A++Sharing+Our+Own+Connections

Strategy A: Sharing Our Own Connections
Rather than diving directly into definitions, why not share some of your own connections to the words that you would like your students to learn? When teachers use their own background knowledge and expertise to explain and model word meanings and relationships, a deeper context is developed. This helps students remember words and understand them better.

As a writer, I find nature incredibly **inspiring.** The quiet allows me to think, and when I'm surrounded by lush green trees, soft painted skies and trickling streams, it's easier for me to relax into a good idea. Removing myself from the ordinary experiences of my daily life and entering this different world introduces me to unexpected things. I find myself wanting to write more and generating better ideas as a result. This is what it means to be **inspired** by nature. Sharing this story with my students provides them background knowledge that is grounded in my own experiences.
 * Example:**


 * Other Ideas from Teachers I Work With:**
 * Share stories about my family and our activities, using vocabulary words.
 * Share vacation DVDs that exemplify vocabulary words.
 * Connect the words to concrete places in our community.
 * Connect the words to an object or momento from my own experiences.


 * Web Tools That Can Help You in Your Endeavor to Share**

[|Dumpr.net] is a piece of cake to use! Simply upload photos of your own experiences, select an effect, and create something amazing to share with your students. [|Motivator] is similar in that it allows you to customize your photos. Only this tool allows you to create your own "motivational" posters. [|Comic Life] allows you to flip your experiences (and the words that align to them) into comics! [|See samples here]. [|Download a trial here.] Interested in learning more about using comics in your classroom? Check out this wikispace! Consider using [|Animoto] to bring your stories (and other lessons) to life. Surf [|YouTube], [|TeacherTube], and [|SchoolTube] to locate appropriate videos that demonstrate vocabulary words. Make your own and upload them! Think about using [|bubbles] to add descriptions.