Whenever a student discovers an interesting or adventurous word, make a note of it and display it in the classroom. Examples might include such words as "timid," "rebellious" and "arrogant" when describing a character and "tranquil" and "exotic" when describing a setting. Encourage students to find as many interesting words as they can while reading, writing and even watching television or listening to music. Consider awarding a small prize or certificate to the student who adds the most words to the display. Putting the words on display should encourage students to refer to them while writing and integrate them into their everyday vocabulary.
When you are sharing texts with the class and come across an interesting word, look up the word to explain its meaning and add it to the vocabulary display. Even if you know what the words mean, make a point of looking up the meaning so that your students can see that it is OK not to understand what a word means. Praise your students when they do the same and you will create an atmosphere in your classroom in which students feel comfortable trying new vocabulary words.
Write a simple sentence on the board. Ask your class to think of words they can add to the sentence to make it more interesting. Ask for adjectives, adverbs and even similes and metaphors, if appropriate. Add some of the suggestions you are given and then compare the original sentence with the new sentence to show how the new words have made the sentence more interesting. Then have students work in groups to improve a selection of simple sentences that you have provided. Make sure you remind students that the words they choose should add relevant detail to the sentence; they should not simply fill a sentence with unnecessary adjectives or adverbs.
Provide your students with a variety of texts. Make novels, plays, books of poetry, atlases, nonfiction books and even catalogs available to them. Set aside time each day for students to read independently or just thumb through the materials. Have dictionaries and thesauruses on hand so that they can look up any words they are unsure about. The more students read and the greater the variety of the texts they read, the more vocabulary words they will discover. Again, encourage students to add new vocabulary words to your classroom display as a reminder to use these words in their speech and writing.
Allow students time to check through written work and think of ways they could improve their vocabulary. Make sure that students are aware that the vocabulary they choose needs to add detail to their writing, helping their reader to imagine what they are trying to convey; the aim is to create a clear, understandable, enjoyable and informative piece of writing. Have students go through a story and select a paragraph to rewrite using vocabulary that helps to create a more descriptive picture. For example, have them think of words in place of "said," such as "whispered," "exclaimed" or "muttered." Then have students compare the original paragraph to the new one and explain why the new version is better -- and why. Try having students pair up and improve their partner's paragraph.