One of the programs I am most excited about using is Membean. Membean teaches vocabulary using a multimodal approach. Students study a word on a page with context clues, images, videos, word maps, and root explanations. Then, they review words they have learned through fun mini-quizzes. An incorrect answer is not penalized - students are sent back to the learning page to review the word and try again.
Membean very graciously offered to set up a classroom account for me to test with my students. After two weeks of usage, I'm a fan. Take for instance Rachel (name changed), who thinks visually and immediately connects the words to the background pictures. Or Tim, who watches the vocab videos and picks up the words quickly. These are students who would not excel with typical vocabulary workbook setups. I've observed student after student adopting new words with ease and coming to an understanding that "failure" leads to mastery of the words. If a review question is answered incorrectly, students are taken back to the vocab word page to restudy. I can see how over more time, these words will truly become ingrained in the students' everyday vocabulary. Bravo, Membean.
Next module, we tackle pairing reading with the chosen MMOs. I know all of my students are eager to dive into the games and experience literacy in a fresh new way.
