World History Brain Efficient Word Lists for Word Sorts, Puzzles, and More

Matthew J. Glavach, Ph.D.

Introduction

World history textbooks contain some of the most difficult words for students to read and understand. At-risk students often are so discouraged in their attempts to read the textbooks that they stop trying to read and become behavior problems. Average students also are discouraged. Currently, many states are adopting common core standards that will include two percent special education students (students without severe cognitive disabilities), requiring them to succeed in regular classrooms. To meet the new common core standards, "World History Brain Efficient Word Lists for Word Sorts, Puzzles, and More" author, Matthew J. Glavach, Ph.D., offers a reading instruction approach especially for adolescent struggling readers, based on core classroom curriculum. The approach, which he calls parallel reading intervention, organizes important content area vocabulary words into logical brain efficient word lists that make learning the words much easier. Students improve word attack and vocabulary skills while improving their ability to succeed in the content area classes, such as history. The article describes the approach, presents teaching ideas, provides extensive brain efficient word lists for world history, and gives curriculum examples. (The approach also works well in other curriculum areas. Teachers can use the article as a model.) The word sorts, puzzles, and more, are enjoyable and are easily added to regular classroom activities, once or twice a week for thirty minutes, especially at the beginning of the school year.

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