VOCABULARY UNPLUGGED'S goal as a book is to share neurocentric ways to unplug vocabulary and spelling instruction so that words are not merely memorized in the name of the most current curriculum, but rather truly learned and owned by students.  The goal is to have words actually permeate students speech as well as their writing. 

The strategies proffered in Vocabulary Unplugged are not bound to a specific age or grade level, as they draw on accepted knowledge of the brain, memory and learning, whether the learner is five, fifteen, or seventy-nine.

So, slip inside these pages and unplug the lists, the passivity, and the overhead. Get out of the dark classroom, and discover the energy that emerges from the thirty activities and variations herein as we plug in color, movement, poetry, history, music, and numerous other ways of exploring words within meaningful contexts.  The 30 brain-appropriate activities will revitalize your hope that ALL students can improve their vocabulary, reminding everyone that learning doesn't have to be banal, dull or without energy.

You will discover information and lessons on:

• Helping students remember the words they learn

• Using music to explore words

• Guiding students success through meaningful instruction

• Playing with Words to engage learning

• Using movement to enhance vocabulary

• Improving memory and vocabulary acquisition through color

• Understanding the importance of history in vocabulary development

• Harnessing the power of poetry to build word knowledge

• Exploring patterns to create dynamic vocabulary lessons

• Including context for assuring success in word study

                      And much more...

Steven Pinker (1994), cognitive psychologist and leading expert on language, says we begin using words around twelve months of age. Therefore, high school graduates, who have been at it for about seventeen years, must have been learning an average of ten new words a day continuously since their first birthdays, or about a new word every ninety waking minutes. He goes on to explain that preliterate children are lexical vacuum cleaners, learning a new word every two waking hours.

This means our student are already plugged in�having learned numerous words before they ever set foot in our classrooms.

What Teachers are saying about Alana Morris:

Awesome strategies! Classroom connections are endless! Activities are brain-based, interactive, and applicable to all levels!

Rhonda Clark
Teacher
Camey Elementary, Lewisville, Texas

..I was teaching one of Alana's vocabulary lessons that I called Vocabulary Charades not only did the students shine, but my administrator was very impressed with the (activity), which demonstrated the difficult vocabulary word.

-Linda Toner, Grade 5 teacher

 There's a strategy for everyone! All of my kids love doing The Syllable Squat, and you should have seen the parents giving it a try!

Marc Venegas
4^th grade teacher
Alief ISD, Houston, Texas

Alana consulted in Round Rock I.S.D. several times and energized teachers in her research-based, hands-on workshops. Her interactive, engaging strategies have impacted student success in our district!

Gloria Amescua
Lead Curriculum Integration Specialist
Secondary Language Arts

MORE THAN MEMORIZING includes a copy of Vocabulary Unplugged, Ms. Morris’ outstanding best-selling professional book, which explains and utilizes the research basis for vocabulary study and teaching.

Master teacher Alana Morris illustrates how to teach vocabulary using multiple learning styles in ways that engage students of all grade levels. Taped during a workshop before a live audience in Dallas, Alana will show you how to make words come alive in the minds of your students. Your students will begin to own their new words, rather than just memorizing them for a test.

Ms. Morris has taught all levels of both elementary and secondary students and is currently a district-based language arts program director in the state of Texas. She is also president of C.R.E.S.T., the Coalition of Reading and English Supervisors of Texas.