5 Reasons You Should Get Rid of Your Classroom Thesauruses & Why You Should Use Picture Thesauruses Instead!!

Several years ago I was teaching grade one and then moved onto teaching grade 4 the year after - a huge jump! One thing that really stuck with me is how:

1. The elementary grades had limited resources to help students write descriptively (i.e., a thesaurus isn't exactly a kid friendly tool).

2. It was NO DIFFERENT in the higher grades. Students would often select synonyms at random when asked to be more descriptive! A regular thesaurus was just not cutting it.

This is when I KNEW I had to create a resource to help my students... something that would serve as the "Angry Birds" of thesauruses. Like Angry Birds, it had to be something young kids could use (and enjoy) just as effectively as older students.

After hearing from all the wonderful teachers who have left me feedback on my Picture Thesauruses (click HERE to read all the feedback comments), I am delighted to know that teachers spanning from the elementary grades to the upper grades...and even up to high school... are enjoying the books.  If this is your first time hearing about the books... or you're on the fence about grabbing a set for your class, this post serves to show you 5 REASONS why I think you should get rid of your classroom library of thesauruses and use Picture Thesauruses instead! Oh, and I have a couple of FREE books for you to try out... keep reading... the links are at the end!

You can also ENTER TO WIN a Picture Thesaurus Bundle AND a $100 TpT Gift Card!!
{You'll see more details on this at the end of this post!}

Here is an example of a page in a Picture Thesaurus booklet, just to give you an idea of how they are organized. 

A complete booklet would look something like this:

Now for WHY I got rid of my classroom thesauruses and created Picture Thesauruses to use with my students instead:

My Picture Thesauruses get used A LOT in my class... so I also created some quick reference cards that students can use when a booklet is in use. Once students have used the booklets several times, and have a sense of the word they're looking for (but just need to double check spelling etc.), the reference cards are the perfect tool.

You can also choose to use them in an interactive notebook! Click the image below to learn more!

If you're thinking "How will I organize the Picture Thesauruses in my classroom?", I have some ideas for you!

I put my cards on magnetic hooks on the black board:

But you could also put them on a cork board with push-pins:

(Thanks Amy Mezni from Teaching Ideas 4U for snapping a pic of how you organize them in your class!!).

She sent me a message the other day saying she had room for a few more books on the bottom and that I should get on it and add some MORE in my store!! Well, little did she know, I was in the middle of adding "SAID" to my store just as she sent me the message! Ask and you shall receive, haha! 

Another option is to put the books on a peg board. 

I organize my books by senses (the 5 senses + emotions). 

For the longest time I just had them on the ledge of my blackboard. Whatever works!!

NOW... if you want to WIN A SET for your class ENTER the raffle below!!

To enter all you have to do is download the FREEBIES listed below and leave a lil love in the feedback section for each book in my store! 

Said Picture Thesaurus FREEBIE

Angry Picture Thesaurus FREEBIE

It really is a win-win... you were going to download these freebies anyway!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
WAIT...that's not all I'm giving away!! My friends at the Lesson Deli and I are ALSO giving away a $100 TpT GIFT CARD!! This is happening on our collaborative blog, here:

But before you make your way there, be sure to hop on to the next blog in our hop!

Spice Up Your Vocabulary - Autumn Ideas!

It's funny what can inspire a lesson idea!

This one was inspired by all the gorgeous pumpkins and squash at my local supermarket!

So many wonderful shapes, SIZES, colors and texTurES!




The goal of this lesson: Inspire students to be more descriptive by getting them to use their 5 senses.

The activity we did was simple... we focused on writing descriptive words, drawing detailed pictures and labeling.

I encouraged my kiddos to SPICE UP the over-used words "big", "small", "rough", "smooth", "yummy" and "yucky"... but they also came up with some great adjectives on their own.  It just goes to show how students are more likely to write descriptively if their senses are immersed in the experience! I was impressed!

If you would like to try this with your class, you can grab a copy of my 5 SENSES BOOKLET HERE.  It's FREE [Update: I've taken this freebie down as I'm working on updating it to make it better]! You can also use my PICTURE THESAURUSES to spice up your students' writing throughout the year!

