Polka Dot Word of the Day

I've been working on improving literacy in Math, Science, and Social Studies.  I've learned that looking up words in the dictionary rarely, if ever, seems to truly teach students the meaning of the word.  Using prescribed vocabulary lists doesn't seem to do much, either.

I thought about all the words in our Social Studies, Science, and Math textbooks that students just breezed by but didn't stop to think about the meaning.  The students need to KNOW these words and be able to use them to be successful in these classes.  What can I do to increase the knowledge of these words?

This polka dot Word of the Day PowerPoint is customizable so you can choose what things you will have your students focus on.  The labels I've included:
1. Textbook definition
2. Textbook sentence
3. Synonym
4. Antonym
5. Non-Example
6. Dictionary guide words
7. Plural
8. Plural Possessive
9. Illustration
10. Prefix
11. Suffix
12. Root Word
13. Dictionary Part of Speech

You can pick up a FREE copy by clicking here.

I don't plan to have students complete this in one day.  It will most likely take several days, especially at the beginning of the year.  Some of the labels will not apply to every word, either.  For example, if the word is "venture", there won't be a root word, prefix or suffix. 

I do plan to create a classroom job (Word Master) so a student can go around to help/check their peers each day.  I always check this student's work first so I can assure it is correct and the understanding of the word is accurate.  This is a great chance for me to conference and assist ESL or other students that are developing language skills.