Kingsley Educational Pty Ltd

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What is Vocab?

Vocabulary means understanding and using words - their meaning, origins, and correct forms. An extensive vocab is very useful when writing stories, descriptions or anything at all, because it allows us to be more accurate and creative. It is also good for logical thinking - when we substitute an appropriate word for a long and unwieldy phrase, we can think more complex thoughts. Words are powerful!

Spelling Course?

Many people ask us whether Wordly Wise is a Spelling program. The discussion in Wordly lessons draws attention to the words histories, and therefore the Greek, Latin and other roots, which may all help with spelling. However spelling rules are not discussed. Any list of words can be used to teach and test spelling, and so many people do use Wordly for spelling tests, but the design of the course is simply to teach vocabulary. Our recommendation would be to teach the spelling rules and lists in the first four or so years of school, and then to "maintain" spelling ability (ask us how) whilst starting vocab in earnest around Grade 4 or 5.

Which Wordly Wise book should you buy?

If you start Vocab lessons in grade 4 or 5, start with Book 1. At any other age, you could either choose by age, ie there are 12 books, and 12 or 13 years of school. Allocating one each, you would do Book C in Grade 3, Book 2 in Grade 5, and book 6 in Year 9 etc. Or you could use the following list. The goal is to start with a list where at least some of the words are vaguely familiar. Too many totally unknown words and the list will be too hard to learn in the allotted time. Too many known words means you are wasting time. Quiz your child on the lists near their age level and find the balance between known and unknown.

Words taught in each book include:

• WW A includes acrobat, sash, jetty, ditch, lantern, comet, hook, rack, octopus, bandage.
• WW B includes ripple, errand, casual, frigid, dozen, lean, surname, batch, notch, understand.
• WW C includes tenant, barge, ornament, whittle, kiosk, frustrate, appetite, sheaf, moat, prod.
• WW 1 includes hoard, obstinate, gleam, rural, yearn, truce, bloom, idle, scatter, pasture, dour, burrow, feeble, keen.
• WW 2 includes sullen, adequate, churn, perplexed, zeal, brine, hectic, impetuous, nape, calamity, frugal, tableau, retain, essential.
• WW 3 includes procure, somber, uncanny, ajar, expend, liberate, monotonous, taint, reprimand, obsolete, furtive, ardent, sear, wince.
• WW 4 includes notable, tremulous, pertinent, cower, humane, pensive, wheedle, extol, inoculate, languid, rue, arable, ignoble, jubilant.
• WW 5 includes lucid, wile, castigate, indefatigable, astute, despot, preliminary, terse, zealous, hurtle, misnomer, trite, pastoral, erudite.
• WW 6 includes stalwart, oust, antithesis, guile, intrepid, magnanimous, acquiesce, ennui, tacit, undulate, prolific, secede, myriad, wry.
• WW 7 includes expound, amenable, fatuous, retinue, interpolate, succor, unctuous, vitriolic, scintillate, congenital, gamut, compunction, bombastic, propaganda.
• WW 8 includes coalesce, flotsam, quixotic, zenith, concomitant, ersatz, accolade, nonpareil, meretricious, boon, insipid, vernacular, repartee, stellar.
• WW 9 includes sidereal, eclogue, lambent, quandom, sobriquet, elan, sycophantic, mulct, encomium, chimerical, oleaginous, orotund, desuetude, prolix, peon, prorogueterpsichorean.