Improving vocabulary

How to Train Your Brain with Merriam-Webster.com

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 13 Comments
2011_11_02_IMG_0584
Caught me with my nose in a book.

My kids like to pass the time in the car playing games on their various devices.  They get excited about apps like “Mine Craft,”  “Temple Run,” and (thank goodness it’s educational), “Simple Physics.”

“Do you want to try Mine Craft Mom?” they often ask.

I shake my head.  “I don’t like video games, remember?”

Back behind the screens they go.

I prefer books to games, but unfortunately, I get car sick.  If I want entertainment on the fly, I like to find educational quizzes that won’t make me queasy.  For the Thanksgiving holiday, I told you about Sporcle.  For spring break, I’ll introduce you to the Merriam-Webster site.

Of course you can use www.merriam-webster.com to look up unknown words, but did you know you can also find word games to test your vocabulary, spelling skill, or general knowledge?

This word nerd got sucked in quickly.  Besides taking pride in my vocabulary, I have a competitive streak.  So, when I scored lower that the average teen on my first crack at the vocabulary quiz, I decided I had to try again.

Second time went better.  I earned an above average score for my age group (which will remain a mystery).  It was comforting to see that the average score per age group increases up through the sixties.  More proof that with age, comes wisdom.

How Merriam-Webster.com Can Help YouMerriam Webster App

There are four games at the site, with links to other brain training fun:

  1. The Vocabulary Quiz– you get a word and must choose a definition from four one-word answers 
  2. Spell It– you click a prompt to hear and then spell commonly misspelled words
  3. Name That Thing– you must name the item pictured
  4. True/False– a brief quiz about “stuff worth knowing”

With all the games, speed matters, so don’t waste time pondering!

You can also sign up to receive the “Word of the Day” via email, Twitter, or Facebook.  Yay!  More fodder for my Wondrous Words Wednesday posts.

Finally, you can download the free Merriam-Webster app for iPhone, iPad, and Android.  From the app you can look words up, save your favorites, and access the Word of the Day.  Unfortunately, the games don’t come with the app.  You’ll have to use your web browser to quiz your friends and family members while on road trip.

My kids will love me.

So go check it out, and have fun learning.  Maybe we can compare scores.

How do you train your brain?  What games, apps, and sites do you find most helpful?  Please share!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julia

 

 

 

 

 

Improving vocabulary

What Does Detritus Mean?

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 17 Comments
Wondrous Words Wednesday

wondrous memeWelcome to the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme, hosted by Kathy at Bermudaonion.net.  Join me each Wednesday for an interesting new word, and visit Kathy’s site for more great vocabulary boosters!

Today I’d like to share a word from an article called “How to Make Ordinary Characters Compelling,” by Steven Harper in the December 2012 issue of Writers Digest.  I think it also popped up in A Good American.

 

“Old lovers, photographs from long-ago vacations and other detritus from the past can show up at any time to create conflict…”

Here’s the info from Webster’s:

detritus \di-‘trit-əs\ noun, from the Latin deterere, to wear away or impair;  loose material (as rock fragments) that results directly from disintegration; a product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away

Detritus on the floor of my sons' bedroom. Yikes!
Detritus on the floor of my sons’ bedroom. Yikes!

 Word Nerd Workout

Think of a synonym for detritus. Feel free to get colorful and creative.  Share your ideas in the comments.  Or even better, share a link to a picture!

My example: rubbish (with a focus on the destruction meaning; see photo above of the detritus remaining on the floor after a few hours of Lego play)

Word Nerd 5K Next Week!Word Nerd 5K

Come back next Wednesday to participate in my quarterly Word Nerd 5K: five questions about past Wonderful Wednesday Words that I have posted.  Everyone who answers all five questions correctly in the comments will be entered into a drawing for a Barnes and Noble Gift Card!  The winner will also receive link love from me.

See you then, and thanks for stopping by!

