Merit Software • www.meritsoftware.com • 800-753-6488 • 212-675-8567 Merit Online Learning Vocabulary Stretch Upper Elementary through College Prep High Beginning ESL through Advanced Complete program: 2 levels Level 1 (Word Lists A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H) See page 13 for Level 1 word lists. Level 2 (Word Lists A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H) See page 14 for Level 2 word lists. Internet Explorer 6.0+ (Windows) Safari 3.0+ (Windows and Mac) Firefox 2.0+ (Windows, Linux, and Mac) What Does Vocabulary Stretch Do? Vocabulary Stretch helps students to learn new words and recognize them in different contexts. The program provides practice and multiple exposures to words enabling students to learn a range of words, including abstract vocabulary words commonly used in academic texts. Use of the program will improve learners’ reading comprehension and help prepare students for words seen on standardized tests. Built-in, real-time scoring gives teachers a current measure of pupil progress through an easy-to- use tracking system. Sample Learn Unit Online Portfolio
Upper Elementary through College PrepHigh Beginning ESL through Advanced
Complete program: 2 levelsLevel 1 (Word Lists A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)
See page 13 for Level 1 word lists.
Level 2 (Word Lists A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)See page 14 for Level 2 word lists.
Internet Explorer 6.0+ (Windows)Safari 3.0+ (Windows and Mac)
Firefox 2.0+ (Windows, Linux, and Mac)
What Does Vocabulary Stretch Do?Vocabulary Stretch helps students to learn new words and recognize them in different contexts.The program provides practice and multiple exposures to words enabling students to learn arange of words, including abstract vocabulary words commonly used in academic texts.
Use of the program will improve learners’ reading comprehension and help prepare students forwords seen on standardized tests.
Built-in, real-time scoring gives teachers a current measure of pupil progress through an easy-to-use tracking system.
Scope of the Program: SkillsVocabulary Stretch has 192 words divided into 2 levels. Each Vocabulary Stretch level has 8words lists of 12 words. A list of the words and their definitions, arranged by word list, appears atthe end of this document.
Implementation
Suggested allocation of time for using the programFor best results we recommend that students use the program 20 to 30 minutes a session, two tothree times a week, in conjunction with other methods of instruction. Program usage should bepaced to allow students sufficient time between sessions to absorb the material.
Suggested overview of student sessionsStudents advance through the program at their own pace.
Each Vocabulary Stretch word list is divided into three units with various sections for students towork through:
Unit 1 - LearnTryout – A diagnostic pre-testWarm-up – Learning and practice for individual wordsWorkout – Learning and practice in a mixed skills format
Unit 2 - ExerciseWarm-up – Learning and practice
Unit 3 – ApplyWorkout – Learning and practice in a mixed skills formatFinals – A diagnostic post-test
The Warm-up and Workout sections of the program are designed to promote learning andmastery by providing feedback immediately after students select an answer. If students select awrong answer, the feedback shows the correct answer and gives an explanation that allows thestudent to succeed on the questions that follow. The feedback also supports students who get theanswer right. They may not know the correct answer, but might know that the other choices arenot right. So the explanation teaches them the fundamental rule.
The Warm-up and Workout sections are designed so that students may do as many rounds asnecessary to master the material.
Tracking students’ workStudents and teachers are able to track improvement through students' Online Portfolios andReports. Using these tools to view the Warm-up and Workout rounds informs students andteachers of what skills students are mastering and what skills students are having difficultymastering.
Program Structure or “Anatomy of the Program”Word list glossaries in pdf format are located in the documentation section of the teacherinterface. You may print them out for your students or email your students a link.
The Vocabulary Stretch program appears in the student's Learning Center.
The student clicks the + next to the Vocabulary Stretch word list to see the units.The student clicks the unit name to start a lesson.
Next, the student selects a section. The section menu indicates whether the student has done theTryout and Finals and the % complete for the Warm-up and Workout. Here is the Learn sectionmenu. Exercise only has the Warm-up section. Apply only has the Workout and Finals sections.
Students can adjust the text size and choose a different background color at the start of eachsection. At the start of the Warm-up and Workout they can also choose a graphic reward theme.
Display Options: Text Size, Rewards, Background Color
Students are presented with a round of questions. In the Learn unit the student is presented witha text and asked to choose the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to the vocabulary word.
Learn Unit DetailsIn the Learn unit the student is presented with a text and asked to choose the word or phrase thatis closest in meaning to the vocabulary word.
Unit 1 - Learn: TRYOUT: The student will be given 24 questions, two questions for eachword in the world list. To pass a word in the Tryout, the student must make correct choices forboth questions. The status bar at the top of the screen shows how far along the student is in theTryout. When the student has finished all the questions, a summary screen will show how thestudent did. The student gets a star for each correct answer and a check for skills the student haspassed. The skills that the student passes in this section will also be shown as passed in theWarm-up.
