Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Did you dread studying vocabulary words for that weekly test? Are you struggling to improve your vocabulary for the ACT or just for personal satisfaction?
WELL DEFINED: VOCABULARY IN RHYME by Michael Salinger might be just the book for you.
It takes 64 ACT-type vocabulary words and uses each in a clever poem. Each poem begins with the word in question, and the actual definition is sited at the bottom of the page. The verses themselves provide excellent mental images to help in understanding and remembering each word, and illustrator Sam Henderson adds simple, humor-filled sketches to almost every page.
Here is one of my favorites -
"Brevity gets right to the point
doesn't dawdle, dicker, or delay
always short and sweet whenever
there is something to do
or say
brevity comes in handy when you
are subject to a chewing out
a bout of the flu
a pain in the neck
or waiting in line for the loo
in fact, this poem has gone on so long
that its recital
would no longer qualify
as an example of its title"
This book is just plain fun, but it could easily be used in the classroom. Whether helping develop a better vocabulary or an appreciation of some creative examples of poetry, it is a unique approach to a usually boring subject.
Did you dread studying vocabulary words for that weekly test? Are you struggling to improve your vocabulary for the ACT or just for personal satisfaction?
WELL DEFINED: VOCABULARY IN RHYME by Michael Salinger might be just the book for you.
It takes 64 ACT-type vocabulary words and uses each in a clever poem. Each poem begins with the word in question, and the actual definition is sited at the bottom of the page. The verses themselves provide excellent mental images to help in understanding and remembering each word, and illustrator Sam Henderson adds simple, humor-filled sketches to almost every page.
Here is one of my favorites -
"Brevity gets right to the point
doesn't dawdle, dicker, or delay
always short and sweet whenever
there is something to do
or say
brevity comes in handy when you
are subject to a chewing out
a bout of the flu
a pain in the neck
or waiting in line for the loo
in fact, this poem has gone on so long
that its recital
would no longer qualify
as an example of its title"
This book is just plain fun, but it could easily be used in the classroom. Whether helping develop a better vocabulary or an appreciation of some creative examples of poetry, it is a unique approach to a usually boring subject.
