“Thesaurus” is derived from Ancient Greek meaning “treasure “or “storehouse,” and later a “repository, especially of knowledge.”  My favorite word in this definition is ‘treasure’.   Treasure is something valued and special, which is how we should think of knowledge.

Your old, dusty thesaurus is crying out to you from the box of college books in the basement, attic or garage.  It’s time to unlock this treasure of words you thought was long gone out of your life.  Challenge yourself to find your thesaurus and give it a place of prominance on your desk. 

You don’t necessarily have to be writing a novel in order to tap into this valuable resource.  Think of the flyer or ad that caught your eye when you bought your first home.  Most likely it had interesting and descriptive words along with colorful pictures.  Hum your favorite song.  Aren’t the lyrics important, too?   Recall a famous speech in our country’s history.   Aren’t we forever quoting its more famous lines?   I would bet that a thesaurus was referenced for one or more of these; if it hadn’t been, I doubt we’d remember that song or speech.  Maybe you wouldn’t have taken a look inside the house for sale.  Words impact our lives.

Yes, it takes effort.  Start small.  The next time you’re writing in a greeting card for that ’special someone’, find words that make an impact.  You’ll sound eloquent,  sincere and intelligent.  Words are powerful, so go on–give it a try.   You’ll be amazed at how your communication skills improve.

Expository teaching can be confusing, but this is an easy-to-understand-and-implement example of how to write expository essays with expository samples.  Here are the steps for making sure you cover all of the expository essay elements for children’s writing assignments for use in your expository lesson:

1.  Begin by showing examples of expository writing.  Find expository essay topics where children have prior knowledge such as biographies of famous Americans, rocks and minerals lessons, magnet lessons, etc., and relate the topic to the writer’s experiences. 

2.  Explain how to use media resources such as the internet, encycopedias, and biographies to research their topic. Follow this by giving students a list to choose from that has several ideas regarding their topic. Examples for writing about a country would be:  climate, national anthem, leaders, landforms, flag, language, foods and culture.  This helps a child learn how to highlight or bookmark these items in their research.

3.  Give a written prompt such as:  Use your nonfiction topic to write an essay that explains to the reader, in an interesting and detailed way, the highlights of your subject.  Make sure you have an interesting lead sentence, underlined phrases above sub-topic paragraphs, and a closing that connects to your introduction.  Use a thesaurus and dictionary to have purposeful and correct writing.  End by publishing your report.

The elements that follow are for students who are writing about a biography they’ve read.

4.  The first paragraph should introduce the topic with a ‘hook’–an interesting lead sentence that makes the reader want to continue.  This could be a question, or a personal statement that links the topic to the child’s experiences.  The next 3-5 sentences should extend the personal connection.

5.  The second paragraph should be focused on one aspect of the topic with an underlined phrase above it.  For example, when writing about a famous American, a student could put, “The Early Years” above paragraph two.  That paragraph would then go on, in 3-5 sentences, to tell about that person’s beginnings, when they were born, and how experiences began to shape their life’s path.

6.  The third paragraph should have a title of another part of the person’s life, such as “Major Contributions” which would have several sentences about how this famous American contributed to society and for what they are known, to which groups and societies they belonged, etc.

7.  The final paragraph could be titled, “Honors and Tributes” which would be at least 3 sentences that describe awards, statues, tributes to that famous American.  This paragraph should end with 1-2 sentences that summarize the essay and connect to the first paragraph, in a personal way.

8. Children should then edit the rough draft of their expository essay by using a thesaurus to find higher-level vocabulary to give their writing specificity.  They should use a dictionary to check spelling, and finally, make sure they have capital letters and end marks.

9. Students enjoy using the computer to publish their reports, which would be followed by reading them aloud to their classmates.  This is a good time to practice oral presentation skills. 

10.  Finally, make sure you display their essays, as children are very proud of their hard work! 

Teaching students writing skills in any genre can be fun and easy.  Doris TheSaurus will definitely improve your students’ essays in a fun and student-centered way.

AM 620 Radio Host Dan O’Donnell of Milwaukee, WI, www.620wtmj.com,  in an interview with me on Feb. 19, asked how early should parents start reading to their children.  I answered that it’s never too early.  I read to my children before they were born.  It’s good for babies to hear the soothing sound and rhythm of your voice as you read. 

It’s imperative that parents model reading as children grow.  They need to know simple things such as how to hold a book, to begin with.  There are children who have never had parents read to them.  Kindergarten or preschool are often their first experiences with reading.  Hard to believe, I know.

