• Using WordQ with different learners
• Get the best word predictions
• New WordQ users
• WordQ tips
• SpeakQ tips
• More LD resources
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• Getting learners to use subject-specific vocabulary
• Usage examples for confusing words
• Focusing on the prediction list
• Editing work
• Repetition
Getting learners to use subject-specific vocabulary
It can be difficult for learners to use specific, relevant
vocabulary (“rotate” instead of “go round”, “evaporate” instead of
“go away”, “step, stride or tiptoe” instead of “walk”).
With WordQ you can encourage your learners to develop their
vocabulary in this way, so satisfying the requirements of the
curriculum for relevant, subject-specific vocabulary.
And it’s easy to do!
• Go to WordQ’s Options button, find and click on My Words...
• Click on the Topics tab
• Click on the New... button and give your topic a name (e.g., Rocks and
Minerals Grade 4, The Respiratory System Year 8, Story 1 Ms. Jones
Group 3)
Now add the words you want your learners to use, one at a time,
typing them in (make sure the spelling is correct!) and then hitting
the Add button.
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Usage examples for confusing words
Using the new WordQ 2 usage examples feature is helpful when words
are easily confused. While WordQ includes usage examples for many
confusing words, it does not cover the entire dictionary. You may
wish to create examples for specific words.
For example, if you are doing a unit on volcanoes and you have
created a topic in the way described, with relevant “Volcano”
vocabulary (e.g. erupt, magma, lava, etc.) you can create a usage
examples for “lather” and “lava” which are commonly confused.
All you do is, locate each word on the Options>My Words…>Main dialog
and write out a usage example in the bottom text field. These
examples will now be available when those words are shown in the
prediction box. When the students try to type “The lather flowed
down the mountainside” an arrow will appear next to the word
‘lather’ showing them the usage example you just created,
reinforcing what you’ve been trying to hammer home for the last
month!
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Focusing on the prediction list
Sherri Parkins of Seneca College, Toronto, Canada has this
suggestion for trying to get learners to really look at the
prediction box, so that they can get the best use out of it.
“Get the students to use only one hand while learning to use the
prediction box. This helps really fast proficient typists to slow
down long enough to actually notice what WordQ can do for them. It
has been our experience that even the fast typists and good spellers
who profess not to use WordQ actually begin to incorporate it into
their writing"
Editing work
One of the best uses of WordQ is as an editing, or proofreading tool.
We have all had that experience of remarking on how much easier it
is to correct someone else’s work than our own. The whole process of
writing means that we often think that what was in our heads is the
same as what is now on paper. Asking someone else to look through
what we’ve written is normally essential if we care about the
reception our piece of writing might receive.
In schools this is obviously true too. But learners typically hate
having to review or edit their work – partly because they’ve done it
once already and once seems plenty, and partly because they just
don’t see their mistakes anyway, so what’s the point?
WordQ can really help with this.
Ask the students to write their work as usual, using WordQ to
predict and select appropriate words. When they have finished, ask
them to go through their work paragraph by paragraph (or section by
section).
Ask them to highlight the paragraph or section, and then select the
Read button. WordQ will now read this section aloud to the learner.
Listening to it in this way is like having someone else read it and
the learners will often hear the mistakes they didn’t see. If there
are no periods, WordQ just keeps on reading, if there are periods
where none should be, WordQ reads the phrase as if it’s a sentence –
in other words WordQ reads exactly what is written, with the
corresponding intonation. Learners can then spot their mistake
themselves- without being made to feel embarrassed or irritated
about their mistake. The joy of the perfectly non-judgmental
computer!
When the learners have made the changes they feel necessary, ask
them to highlight their whole text and have it read to them again,
for one final revision.
One of our customers was particularly impressed by this feature:
“When the kids have finished their writing, get them to highlight it
all, press the Read button and have WordQ read it to them. It's
amazing how many mistakes they can find themselves, by hearing their
work as well as seeing it"
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Repetition
Many people learn by having things repeated – in fact it is
generally believed that we need to see or hear something 7 times
before we actually assimilate it, whether it is a new piece of
vocabulary or a new fact.
You can use WordQ to repeat things to you; it could be the names of
the planets in the solar system, the capitals of states or
countries, difficult words, historical facts – anything.
“My daughter finds it really helpful to hear things repeated often
so what I do is type up some of the facts she has to learn,
historical facts for example. Then she opens WordQ, hits the read
button and WordQ reads it and reads it and reads it- as often as she
likes. That's the joy of computers, they never get bored! We’ve now
started using WordQ French too and it’s really helping her French."
- Parent, Canada
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