Vocabulary Development

The words in these lists are the focus of vocabulary development throughout this theme's oral language, listening comprehension, and small-group activities. The list includes a wide variety of academic and content area words as well as everyday conversational words that children add to their vocabularies through interactions with families, teachers, and peers.

Theme Vocabulary

Core Words

  • care
  • class
  • classroom
  • feelings
  • friend(s)
  • glad
  • happy
  • help
  • helped
  • hug
  • read
  • rules
  • sad
  • school
  • share
  • sign
  • teacher

Basic Words

  • book
  • crayons
  • draw
  • paints
  • pencil
  • play(ed)
  • scissors
  • sing
  • toys

Story/Poetry Vocabulary

  • angry
  • art
  • bursting
  • diamond
  • handshake
  • heart
  • hunt
  • jaws
  • loving
  • pattern
  • plant (v.)
  • quilt
  • scared
  • snip
  • star
  • surprise
  • tasty
  • wave

Basic Words

  • cheeks
  • danced
  • eat
  • find
  • jumped
  • laughed
  • remember
  • see
  • toys

Challenge Words

  • bragging
  • delicious
  • grind
  • huge
  • loaf
  • make friends
  • once upon a time
  • scampered
  • stomach
  • swamp
  • tiny
  • trap
  • whispered

Math Vocabulary

Shape Words

  • circle/oval/rectangle, square/triangle
  • cone/cylinder
  • rectangular prism/sphere
  • corner/point/side
  • curved/shapes
  • flat/round
  • roll/slide

Position Words

  • above/below
  • behind
  • in back/in front
  • beside/next to
  • bottom/top
  • down/up
  • first/middle/last
  • here/there
  • inside/outside
  • near
  • off/on
  • over/under

Science Vocabulary

Oral Language Card 2

  • happy
  • puddle
  • rain
  • sad
  • weather

Oral Language Card 4

  • broken
  • dump truck
  • fix
  • wheel

Oral Language Card 6

  • circle
  • rectangle
  • shape
  • triangle

Social Studies Vocabulary

Oral Language Card 1

  • chair
  • puzzle
  • shelves
  • table
  • teacher
  • toys

Oral Language Card 3

  • good-bye
  • hello
  • look
  • point
  • wave

Oral Language Card 5

  • custodian
  • helper
  • librarian
  • nurse
  • teacher

Oral Language Card 7

  • crossing guard
  • crosswalk
  • sign
  • stop
  • stop sign
  • street
Core Words
Teach and reinforce these words with all children.
Basic Words
Three-year-olds, English language learners, and children with limited vocabulary experience may need reinforcement of these words.
Challenge Words
Introduce these words as children's interests indicate.