alpha /alfə/ (noun)

1. first letter of the Greek alphabet (A a); denoting the dominant human or animal in a group; the first (usually the brightest) star in a constellation
2. a code word representing the letter A, in radio communication

The Greeks named the first letter of the alphabet 'alpha', an alteration of its original name aleph (which meant ox). They rotated the original symbol (shown above) sometime between 750 BCE and 500 BCE and the letter remains today. The illustration below shows an earlier aleph symbol - see the resemblance to the ox.

Stories are important and valuable ways to engage students in learning new vocabulary, or to expand their understanding about words they already know. Our brain does not learn words like a dictionary, in alphabetical order. Our brain learns new words by making connections to other words, like a thesaurus. Stories create the best connections, therefore the story of the alphabet can be a fabulous way for students to learn this particular word. BTN's History of the Alphabet is a good place to start. Michael Rosen's book, Alphabetical, is an easy to read history of the letters of our alphabet. Find it here.

Intentional Instruction (Explicit Teaching)

Vocabulary needs to be intentionally taught to students. We can't rely on students implicitly picking up the meaning of words by way of reading a range of texts. As Beck, McKeown and Kucan point out in their book, Bringing Words to Life, the students most in need of vocabulary instruction do not engage in wide reading (p5). Also, students who do read widely may be increasing the breadth of their vocabulary, but are they increasing the depth as well? Does the text they are reading inform them of the word's meaning? Sometimes the text can lead the reader to an incorrect understanding of the word, or a very general understanding. Consider the following text:

On our first date, we went to the movies. Although the movie was uproarious, I was too nervous to appreciate it.

Let's imagine uproarious is the new vocabulary. The text, however, does not give any clues as to the meaning of uproarious. Students may be tempted to find a clue from our first date to decide what uproarious means and this could give them an incorrect definition. They may gain a general idea of the meaning, however there is very little information in the text to really define the word uproarious.

Explicit vocabulary instruction is a must for all students. Through explicit instruction in vocabulary, students will develop a network of words (make connections between words), that will support them to understand new vocabulary when they read it. Consider this sentence using our target word for this lesson:

The pack is a tightly knit, highly organized group, led by an alpha wolf.

Explicit instruction of the word alpha will lead the students to understanding its meaning, even when it is used in a different context such as this.

Take a moment to consider how you currently teach vocabulary? For many classrooms, vocabulary instruction sits within spelling. Do your students have opportunities to find out the meaning of the word in ways besides looking up a dictionary? (See more about dictionary meanings further in the course). Does your vocabulary instruction focus on just one meaning of the word? Does it extend students to play with the word and use it in different contexts?

To effectively and explicitly teach individual words, follow these steps:

1. use everyday language to provide a definition of the word: The word alpha is the name that the Greeks gave the first letter of the alphabet. We use the word alpha to describe the dominant person or animal in a group.
2. demonstrate how the word is used in context The pack of wolves followed closely behind the alpha as they travelled through the forest.
3. give students multiple examples using the target word to reinforce the meaning The alpha wolf needs to be brave and ready to protect the pack. It is usually the bigger, stronger animals that become the alpha. Sometimes, people aspire to be, or taken on the role to be , the alpha. We might refer to them as the alpha male.
4. ensure students have lots of opportunities to hear and say the word, to be actively involved. Show me how an alpha gorilla might walk. Turn to your partner and say "If I was the alpha wolf, I would .." Make sure they say the entire sentence, so they hear themselves say the word out loud too.

The next section of this lesson outlines an activity in the classroom.

Creating a proforma or template that enables students to consider a word's definition and gives them the opportunity to use it multiple times, works really well. Linguists talk about providing students with four fields of meaning when introducing a new word, which fits well with the four points above. A crucial aspect is the active communication between students as this allows students to hear and say the word. Adding a section with a personal element will engage students in this practice. Here is one idea:

You could add other aspects, such as an image relating to their personal connection, or a section to talk about other definitions for this word. The Mu Dictionary, created by Julia Atkin, is a simple and effective way to promote four areas of meaning with students. You will find a few simple templates below that you can download to get you started.

Here is a word version of the PDF above. This way you can easily alter the language used to suit your students or your learning intention.