabulary terms that could be useful. This term seems to be one that might be used on the professional spectrum of teaching (ie. when talking with administrators or the district in terms of what literature is appropriate for students)
Is this a word I want others to know well?: I think that others in my field of study should know this word well for the same reason I think I should know this word. It might be used when talking to administrators and/or district personnel that discuss what literature is appropriate and why.
What the word means: This word means authorized, recognized, and/or accepted (in the context it was used).
Level of familiarity: I think I might have seen this word at some point in my schooling because it doesn't strike me as one of those "new" words I have never seen. It looks vaguely familiar but I didn't know what it meant when I was reading the article so now it appears on my vocab blog.
Is this a word I want to know well?: Now that I read the sentence it was placed in and I understand its meaning, I think it is definitely a word I want to know well since it fits nicely into the literary repertoire of vocabulary terms that could be useful. This term seems to be one that might be used on the professional spectrum of teaching (ie. when talking with administrators or the district in terms of what literature is appropriate for students)
Is this a word I want others to know well?: I think that others in my field of study should know this word well for the same reason I think I should know this word. It might be used when talking to administrators and/or district personnel that discuss what literature is appropriate and why.
Monday, October 3, 2011
5:2 Cohesion
~I found this 'term' Sunday evening, October 2nd at 10pm when I was reading "Friendly Texts and Text-Friendly Teachers (2001) written by Mariam Jean Dreher and Harry Singer. "Any grammatical element that relates one sentence or paragraph to another provides cohesion to a text..." (Dreher and Singer, 2001, pg. 99)
~This term meanings joining together or making something flow for the ability to be comprehensible.
~My level of familiarity with this word is considerable as I often hear the term used in my field but most times I am uncertain as to what it means. The term cohesive is often used frequently as well.
~I am interested in learning this term because I think it is a term that I will often hear and perhaps often use in the future throughout my teaching career.
~I believe it is another academic term that teachers, and especially Literacy coaches should be well aware of given the duties of the Literacy Coach and working with texts and books.
~This term meanings joining together or making something flow for the ability to be comprehensible.
~My level of familiarity with this word is considerable as I often hear the term used in my field but most times I am uncertain as to what it means. The term cohesive is often used frequently as well.
~I am interested in learning this term because I think it is a term that I will often hear and perhaps often use in the future throughout my teaching career.
~I believe it is another academic term that teachers, and especially Literacy coaches should be well aware of given the duties of the Literacy Coach and working with texts and books.
5:1 Discourse Consistency
~I found this 'term' Sunday evening, October 2nd at 10pm when I was reading "Friendly Texts and Text-Friendly Teachers (2001) written by Mariam Jean Dreher and Harry Singer.
"A uniform style of presenting information is referred to as discourse consistency."
~This term was clearly defined in the sentence presented in the reading. The definition is: A uniform style of presenting information. (Using a consistent pattern of organization throughout a text, an author provides studetns with a predictable structure (Dreher & Singer, 2001, pg. 99)
~I understand the idea of textbooks needing some sort of organizational pattern but have never come across a formal phrase or term such as this one before.
~This is a term I would like to know well because it is a strong academic term for something that I am engaged with all of the time in my field. The academic language will help my professionalism in the long run.
~I believe this is a term that others in my field and this class should know well because we are all trying to gain professionalism within the Literacy program and it is common academic language that should be used.
"A uniform style of presenting information is referred to as discourse consistency."
~This term was clearly defined in the sentence presented in the reading. The definition is: A uniform style of presenting information. (Using a consistent pattern of organization throughout a text, an author provides studetns with a predictable structure (Dreher & Singer, 2001, pg. 99)
~I understand the idea of textbooks needing some sort of organizational pattern but have never come across a formal phrase or term such as this one before.
~This is a term I would like to know well because it is a strong academic term for something that I am engaged with all of the time in my field. The academic language will help my professionalism in the long run.
~I believe this is a term that others in my field and this class should know well because we are all trying to gain professionalism within the Literacy program and it is common academic language that should be used.
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