benefit
(verb) to gain, to be helped
Word Generation: An Overview
"Word Generation is a supplementary curricular resource that offers a series of discussable dilemmas designed to promote students’ academic language and argumentation skills. Each of the 72 brief one-week units is focused around a social or civic dilemma designed to be of interest to young adolescents. Fifteen- to twenty-minute activities focused on the week’s dilemma take place in ELA, science, social studies, and math classes, and five target academic vocabulary words are incorporated into each of those activities. Students read, discuss, debate, and write about each weekly topic, using the newly taught vocabulary words
Word Generation creates the opportunity for students to become familiar with current issues and persistent dilemmas, while acquiring skills prioritized in the Common Core State Standards. The program is unique in its cross-disciplinary design, giving teachers of ELA, science, social studies, and math the chance to collaborate on the shared goal of helping students use academic language to articulate their thinking.
The original Word Generation is a novel approach to vocabulary teaching and academic language development that comprises 15-20 minute daily activities organized in a five-day cycle." (SERP)
The original Word Generation program was created by the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP ) in conjunction with Harvard University. All materials from the original curriculum can be found here. This Moodle course aims to merge original Word Generation content with content and materials created throughout 287 for the facilitation of this curriculum within our unique programs.
Have a Word Generation resource that should be in this Moodle? Share it with us here!
Units in this Moodle are arranged by the original topic list put out by SERP. A complete list of Word Generation Units can be found on this page.
To request that a Word Generation unit be included in this Moodle, please use this form.
1.01 What is the Purpose of School ?
1.02 Where are the Women in Math and Science ?
1.03 What is an American ?
1.05 Does Rap Music Have a Negative Impact on Youth ?
1.06 Animal Testing: Is it necessary ?
1.07 Censorship: Who should decide what young people read ?
1.16 Teen Smoking: Who Is Responsible ?
1.19 Should the NFL Require the Washington Redskins to Change their Name ?
1.20 High School Dropouts: What can be done?
1.23 Explicit Photos and Cell Phones: Innocent fun or illegal behavior ?
2.04 Do Professional Athletes Deserve Multi-Million Dollar Salaries ?
2.06 Does Title IX Promote Gender Fairness in Sports and Education ?
2.10 Should the Pledge of Allegiance say “one Nation under God”?
2.12 Are Kids Responsible for Stepping in to Prevent Bullying ?
2.13 Should Doctors be Allowed to Assist Seriously Ill Patients with Suicide ?
2.15 Are Green Technologies Worth The Investment ?
2.20 Should There Be Amnesty for Undocumented Immigrants ?
2.23 Are After School Jobs Helpful or Harmful ?
3.04 Should Adoption Information Be Kept From Children ?
3.05 Should Secret Wiretapping be Legal ?
3.06 When should the U.S. Government Send Troops to Another Region of the World ?
3.07 Should the Government Impose a Mandatory Year of Service ?
3.08 Should the Government Regulate Genetic Testing ?
3.09 Should the US Have Tighter Regulations on Genetically Modified Foods ?
3.11 Is an Extended School Day the Right Choice for Middle School Students ?
3.12 Should Single-Gender Education Be an Option for Everyone ?
3.15 Who is Responsible for Protecting Teens from Online Predators ?
3.16 Should Schools Protect Kids from Cyberbullying ?
3.17 Should Marijuana be Allowed as a Medical Treatment ?
3.18 How Should Doctors Choose Recipients for Organ Transplants ?
3.20 Should the US Have Stricter Gun Regulations ?
3.21 Should People be able to Trademark Phrases ?
3.22 Is Barbie a Bad Influence? OR Would You Buy a Doll that Misrepresents Your Values ?
3.23 Should Shopping Malls be Allowed to Institute Teen Curfews ?
3.24 Should it be Mandatory to Get a License to Be a Parent ?
Site Created Topic: Grit
Site Created Topic: Extracurricular ActivitiesEach Word Generation unit introduces 5 new academic vocabulary words. These words become a focal point across the curriculum for the duration of the unit.
Each Word Generation unit culminates in the writing of an essay on the unit’s topic. This essay can be adapted to the needs and abilities of individual students and provides a rich opportunity to teach academic writing skills.
Many of our programs have students coming and going at all times. With Word Generation's short curricular cycle we are never far from the beginning of a unit. Although the original Word Generation program was designed to be a 5 day unit, some programs have found it advantageous to lengthen units to 2 weeks and others take an entire month to execute a unit. There are several examples of Word Generation Schedules on this page.
General Word Generation Resources
These resources can be used with any WG unit!
Eight classroom activities to develop classroom discussion and debate. From Word Generation Web Page. Can be downloaded for free.