Downloadable Forms: VOCABULARY and Sentence Structure and Vocabulary and Sentence Building

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The Vocabulary and Word Usage frameworks suggested below were inspired by Errors and Expectations by  Mina P. Shaughnessy, a book that anyone interested in multilevel literacy education will find full of inspiration if they study it carefully. Yes, this looks formulaic, and real forms are provided. But an instructor who takes the time to break this framework into its components may find many ways to creatively work with large groups, small groups, and individuals at most levels of literacy or English language learning.

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Some of the components that can be addressed are words, word parts, definitions, parts of speech, word usage, and sentence structure.  These components can be mixed and matched in teacher-centered presentations, student-centered group investigations, and individualized study plans.

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Mina P. Shauhnessy's work with adult learners (with very low literacy) at City College of New York in the 1970s may be known for its seminal influence on basic writing instruction, but her aims and practices were always about empowering students through literacy with all the political and economic implications of the term "empower".