Word
Collectors in Exeter-Milligan Library
by Lisa
Soukup, Media Specialist
This year the theme for Library is "Word Collectors".
Peter H. Reynolds wrote the book “The Word Collector” and published it in 2018.
It is about a boy who collects words and uses them in his writing. He not only
collected the words, he put words together to make them more powerful. In the
end, he shared his collection of words with the world. “The Word Collector” is
a nominee for Nebraska’s Golden Sower Award in 2020.
Each week students check out a book and are asked to find one word
in their book that week which is interesting to them. Through discussion the
students realized that books have the best words because the writer wants
to keep you interested in reading the book.
The students bring the word to Library and they add the word to
their “Word Collector” booklet (K-2) or to Google Keep (3-6). Third through
sixth grade students look their word up and add definition to their word. After
students put the word in their booklets, they decide what word around the room
it might fit best with. We discuss whether it is a noun or verb, adjective or
adverb or possible a person, object, animal, feeling, direction, action. They
then hang the word on the wall under the word they feel it fits best. They are
excited to share their words with the class each week.
As students write throughout the year, they have a collection of
words to refer to. This collection will help them develop a powerful piece of
work as well as grow their vocabulary and knowledge on different types of
words.
Pictured (L-R):Titus Petersen, Braxton Saatmann, Richard Hickman,
and Clayton Pribyl are adding their words to the wall.
