Frayer models and word maps printed for your own vocabulary list

Copying a definition out of the glossary is not learning a word, and our fifth grade teacher bans it. Instead each child gets a Frayer model: the word in the middle, and four boxes around it for a definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples. The non-examples box is where the thinking happens.

What the sheet looks like

The vocabulary word map generator prints five templates. The Frayer model is the four-box classic. The word map asks for a synonym, antonym, part of speech, a sentence and a picture. The word of the day page has syllable clap boxes, three lines to write the word, and a rating row from New to me up to I know it. The vocabulary four square is a compact version, and word study strips put 3 or 4 words on one page for a weekly list.

Type up to 12 words and you get one page per word with the word already printed. Leave the list empty and the pages print blank for the child to write the word in. A grade band of 2–3 gives bigger lines and picture boxes; 4–6 gives more writing room.

Why it works

• Non-examples force a boundary. A child who can say what a peninsula is not has a better definition than the glossary gives.
• The picture box on the word map works for every word, including abstract ones, because drawing "anxious" is a real exercise in meaning.
• Rating how well you know a word before and after is honest, quick, and tells the teacher who to check in with.

Who it suits

Grades 2 to 6. The word of the day page with its clap boxes suits second and third grade. The Frayer model is really a grade 4 and up tool; younger children leave the non-examples box empty. Word study strips suit any age that has a weekly list. For words built from parts, the Greek and Latin roots sheet pairs well with the Frayer model.

Keep the finished pages in a binder. It becomes the child's own dictionary by June.