Word Book Project

I’m always searching for new ways to add projects into my semester. Often my students have been studying English for years, and their English learning has dissolved into muddled memories of long lectures and arduous exams. At the end of the semester, I want to give my students the chance to hold something in their hands and say, “I did this.” 

That’s why I love the Word Book.

On the first day of class, I introduce the Word Book to my students. It’s just a notebook full of vocabulary words that they have collected themselves. 

 Step 1: Buy a notebook. 

I always encourage my students to get a new book for this. There’s just something special about going out and buying a new book for a fresh start, instead of just digging around to find an old half-used book from past English semesters. 

I also tell them to find a book that they love and that reflects their personality. This isn’t a textbook! This is a collection of all the words they’ve found interesting or they think will be useful or words they’ve always wanted to learn. This book should reflect who they are as a person. 

If you really want to push students to do this, tell them to bring their notebook to the next class as a homework assignment. They have to show it to me to get credit, and they have to explain why they chose it. This is yet another great way to get to know them early on in the semester. Maybe they’ll share a story about a vacation this beach scene reminds them of, or maybe you’ll find out that your student is obsessed with Minions or Marvel. 

Step 2: Transform your notebook into a Word Book!

Tell students to collect vocabulary words in any way they like. If they hear a new word in class or while listening to a song, a movie, or a TV show, they should write it in their word book. They should number each word, and write something to help them review the word. You could have students write the translation in their native language, write the part of speech, or write an example sentence. 

Step 3: Reach the Goal

Set a goal for the number of words their Word Books should contain. Maybe you want them to have 200 words in their book by the end of the semester. That means, each quarter, students should have written 50 words. I do periodic checks to make sure they’re actually collecting these words throughout the semester instead of just copying dictionaries the night before the end of the semester (Because we all know that would happen). 

Step 4: Check their Word Books

Don’t make this just busy work for the students to do without any feedback or guidance. When I periodically check the books, I ask students to give me the book during a work time in class. I run through the book to check that they have the number of words they should, but also to give some feedback. I’ll make a note next to any really native or useful words. If they have a word that’s outdated or rude, I’ll also make a note about that as well to let them know. 

At the end of the semester, your students will have a collection of words they found themselves (yay for autonomous learning!) and will have a record to show for it. They had a chance to personalize their learning, as well as take control of it, and my students have loved the final product!