Vocabulary Development

The words in these lists are the focus of vocabulary development throughout this theme's oral language, listening comprehension, and small-group activities. The list includes a wide variety of academic and content area words as well as everyday conversational words that children add to their vocabularies through interactions with families, teachers, and peers.

Theme Vocabulary

Core Words

  • bloom
  • bud(s)
  • change(s)
  • grow(s)
  • grown-up
  • hatch
  • hibernation
  • nature
  • plant (n.)
  • season
  • seed
  • spring
  • sun, sunny
  • sunflower
  • warm
  • weather

Basic Words

  • baby(ies)
  • build
  • child
  • mother
  • older/younger
  • rain
  • winter

Challenge Word

  • migration

Story/Poetry Vocabulary

  • beanstalk
  • berries
  • blossoms
  • butterfly
  • case
  • caterpillar(s)
  • changing
  • chrysalis
  • cocoons
  • egg
  • exercise
  • giant
  • gigantic
  • healthy
  • hungry
  • market
  • meadow
  • melts
  • mirror
  • monarch butterfly
  • nectar
  • plant (v.), planted
  • pollywogs
  • sleep/wake up
  • soil
  • trade
  • turnip
  • vegetable(s)

Basic Words

  • bragged
  • brush (v.)
  • dig
  • funny
  • gold
  • harp
  • meat
  • milk
  • nest
  • nose
  • pulled
  • soft
  • toes
  • wash
  • yellow

Challenge Words

  • breezes
  • gentle
  • grabbed hold
  • milkweed

Math Vocabulary

Comparing Words

  • about the same length
  • big, bigger, biggest
  • cold, colder
  • heavier, heavier than
  • lighter, lighter than
  • longer than
  • measure
  • more/less
  • short/tall
  • shorter than
  • small, smaller, smallest
  • warm, warmer
  • symmetry

Position Words

  • above/below
  • bottom/middle/top
  • next to

Number Concept Words

  • count
  • graph
  • how many
  • match
  • number words one to ten

Science Vocabulary

Oral Language Card 59

  • body
  • care
  • healthy
  • teeth
  • toothbrush
  • toothpaste

Oral Language Card 61

  • chick
  • egg
  • hatch
  • shell

Oral Language Card 62

  • flower
  • jacket
  • season
  • spring
  • sweater
  • weather

Oral Language Card 63

  • change
  • fox
  • fur
  • season
  • snow
  • summer
  • winter

Social Studies Vocabulary

Oral Language Card 57

  • baby
  • change
  • child
  • father
  • grow
  • mother

Oral Language Card 58

  • change
  • grow
  • help
  • kind
  • older
  • younger

Oral Language Card 60

  • care
  • Earth
  • job
  • tool
Core Words
Teach and reinforce these words with all children.
Basic Words
Three-year-olds, English language learners, and children with limited vocabulary experience may need reinforcement of these words.
Challenge Words
Introduce these words as children's interests indicate.