Types of Wordplay

Word Consciousness

Another component of vocabulary instruction is developing students’ word consciousness, their interest in learning and using words (Graves & Watts-Taffe, 2002). According to Scott and Nagy (2004), word consciousness is “essential for vocabulary growth and comprehending the language of schooling” (p. 201). Students who have word consciousness exemplify these characteristics:

• Students use words skillfully, understanding the nuances of word meanings.
• Students gain a deep appreciation of words and value them.
• Students are aware of differences between social and academic language.
• Students understand the power of word choice.
• Students are motivated to learn the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Word consciousness is important because vocabulary knowledge is generative—that is, it transfers to and enhances students’ learning of other words (Scott & Nagy, 2004).

The goal is for students to become more aware of words, manipulate them playfully, and appreciate their power. Teachers foster word consciousness in a variety of ways, as Mrs. Sanom did in the vignette at the beginning of the chapter. Most importantly, they model interest in words and precise use of vocabulary (Graves, 2006). To encourage students’ interest in words, teachers share books about words, including Max’s Words (Banks, 2006), Word Wizard (Falwell, 2006), and The Boy Who Loved Words (Schotter, 2006) with primary-grade students; and Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster (Fraiser, 2007), Baloney (Henry P.) (Scieszka, 2005), and Mom and Dad Are Palindromes (Shulman, 2006) with older students. Next, they call students’ attention to words by highlighting words of the day, posting words on word walls, and having students collect words from books they’re reading. They promote wordplay by sharing riddles, jokes, puns, songs, and poems and encouraging students to experiment with words and use them in new ways.

This table lists the types of wordplay. Through these activities, students become more powerful word users.