Use Dictionaries, Thesauruses, and Glossaries as Tools—Assessment

Readers use many word-learning tools to increase their understanding of the words and texts they are reading. These tools allow students to access a precise definition of a word or words that mean the same thing, thereby making the meaning clearer.

This guide can help teachers in three different ways.  

1. Goal setting: Using the rubric on page 2 can support the teacher in determining if this is a needed strategy for a particular student or group of students.
2. Assessment: It can be used as a way to determine student performance with the goal of Expand Vocabulary.
3. Timing for instruction on a new strategy: This assessment can support a teacher in determining if the student has a strong enough grasp of a strategy and is ready for a new one to be layered on.