The “Wonderful Words of the Week” program at the East Ramapo school district is taking a hiatus for the holidays, but the words already reviewed by East Ramapo grade schoolers are still up for vocab-ophiles to see. You’ll find the grades K-3 list here and the grades 4-6 list here.

I’ve pasted my original story explaining the program after the break.

East Ramapo asks for community help in new vocabulary program

Alice Gomstyn

The Journal News

February 27, 2007

Walk into your favorite Spring Valley pizza parlor next month and you might find words such as “abolitionist,” “cuneiform” or “photosynthesis” posted on its walls.

“We want the children to hear these words and recognize these words when they’re out of school,” said Linda Alvarez-Cruz, the assistant superintendent of elementary education for the East Ramapo school district.

Under its new “Wonderful Words of the Week” program, the district will ask community members to post vocabulary words – those that children are studying in school – on the walls of their businesses and offices.

Through the program, which is scheduled to begin next week, community members will be provided two lists of five vocabulary words each. One list will be for children in kindergarten through third grade and another for those in fourth through sixth grades. New lists will be issued each week for 15 weeks.

Parents also will be encouraged to support the vocabulary effort. The district will supply parents with a list of vocabulary-building activities they can do with their children, such as guessing games.

The district’s emphasis on vocabulary comes from research showing that children with larger vocabularies achieve greater academic success, Alvarez-Cruz said.

The program might prove especially helpful to students from the district’s many immigrant families, she said.

“If you have a carefully constructed approach, you can overcome deficiencies in background knowledge that hamper the achievement of many children,” she said.

Community members interested in participating in the program may call Alvarez-Cruz at 577-6050.

Reach Alice Gomstyn at agomstyn@lohud.com or 845-578-2420.