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Learn how to build your reading vocabulary by making word webs.
| 0:00 | Owl: Welcome to How to Make a Word Web, an instructional video on reading comprehension brought to you by the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab. |
| 0:10 | One way to improve your vocabulary is to create a Word Web for each new word you encounter. |
| 0:16 | With a word web, you can gain a deeper understanding of new words, practice using them, and keep track of them in your notes. |
| 0:23 | To create a word web, take a sheet of paper and draw a circle in the middle. |
| 0:29 | Then, draw six more circles around the central circle. |
| 0:33 | Draw arrows pointing from the central circle to the outer circles. |
| 0:38 | Each circle will contain a different piece of information about the new word. |
| 0:43 | The Target Word will go in the central circle. |
| 0:45 | The circles surrounding the new word will contain the following pieces of information: definition, synonyms, part of speech, word parts and meanings, sample sentence, and additional meanings. |
| 1:02 | Let’s practice using a word web by filling in the word “accelerate.” |
| 1:07 | Now enter the definition of the word. |
| 1:09 | Since most words have more than one meaning, enter the definition that is most relevant to the way you are using the word. |
| 1:16 | In this case, write: “to move more quickly.” |
| 1:20 | Next, write down the part of the speech for this meaning of the word. |
| 1:24 | In this case, write “verb.” |
| 1:27 | After that, write down some synonyms for the word. |
| 1:31 | Synonyms are words that mean the same as the target word. |
| 1:35 | You may want to refer to a thesaurus for help with locating synonyms. |
| 1:39 | For this word, let’s write “speed up, go faster, gain momentum.” |
| 1:46 | Now, write down the word parts that make up the target word. |
| 1:50 | This will help you better understand its meaning. |
| 1:54 | If you don’t know the word parts, look it up online. |
| 1:57 | In this case, the word “accelerate” has the following word parts: |
| 2:02 | The prefix is “ac,” which means “toward.” |
| 2:07 | The root is “celer,” which means “move faster.” |
| 2:12 | The suffix is “ate,” which means “having the quality of.” |
| 2:17 | Next, write a sentence using the word, which will help you practice how to use it. |
| 2:22 | In this case, write down: |
| 2:25 | He accelerated when he saw the danger approaching. |
| 2:29 | Finally, make a note of any additional meanings of the word in the last circle. |
| 2:35 | Include the part of speech for each additional meaning since some words can have more than one part of speech. |
| 2:41 | For this word, write down: |
| 2:44 | (verb) to cause something to happen sooner |
| 2:49 | That’s it! |
| 2:50 | Keep track of your word webs in a notebook so that you can refer to them any time you need to check a word’s meaning. |
| 2:56 | Click here for a Word Web template that you can download and take with you. |
| 3:02 | Thanks for listening to this instructional video on How to Make a Word Web! |
| 3:07 | Visit the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab for more support with reading and writing skills. |