 

Book reviews

What You Should Know About The Maze Runner: A Cautionary Tale

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 13 Comments

The Maze Runner coverThe setting for my mishap: a middle school book fair.  This word nerd should have been at her best, encouraging kids away from the erasers shaped like toilets and toward the shelves of freshly printed books.

But no.

My son wanted to buy the last book from the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson.  It had just come out and carried the recently published hard cover price.  I redirected him to the sale table.

“Look at this one,” I said, holding up The Maze Runner.  The back copy promised a good dystopian adventure: erased memories, a maze with shifting walls, and a struggle for survival.

Note: I had my iPhone in my pocket, with the Goodreads and Common Sense Media apps loaded and ready to give me more information about the book.  But did I consult either one?  No.

Weeks later, after my son had burned through the whole series, he said in the car on the way to school, “The Maze Runner is good, but it’s pretty violent.  I don’t think Rosie should read it for a while.”

Me:  “Pretty violent?  What does that mean?”  

Son: “There are these monsters made of blubber, but they have sharp things like knives sticking out of them, and if one of the kids gets infected by a cut from the monsters, he turns into a cannibal.”

Me: “Ew.”

Son: “And as the book goes on, you find out that it’s a company sending kids into the maze, conducting experiments to see if the kids can survive.”

Fantastic.  I worry about The Hunger Games because kids kill kids.  With this book,Hunger Games cover adults kill the kids.  Which is worse?

Son: “If you want the full experience, you should really read the book.”

Me (shaking head):  “Cannibalism and monsters?  No thanks.  Why do you like this series?”

“The main character, Thomas, is really smart and he’s trying to help everyone get out.  He even gets himself hurt so that he can learn more.”

A smart, selfless protagonist.  Well, at least that’s good.

I dropped off my child and consulted Common Sense Media.  The review said that the scenes of violence in The Maze Runner were worse than any in The Hunger Games.  But it also pointed out that Thomas is a good role model, and that teens would like the book because they could enjoy the extreme action from a safe distance.  It labelled the series “mature.”

Since this incident, I’ve made it clear to my son that he should not constantly read violent books; I worry that too much exposure might desensitize him.   But I’m glad he talked to me about The Maze Runner, and I want him to keep doing that.  Our world is, unfortunately, a violent place, and Dashner’s book prompted a meaningful discussion.  

He read The Hunger Games next, and we discussed both books over a game of ping-pong.  (Note: boys are most likely to talk while you are doing something else, i.e. tossing a football, taking a hike, or passing a soccer ball.)

Next time, I will remember to consult Common Sense Media so I will know what he’s reading and can pose good questions.  Perhaps even read it first!

Have you ever had a book take you by surprise?  How do you feel about violence in books?  Where do you research books?

 

 

Improving vocabulary

Vocabulary from the Papal Conclave: Murmuratio

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 12 Comments

wondrous memeWelcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a meme hosted by Kathy at bermudaonion.net.  Join us each week to learn some great new words!

Today we’re going to see how one word can take us from the Pope to starlings.  Don’t see how?  Follow me!

In a report on the Papal Conclave, a journalist used an interesting Latin word to describe the informal, private conversations between the Cardinals as they prepare to vote for a new pope: mumuratio.

This word is the basis for the English word murmuration, which has two very different meanings.  I couldn’t find the word in Webster’s, so I consulted Dictionary.com:

murmuration \mur-muh-ra-shun\ noun, from Latin murmuratio; 

  1. a low, continuous sound; an act or instance of murmuring
  2. the movement of a flock of starlings, believed to help with self-defense

Yes, when a large flock of starlings in the sky moves in undulating formation, it’s called a murmuration.  Watch this video of murmuration from YouTube.

Murmuration

Word Nerd Workout

Try to think of a setting where you might hear murmuration- a constant, low babble of voices.  Then share a sentence about it.  For example,

The murmuration of his fellow classmates intimidated Stuart as he climbed the steps to the stage and prepared to give his speech.

Thanks for playing!