Now, grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte (don't tell me this post didn't leave you craving something pumpkin flavored!) and check out some more fall ideas from my Lesson Deli friends!

An InLinkz Link-up

Drawing Self Portraits and Building Positive Self Talk

DAY 1 - DRAWING THE PORTRAIT:

I am not an artist working on improving my artistic skills (see what I did there... I replaced that negative self talk with something a bit more positive!).  Although I am getting better, I can't deny the fact that I can barely draw a dog to save my life.  Once, I was trying to draw a dog on an anchor chart and when I was done, a very honest 8 year old commented, "That looks like a dog-chicken!"

*Sniff*

Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found this gem of a video! I was actually looking for videos that would help me teach my students, but I found something even better... an art teacher to teach my students! Ha! I could not resist using this YouTube video as my 'substitute art teacher' for a solid 6 minutes and 29 seconds!:


The video is targeted towards kindergarten kids but I think this aspect makes it perfect for students of any grade! When it comes to directions, children and adults alike benefit from slow, step-by-step instructions (I know I do!). Also, many of my students are ESL learners, so this video was just perfect for them too!

The great thing about using a video to teach art is that you can pause, rewind or re-play the lesson   for  students who need extra time or just need to   re-visit a step. I loved this aspect of using video to teach my portrait lesson!


To help her draw her portrait, the artist uses a mirror. I don't have 20 mirrors in my class... BUT our school has an iPad cart... so, my kiddos put it in selfie mode and used this to attend to the details of their faces. I thought this was a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself)! Students also practiced taking portrait style photographs of each other which was a fun way to add a quick mini lesson on photography.  They had the option of using their photograph or "selfie mode" to help them as they worked on their portraits.

Here is an example of how they turned out!  

DAY 2 - BUILDING POSITIVE SELF TALK

I read the book, "The Way I Act", by Steve Metzger.

{Note: The posters seen in this picture can be found HERE}

This book is PERFECT for inspiring students to build positive self talk and it was a great tool for sparking dialogue amongst my students. Bonus: The image on the cover was a good reminder of what a portrait entails - a close up shot, from the shoulders down!.

As I read each page, I turned to my class and asked them to reflect upon a time when they demonstrated each character trait mentioned in the book. By asking them to reflect, and share memories that highlighted their character, I was getting them to build evidence to support their beliefs about themselves. This exercise strengthens and shapes positive self talk. Saying words like "I am ...." is powerful, especially when supported by events in one's life because it helps to strengthen the belief.  Tony Robbins - you know, the energetic author and motivational speaker - encourages this exercise in his books.

My students were displaying all sorts of positive self-talk as they shared their stories. Let me tell you, it is heart warming to hear young children reflect upon moments when they were courageous, or accomplishments that made them proud! My heart melted several times during this sharing period!

As I read the story, I also introduced synonyms for each character trait by referring to my character posters. {You can get a free poster HERE!}.  Along with the posters, I use raffles to positively reinforce my students for demonstrating specific character traits. Praising children in this way helps to build positive self talk because these words of affirmation (saying things like, "Wow! You are so responsible!") influences how a child will perceive him/herself.

I love all the positive words my students used to describe themselves!  Just look at how perfect these turned out:

Not only do I love how these turned out... the best part is... I'm over hearing my students use this vocabulary in their conversations with each other.

For example, the other day one of my students said to me, (after quietly observing me getting frustrated with annoying tech issues I was having):

"Mrs. Pinkerton, remember?! PERSEVERE!!!!".

This made my day, not only because she used this fabulous 'spiced up' word but because if she was telling me to persevere, she is likely to use such vocabulary when faced with a challenge of her own. This is what self-talk is all about!

 Of course the beauty of having an 8 yr old tell you to persevere is just perfect all on its own!

3 Ways to Expand a Child's Vocabulary

I can't believe my little baby is off to Kindergarten in just 6 weeks. Wow! Time really does fly! I think he's ready for school ...and has been for a long time now. He's as social as the most extroverted butterfly and he loves to learn!!

