ESSENTIAL DISTRICT VOCABULARY OR EDV

The following list of Essential District Vocabulary (EDV) words will be introduced to all district 80 students beginning with the 2009-2010 school term. Throughout their grade levels, all students will be expected to master and extend their usage. As always, activating and building background knowledge is a strategic process incorporated into prereading. What can we do with our children to enhance their academic background?

1.) Cultural Events
2.) Literary Experiences

These experiences will help students activate what they know in order to connect it with content of a comprehension task.

"When all teachers in a school focus on the same academic vocabulary and teach this established vocabulary using effective methods, the school has a powerful comprehensive approach. When all teachers in a district embrace these words and use the same comprehensive approach, it becomes even more powerful."
                            - Dr. Robert J. Marzano

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Below are the essential district vocabulary words for each grade level. District 80 employees collaboratively selected these words as essential for students to understand upon completion of the particular grade level in which the words are assigned.

Kindergarten above author before beginning character community cooperate different directions equal fact fantasy fewer illustrator illustrate lower case more pattern predict problem question respect responsibility retell rhyme sentence sequence setting sort summarize title underline

First Grade add amount base word blend complete compound consonant correct details difference even expression fiction five w's genre graph greater less main idea meaning nonfiction odd plural punctuation realistic review safety singular skill solution solve subtract sum topic total venn diagram vowel

Second Grade abstract antonyms background categorize citizenship climate compare contrast creative define describe digraph emotion environment exclamation experiment explore figure identity imagination impression/ism independent opinion organization paragraph repetition rhythm statement subject symbol synonyms theme word families