It’s Wednesday, January 15, 2014, and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
Dr. Goodword’s Word Wizard Club
Age Range: 3-13 (grades PreK-8, approximately, with parental supervision).
This website is a language lover’s paradise! The host, Dr. Goodword, has amassed an incredible array of helpful tips and activities to improve grammar, spelling, and vocabulary, along with fun interactive games and quizzes, and links to many other related resources.
*Game Closet — Try your hand at the Goodword Junior crossword puzzle that is based on the words from the current week’s email messages. So, for example, since today is Wednesday, you will only see three words listed under the current week’s puzzle, and the most recent completed and playable puzzle is the one which uses last week’s words. A few months’ worth of puzzles are archived here. All the words for each week are available for you to review before you play. These crosswords can be played online (complete with hints and answers) or printed from the Teacher Resources page and completed offline. Also in the Game Closet is a huge collection of language jokes and stories about where English and other languages come from. Can you guess how old English is? You can find out here!
*Miss Spelling’s Spelling Center — Find a fun poem to challenge your pronunciation skills (“Spelling Chaos”), six tips for better writing, lists of commonly mispronounced and misspelled words, and more!
*Reference Section — This menu item takes you away from the “kids” section, back to the “mother” page for this website called AlphaDictionary.com, where you’ll find articles about the nature of language, correct usage, and other fascinating linguistic tidbits along with word games and activities for teens and adults.
Use the menu to find an array of items from exploration of English word origins and roots, to fun with puns, to text messaging shorthand and more. Sign up to receive a daily email with vocabulary words. You’ll also find:
*Slingin Slang: From the Flappers to the Rappers — Did you know that the slang you use/used in high school and college reveals your true age! Or does it? Try this quiz and see!
*Are you a Yankee or a Rebel? — Take the quiz and find out. While you’re at it, read an article on the differences between Northern and Southern speech.
*Get a list of the 100 funniest words in the English language. One of them is: floccinaucinihilipi lification. Ah yes, it’s funny! But what does it mean, and *how* is it pronounced? Don’t worry, Dr. Goodword provides all of this information as well.
AlphaDictionary.com is a commercial website that sells translation services and custom dictionaries. But you don’t have to buy a thing to enjoy all of the free content.
