Word Up Wednesday’s at Washington School

Washington Primary School is set to host Word Up Wednesday throughout the month of February. On those days, students, faculty and staff members are being encouraged to wear clothing with words that everyone can read.

Principal Michelle Richards wants every single one of Washington’s more than 300 students spread across kindergarten through third grade to have strong word usage skills, from their overall vocabulary to their spelling, grammar and writing, too.

It’s been proven many times over that strong vocabulary skills translate into academic success at every level right up through college. They are essential to becoming a strong reader.

The new Washington initiative kicked off this week. “Wolfie Word Up Wednesday stickers were handed out to everyone who wore a shirt or article of clothing with words,” Dr. Richards said. “We added words to our shirts to make sure everyone is included in the fun.”

If the first day is any indication, Washington’s students are going to really enjoy this new school wide project. “Everyone walked the hallways and classrooms reading shirts,” Dr. Richards said. “This is a fun way to expand our sight word and academic vocabulary.”

“Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read,” according to Reading Rockets website. “Beginning readers must use the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print. Vocabulary is key to reading comprehension. Readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean. As children learn to read more advanced texts, they must learn the meaning of new words that are not part of their oral vocabulary.”