Interactive Vocabulary - Amy E. Olsen 2017

Create Your Own Flash Cards

Using flash cards can be an immensely helpful way to study vocabulary words. The process of making the flash cards will aid you in remembering the meanings of the words. Index cards work well as flash cards, or use the following flash card templates to get you started. Put the word and the pronunciation on the front of the card. Elements you may want to include on the back of the cards will vary according to the word and your preferred learning style. Consider the ideas below, and find what works best for you.

1. The part of speech: Write an abbreviation for the part of speech, such as n. for noun or v. for verb. This addition will help when you are writing sentences.

2. A simple definition: Use the definitions in the book or modify them to something that has mean­ing for you. Use a definition you can remember.

3. A sentence: Make up your own sentence that correctly uses the word. Try to use a context clue to help you remember the word. It might help to put yourself or friends in the sentences to personal­ize your use of the word. If you really like a sentence from the book, you can use that too.

4. A drawing: If you are a visual learner, try drawing the word. Some words especially lend them­selves to this method. Your drawing doesn't have to be fancy; it should just help you remember the meaning of the word.

5. A mnemonic (ni mon' ik) device: These are methods to help your memory. They can be rhymes, formulas, or clues. For example: Stationery with an e is the kind that goes in an envelope. Make up any connections you can between the word and its meaning.

6. Highlight word parts: Circle one or more word parts (prefixes, roots, or suffixes) that appear in the word, and write the meaning(s) next to the word part: for example, See the Word Parts chapters in the text for more on word parts. Whatever you do, make the cards personally meaningful. Find the techniques that work for you, and use them in creating your cards. Then make the time to study the cards. Carry them with you, and study any chance you get. Also, find someone who will be tough in quizzing you with the cards. Have the person hold up a card, and you give the meaning and use the word in a sentence. Don't quit until you are confident that you know what each word means.

Making a word map is a great way to visualize the meaning, synonym, and antonym for a word. By creating the map, you become more familiar with different features of the word. You can find the syn­onyms and antonyms in a dictionary or thesaurus, in some of the Word Lists or Self-Tests in this text, or come up with your own. To test yourself using a word map, cover one or more of the circles around the vocabulary word; then state the information in the covered circle(s). Another method is to cover the vocabulary word to see if you can identify the word using the meaning, synonym, and antonym. You can also ask a friend or classmate to cover up the information and quiz you on the word maps.

For some words, you may want to use one (or more) of the options below if it will help you better understand and remember the meaning of the word:

1. Write more than one synonym or antonym.

2. Put the part of speech under the vocabulary word.

3. Include a circle that gives an example of someone or somethingt that applies to the word, such as who would do or use it.

4. Choose different colors for the meaning, synonym, and antonym, and outline or fill in the circle in those colors.

To get started, you can photocopy the templates in this text or use a blank sheet of paper to make your word maps. Examples that illustrate the options using an adjective, verb, and noun follow.

Synonym: left circle     Antonym: right circle

Vocabulary word: center circle   Meaning: bottom circle

Note: For some nouns it may be tricky to find an antonym. If it becomes too difficult to find or think of one, don't stress about it.

WORD MAPS