Wood Creek Elementary Vocabulary Challenge Teaches Teamwork

students learned more than words in a year-end Vocabulary Challenge, held last week in the school's gymnasium.

Students at the Farmington Hills school filed in by grade level and worked in teams to answer questions like this:

Rubbing sticks together to create a fire is an example of... 

a) fraction

b) friction

c) liberty

Once each team agreed on an answer (for the above question, it's "b"), the person chosen as recorder wrote it on a dry erase board, then checked the answer with an adult volunteer. After the correct answer was revealed by principal Kathy Smith, those who got it right celebrated with a "silent cheer", hands raised. 

Media specialist Denise Gundle-White said the event "mimics the structure" of the "Battle of the Books," during which teams of students answer questions about a group of books they've all read and studied. While the library event awards prizes to top teams, all Wood Creek students received personalized certificates for their participation.

"It's inclusive, everybody participates," media specialist Denise Gundle-White said. "Everybody has the opportunity to be successful."

Smith said the school used to hold a spelling bee this time of year.

"We decided to put together a vocabulary challenge, so students were learning vocabulary specific to the curriculum (they studied during the year) and applying it in context," she said. "It encourages team skills, working together and social skills." 

Word lists were distributed a few weeks in advance of the event for each grade level to help students prepare, Gundle-White said. During the day, 20-25 parents helped with the event, from guiding students into their team spots on the gym floor to demonstrating exactly how the event would work. 

"We cannot do this without their help," Smith said. 

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