Word+Family+Charts


 * Word Family Charts **

Have students develop charts or posters that show word families or synonym groupings. Ask them to design graphic organizers to show the relationships among the words and how each relates to its synonyms. For example, if the word walk is at the center of the chart, it might be surrounded by words organized into categories, such as “words that mean to walk quickly.” These charts are especially useful for helping students find more colorful or descriptive words to use in their writing. Another idea is to use as the center of the chart a word that has multiple meanings.

(Tankersley, 2005)