Turn off the TV, get a book that interests your child, and read aloud to them.  As they begin to read on their own, let them read to you.  Share pages.  Most importantly, talk about the vocabulary they are being introduced to, as well as what the story was about. 

When you read something that is very descriptive, discuss what those words helped you visualize.  Then, lead your child to explain to you what a less descriptive sentence might have said.  Discuss the difference.

With my students, I liken expressive and descriptive writing vs. the opposite to a chocolate cake in a box vs. a chocolate cake made by a professional baker:  Both satisfy your sweet tooth and fill you up.  But the professional cake will have quality ingredients, careful preparation and thought behind it, is presented exquisitely, and is something you want to savor, not gobble down.  There are those differences in what you read, as well. 

It’s fun to read the other, as well.  There are novels for adults that are just fluff and fun.  I have no problem with that.  But we don’t want a steady diet of those books.  Every now and then we need something a bit deeper that will satisfy the soul and stimulate us intellectually.   Your children need this, as well.  Doris TheSaurus is a good way to get your elementary school children interested in books because dinosaurs for kids are always popular.  It will spark an interest and they’ll love the illustrations.

Whether you have no children, school-aged children or they’re  now adults, you can make a difference in this country by helping in the public and private schools.  We have to quit saying, “That’s what I pay taxes for,” or “That’s why teachers get paid.”  Most teachers are doing everything they can to help, but we can’t do it alone.  Parents have to be involved in their children’s education like they did long ago in order to turn things around in this country and in our educational system.   I enjoyed a very intellectually stimulating conversation this morning discussing this and more with Dr. Dan, the host of Speak out Florida, WPBR 1340 AM of Palm Beach, FL.  www.wpbr1340am.com

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

If you are a parent of a student in public or private schools:

* Go to the PTA meetings to find out what’s going on in your school and where you can help.

* Volunteer in your child’s classroom and school.

* Attend school board meetings.

* Help your child with their homework.  Get them started, but don’t do it for them.  Talk to them about the work, AND THEN extend that information into your regular lifestyle.  Example:  If your child is learning about fractions, please know that most teachers are supporting this at school with hands-on activities.  But you need to extend it by having your kids help with cooking, for example.  Or if you make things, extend measurement lessons and have them help you make things.

* Talk with your child.  You can talk about anything:  religion, current events, politics, etc.

* Watch educational television with them, then have a discussion about it.  Find other resources about the topic.

* Help them understand that the computer is great for researching their subjects in school and learning even more than they do in school. 

* And VITAL, children should be eating healthy (limit sugars), especially protein; drinking water (wer’re 70% water!); playing outside; and going to bed on time.

If you have adult children, or no children:

Contact the principal, tell him or her what you’re good at, ask how that links to the curricula and what you can do to help.  Here are some areas that need volunteers:

* Are you a WWII veteran?  Students learn about this.  You would be a valuable addition to those lessons.

* Are you in politics?  Students learn about local, state, and federal governments, as well as our representative democracy.  Your expertise and background would be very much welcomed in our schools.

* Do you love to read?  Teachers would love to have you come in and read to their students.

* Are you an author?  Be a guest speaker in a language arts class and extend teaching the writing process.

* If you don’t like being center-stage, librarians need help shelving books.

* Theatre productions always need help building sets/painting/sewing, etc.

This is just a small list, so think about what you know, what you’ve done, or what you do right now and ask how you can help.

When teaching children how to find synonyms for their writing assignments, it’s vital to start with an actual thesaurus book.  If you don’t, students won’t have any ‘prior knowledge’ when they start using the thesauruses online or on the Word toolbar when publishing essays or stories. 

These are great tools for finding alternatives for overused words; however, when children access those for other suggestions, they only get those words and nothing else.  Students need to be free to let their ‘fingers do the walking’ through the actual pages of a thesaurus.  If it’s been awhile, you might try it, too!  Experiment a little.

To facilitate using a thesaurus in the classroom, begin by reviewing dictionary skills with students and have them leave their dictionaries open to a word of choice.

Give each student a children’s thesaurus and have them open to the same word that is on their dictionary page.

Show that one similarity is that the words are in alphabetical order.

Explain that the guide words at the top of the page work as a locator just as they do in a dictionary.

Point out that one difference is that a thesaurus has synonym lists and not definitions. 

Tell them that a way to remember the definition of ’synonym’ is that it starts with an ’s’ and ends with an ‘m’ and synonym means:  a word with a ‘similary meaning’.

Let students list 5 of their favorite words they commonly use in writing, look them up in a thesaurus, and list at least one alternative word for each.