I have been asked if teaching Guide Word strategies is still relevant. I believe that it is. While most people now use online dictionaries and encyclopedias, they do still use books which have and index or glossary in the back. It is important for students to have the skills necessary to find the information they need in the books they use. It is not taught so much in the classroom any more, probably because of the online dictionaries and encyclopedias, so I teach it in the school library.
I found this game on Donna Young’s web site – I use the Guide Word House version. I have printing this out on card stock in 6 different colors which I use after dividing the students up into groups. One addition I made to what is available on Donna’s web site is that I created an answer key. I found that not all the words in her card sets fit within the houses. This adds a more challenging level to the activity. To make it easier for either myself or my aide to spot check the students’ work, I created an answer sheet.
I would do this activity on several different days to make sure that the skill is fully learned by the students.
What kind of activities do you do to teach Guide Words?
