We had the opportunity to review WordBuildOnline by Dynamic Literacy.
Do you give attention to vocabulary in your school? I use to prepare vocabulary lessons for my older children when they were younger. I would give my children vocabulary/spelling words they would study and memorize over the course of the week. By the end of one week, they would know five new words. Great, but limiting. Somehow, my attention to vocabulary was lost.
Dynamic Literacy takes a different approach to studying vocabulary with exponential learning. By pulling apart words, focusing on prefixes and suffixes, students not only learn the meaning of one word, they learn the meaning of other words that begin and end in the same manner.
WordBuildOnline presents the student with daily, 10 to 15 minute lessons. With daily repetition and practice of the material, that is enough time to reinforcement. It is also a short enough amount of time where a vocabulary lesson does not turn into a chore. Students are learning while having some fun.
WordBuildOnline is for students in second grade and older. Lily spent her time in Elements Level 1 of WordBuildOnline and was guided through the lessons by the host Lexi. This level is recommended for students who have completed Dynamic Literacy Foundations or in at least the sixth grade. This level was good for Lily. Although we haven’t studied much about prefixes or suffixes, the review of both was enough to get her up to speed and ready to use WordBuildOnline.
Concentration is on Latin and Greek root words, but a review of prefixes and suffixes is included. Placement of your student is more so based on his or her familiarity with the presented prefixes and suffixes. No previous knowledge of either is necessary for your student to be able to complete the material. The picture above shows one of the help areas, so the program is very user friendly in function as well as instruction.
There are five study days in one week. The student watches a video of the new material on the first day. During the rest of the week, they complete a variety of exercises. One of the daily activities they enjoyed was the magic square. The student matches the word in the square with the correct definition shown on the right of the picture. The activity is not only fun, but a good exercise to help the student learn the definition of the word. You may have noticed the prefix that is being practiced is “over,” which means to “go beyond.” By the student learning the meaning of the prefix, they are able to pull a word apart, put it back together and make the word make sense.
The stair step is another activity the students works through to reinforce the lesson.
The program is also one the student is able to work through independently. If they need assistance, I would say, if a child is able to read, they would be able to work through the program on their own. Lexi is the student’s guide and there was really no need for me to have to hover over Lily as she worked through the program. That is always plus when it comes to teaching a subject. I was free to work with another child on some other subject while Lily was working on her vocabulary lesson.
WordBuild Online is teaches vocabulary in a fun manner learning “25 of the most frequently used Latin and Greek roots,” is the focus of the Elements I level. Lily is learning that a word is more than just the letter that put it together. She is learning that words are made into parts and the meaning of those parts. Those type of analysis skills are ones that can be used in other subjects (ex: math and science) and she is gaining a confidence and knowledge to “go beyond.”
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
WordBuildOnline is available for $30 per student, which include a free parent or teacher account.
Social media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dynamic-Literacy/77106927761?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dynamicliteracy
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dynamicliteracy/
You can read more reviews of this item by fellow crew members.
Leave a Reply