Julia

P.S.  If anyone can give me some technical assistance on how to actually embed the video into this post, I would greatly appreciate it! 🙂

Awesome Young Adult Books/How to encourage reading

More on Dystopian Literature: Matched by Ally Condie

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 9 Comments

MatchedDystopian fiction gets a lot of attention these days, and yet, I’m still not sure people understand what it’s all about.

Several months ago, I wrote a post called What Does Dystopian Mean Anyway?  In it, I tried to clarify the genre.  Main points:

  • dystopian fiction is usually set in a society with at least one horrible, inherent flaw
  • dystopian fiction usually includes themes that explore the role of government, or the best rules for society, or the power of technology in our lives

If you’re ready to explore dystopian fiction, the Matched trilogy might be a safe place to start.

The premise

Matched opens with Cassia heading to her Matching Banquet, where she will learn who her husband will be.  In Cassia’s society, the government chooses what you wear, what you eat, who you will marry, and when you will die.  All in the name of efficiency and fairness.

But Cassia’s perfectly organized world gets rocked when she sees the image for one, and then a second young man on the screen at the matching ceremony.  The Society doesn’t make mistakes, but why does she have two matches?

Should you read it?

Matched often gets criticized as being a rip off of The Giver, by Lois Lowry.  Admittedly, theThe Giver cover two books have a lot in common:

  • a “perfect” world controlled by the government
  • a hidden history- in both books, we never learn how or why the society came about, and the people of the society have limited access to the past
  • the members of both societies take pills to suppress emotions
  • the protagonist slowly realizes that the society isn’t as wonderful as it seems and takes action to change it

Another complaint I often see, and agree with, is that Matched is kinda boring and bland compared to more exciting dystopian books like The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner.  The romance is tepid, and no violence livens up the plot.

Finally, Cassia is a quiet lead in Matched.  She doesn’t wield a bow and arrow or show any extraordinary talent.  But she does see the problems in her society, and she’s willing to risk change.

Matched, like The Giver, could be a great book to introduce the dystopian genre to younger readers, like my 11-year-old daughter.  It brings up great questions for discussion, like:

  • Which is more important, the society or the individual? 
  • How would life in our country be better if we had stringent rules to keep it running efficiently?  How would it be worse?
  • What would you do if you were in Cassia’s shoes?  How would you try to change things?   

The greatest value of dystopian literature is that it explores difficult issues from a safe distance.  It encourages readers to ask, “What if?” and seriously evaluate the consequences.

Matched isn’t bad, it’s just tame.  Which is fine for my 11-year-old.

Next week, I’ll post about a much less tame dystopian novel, The Maze Runner, which I encouraged my 12-year-old son to read.  Before I knew about the cannibalism and the monsters.  Yikes!

Have you read Matched or the other books in the trilogy?  What did you think?  What other dystopian novels have you enjoyed?

Thanks for stopping by!

How to encourage reading

Vocabulary from A Good American: Pugilistic

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 9 Comments
Wondrous Words Wednesday

wondrous memeWelcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a meme hosted by Kathy at bermudaonion.net.  Join us as we share new vocabulary from our reading.  Last week I learned a great word from Kathy: shambolic.  But I haven’t used that one in daily conversation yet.  Must fix that!

This week, I’m sharing another word from A Good American, a novel that explores, from an immigrant’s perspective, what it means to be a good American.  Here’s the excerpt.  Setting: a prize-fight:

 

“The man moved to the center of the ring and stretched his arms out toward the corners where the two fighters stood.  ‘Tonight we witness the glorious pugilistic traditions of these United States of America…'”

When I looked in Websters, I expected to find something about bravery or patriotism.  I did not.

pugilistic \,pyü-jə-‘lis-tik\adj, from Latin pugil boxer, akin to pugnus fist; having to do with boxing

That’s it.  Pugilism = Boxing.  And pardon me, but I hardly find it a glorious tradition.

You get it? Pug?
You get it? Pug?

Word Nerd Workout

Share another book that somehow includes pugilistic themes.  I can think of a lot of movies, but books?  Enlighten me.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Julia