Judging by his preschool report card I think his teacher feels the same way!

Now, before I go on, I have to apologize in advance if sharing this pic comes off as me bragging about my clever little boy... I'm only sharing his preschool report card here because it inspired me to write this post!

My son's teacher has no idea about my Picture Thesauruses or that I've been working on my Cinnamon's Synonym's app, so it meant so much to me that this comment came from a place of unbiased observation.  Now, you're probably thinking: Does this girl just shove all these words down her son's throat to make him sound "smart"?  No. That couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, when I read this comment, I was a bit surprised myself because it's not like I set time aside every day and say, "Ok kid, let's learn some new words". Bah, how boring would that be!!

This report card comment made me ask myself, "what was I doing right?!" because I didn't really think I was doing anything extraordinary (or at least not consciously).

Here's what I think contributes to my boy's incredible vocabulary and I encourage you to try these tips with your own kids whether they are your students or your own children.

1. Read to them... a lot.  

I spend a lot of time reading to my boy.  When I was a stay at home mom, I remember spending hours curled up in his bed with him, reading until I needed the nap more than he did. We all know the importance of reading to children, so I won't go into too much detail about this one. But I will say, his love of reading and listening to stories has definitely impacted his vocabulary.

Here's an interesting infographic for you to ponder:

In my class, I work on building my students' stamina when it comes to reading. I will talk more about that in another post!

2. Expose kids to "BIG" words when you communicate with them:

The second reason is significant because I don't think adults do this enough.

From the time my boy was an infant I NEVER dumbed things down for him. If he asked a question about something, I would explain my answer using adult terms.  I do this in my teaching as well. Sure, I'll make the concept easier to attain by giving fun, relatable examples (usually by providing visuals), but the vocabulary I use remains the same.  Some might think 'big words' are difficult for young kids to say but... think about the word Tyrannosaurus Rex!! I can barely even spell that word but I hear kids saying it all the time!

* this image can be found in my picture thesaurus "Big" - a word that kids tend to overuse a lot!

Tyrannosaurus Rex is also a tricky word to say (never mind spell), but kids as young as 2 or 3 know this word because they've been exposed to it so often. And THAT's the key - the more we expose young kids to 'big' words, the better!

3.  My Picture Thesauruses.

Originally, the intended audience for my books never meant to include preschoolers, but after noticing how much my son loved looking at the pictures and hearing me talk about them, I realized these books could be used in a variety of ways and for a variety of ages (from preschool up to grades 5 or 6).

This realization happened by accident!

My kid LOVES to eat and he loves to eat as slow as a gastropod with a broken foot.

BUT, I never minded this because a. I'm a slow eater and I hate being rushed.  b.  Working on an ipad app is a long process... sneaking in time to work on my computer while I waited for my lil man to complete his 700 chews per bite kept me sane and productive!

Dinner time was the time I usually received final images from my illustrator. This was my chance to take a look and make notes of any edits I wanted to have done.  As I'd open my e-mails, my lil man would eagerly turn the computer to face him too so he could take a look at the fun images. "Oooh, he likes them", I would think! "This is great! Market research right at my dining table".  We would end up talking about the images... I would use the same adjectives listed in the books to orally describe what was happening in each picture and he would add his inferences to our dialogue.

I guess he really picked up a lot from these e-mail checking sessions.  Sure, he can't read the synonyms in my books (and soon to be iPad app) yet, but reading pictures is one of the first stages of reading and my guy was doing a great job at that.

This made me realize that these books can be used at any age! Children who are still learning how to read can use the pictures to have oral discussions with an adult about the shades of meaning illustrated on each page and in each context. Then when they are older (and able to read fluently) they can interact with these books in other ways like using them as a thesaurus to replace boring words!

I love using my books to inspire kids to expand their vocabulary because they are always engaged when using them!  Take a look at my freebie and try it yourself! Click {here}! I can guarantee you'll have as much fun looking at the pictures as your students or kids will!

The complete bundle has 20 picture thesauruses!