Word Up Wednesday Coming to Washington School

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

Principal Michelle Richards hopes all of Washington’s more than 300 students spread across kindergarten through third grade will develop strong word usage skills; from their overall vocabulary to their spelling, grammar and writing, too.

It’s been demonstrated 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 Washington initiative debuted last year and proved to be popular. Wolfie Word Up Wednesday stickers will be distributed to anyone who wears a shirt or article of clothing containing words. Dr. Richards said.

On the first day of the new initiative last year, students and faculty members walked through the hallways and classrooms reading shirts. “This is a fun way to expand our sight word and academic vocabulary,” Dr. Richards said.

“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.”