Word Nerds

Leslie H. Montgomery has taught second through fifth grades and is currently an intermediate classroom teacher at Atkinson Academy for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Louisville, Kentucky. She has an MAT from the University of Louisville and is National Board Certified in literacy. Margot Holmes Smith has taught third and fourth grades for the past ?ve years at Atkinson Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. She is currently the reading and math intervention teacher for the fourth and ?fth grades. She is also working on her M.Ed. in literacy at the University of Louisville. Brenda J. Overturf was a classroom teacher for eighteen years before she coordinated K–12 Reading Curriculum and Assessment for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. Brenda also served as chair of the M.Ed. in Reading program at the University of Louisville, and is a former member of the board of directors for the International Reading Association.

• Introduction; Chapter 1: What's the Big Deal About Vocabulary Instruction?; Chapter 2: Classrooms That Foster Word Confidence; Chapter 3: Making Introductions; Chapter 4: Squeezing the Juicy Words—Adding Synonyms and Antonyms; Chapter 5: Active Vocabulary Practice; Chapter 6: Celebrate to Validate; Chapter 7: Spreading Vocabulary Wings; Chapter 8: Learning Through Assessment

"Word Nerds raises the level of vocabulary instruction by setting the bar high for teachers, challenging us to provide students with the desire to study vocabulary and apply their knowledge not only to standardized tests but to daily writing and conversation." - MiddleWeb