The Amazing World of...Dictionaries

Objective: We will have learnt...

1.Why do we use dictionaries?2.How are they useful?3.How do we use them?4.How can they be used?

Why do we use dictionaries?

• There are probably more than 250,000 English words. Pocket-sized dictionaries have only the most common words in them. Most English dictionaries will tell you what a word means and what class of word it is, e.g. a noun, a verb or an adjective.

• Think of one instance were you would use a dictionary...discuss with your partner and report back to class

• We can use dictionaries for so many reasons, they help us with a variety of different needs.

Think about a literacy lesson

Think about an unknown word

Think of a difficult spelling

How are they useful?

Dictionaries are used for...• Finding and checking spellings.• Finding a definition of an unknown word.• Find out word classes - is the word an noun, adjective or verb?• Gain extra knowledge of more complex vocabulary.• Independent learning - you can find out for yourself!• Research skills.• Extends your thinking about the

English language.• Can be used online as well so we

develop our ICT skills!

Did you know... A foreign language dictionary tells you how to say a word or a phrase in a language other than your own. It does not tell you what the words mean.I like to ride my bike.Me gusta andar en bicicleta In the example above you are told how to say 'I like to ride my bike' in Spanish.

How do we use them?

Finding information in a dictionary...

All dictionaries arrange their information alphabetically. Each piece of information is called an entry.

For example, in an English dictionary you’ll find words beginning with a at the front, and z at the back. Because there are lots of words beginning with a each letter that follows decides which word comes first. For example, ant will come after ankle because the first two letters are the same but the third letter is different, and t comes after k in the alphabet.

To find the word sunny start by finding words beginning with s, then su, then sun until you eventually narrow it down to sunny.

What do we mean by...“Definition”?

A definition is a phrase or sentence that describes the meaning of a word.

Guess the word from its definition.

• A person who travels into space.

• The world wide web.

• Trained fighter in Ancient Rome.

Astronaut

Internet

Gladiators

How can they be used?

Dictionaries can be used through different types of medium...

1. Online2. Books3. Subject specific4. Foreign5. Illustrated

Play http://www.clubbing.com/Pages/Games/GamePlay.aspx?game=Chicktionary&mode=play

Using your dictionaries, find the definitions of...

• Settlement• Invade• Roman• Empire• History• Emigration• Immigration• Refugee• Memory• Interpretation

Write Write these these words in words in your your Literacy Literacy book with book with the date the date and title and title ‘Dictionari‘Dictionaries’. es’.