Unit 1 - Learn: WARM-UP: The studentselects one word to practice per round. To pass aword in the Warm-up, the student must make twocorrect choices out of two questions in a round.
Skills that the student passed in the Tryout areshown with bullets on the Warm-up menu.Checks on the Warm-up menu show skills thatthe student has passed in the Warm-up.
The status bar at the top of the Warm-up screen shows the question count for the round.
When the student has finished the two questions for a word, a summary screen will show how thestudent did. The student gets a star for each correct answer. Red stars show correct answers forthe current round. Gray stars show correct answers for preceding rounds. The summary screenshows checks for the skills the student has passed in the Tryout and in the Warm-up. The bar atthe top of the summary screen indicates how far along the student is in the Warm-up.
Unit 1 - Learn: WORKOUT: The student will be challenged to select the definitions for allthe words in the word list presented in random order. To complete the Workout, the studentneeds to answer correctly 24 questions, two for each word. The student plays at least fourrounds, each containing six randomly selected questions for several different words. The statusbar at the top of the screen shows which question of the six presented in the round the student isworking on.
At the end of each Workout round asummary screen will show how the studentdid. The student gets a star for each correctanswer. Red stars show correct answers forthe current round. Gray stars show correctanswers for preceding rounds. When thestudent has collected six stars in a skill area,the student gets a check indicating the skillhas been passed. When the student hasgotten checks in all skill areas, the Workouthas been completed.
Exercise Unit DetailsThe student is presented with a series of multiple choice thought questions. The student selectsthe type of question for the round: Beyond Definition, Antonym Hunt, or Idea Match. Each type ofquestion gives the student a different way to see the vocabulary words in context.
Unit 2 - Exercise: WARM-UP: The student selects the type of question for the round froma menu. To pass a question type, the student must make four correct choices out of fivequestions in a round. The student may do as many rounds as necessary to master the material.
Apply Unit DetailsThe student is challenged to select the correct vocabulary word to fill in the blank in contextsentences. The Apply Unit contains two sections: Workout and Finals.
Unit 3 - Apply: WORKOUT: To complete the Workout, the student needs to answercorrectly 24 questions, two for each word. The student plays at least four rounds, each containingsix randomly selected questions for several different words.
The status bar at the top of the screen shows which question of the six presented in the round thestudent is working on.
Unit 3 - Apply: FINALS: The student will be given 24 context sentence questions, twoquestions for each word in the word list. To pass a word in the Finals, the student must makecorrect choices for both questions. The status bar at the top of the screen shows how far alongthe student is in the Finals.
When the student has finished all the questions, a summary screen will show how the studentdid. The student gets a star for each correct answer and a check for skills the student haspassed.
The student may view theQuestions Missed Report to seeany questions the studentmissed on the Finals.
The report includes the student’sresponse and the correctanswer.
The Questions Missed Report isalso available in the OnlinePortfolio.
Monitoring Student Work in the Online PortfolioThe Online Portfolio shows the student's summary screen for the most recently played section inthe unit. To see the student's progress click the other sections' radio buttons to view theirsummary screens. The Fitness Performance Detail also includes overview information about theunit such as the % complete, time, and performance score for each section.
Monitoring Student Work With Reports
Reports show student progress andperformance through the sections of theprogram.
Reports are useful for viewing andexporting information about a wholeclass or information about one studentover several classes.
Vocabulary Stretch student work can betracked with the following reports:
CONTENT OF VOCABULARY STRETCHLevel 1 (Word Lists A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)Skill level 4-6
Level 1, Word List Aannounce - state publiclyaudience - group of listenersborder - line between two countries, dividing lineconceal - hidedaily - every dayentire - wholeexpensive - costlyneighbor - person living nearby, nearby countriesruin - spoil, harmsalary - payment for workuniform - all the sameweary - tired
Level 1, Word List Bescape - get away, leak outinstruct - tell, teachprey - animal hunted as foodprotect - keep safe, shieldremain - stay behind, stayremain - be leftsandwich - to fit in, squeeze tightlyshelter - a place that provides coversole - onlytransport - carry from one place to anotherwander - roam, drift; move aimlesslyweapon - something to fight with
Level 1, Word List Cabundant - plentiful, more than enoughautograph - a person’s signature, to write one's signature(v.)barren - unproductive, barebonfire - a large outdoor firecommon - widespread, often seen or heardcommon - shared by alldepart - leaveferocious - savage, fierceharvest - to gather in (crops)irrigate - bring water to, supply with waternibble - eat in small bitesvast - very large, large amount of
Level 1, Word List Dancient - very old; related to times long pastbrilliant - extremely smart, exceptional or impressivebrilliant - sparkling, very shiny or brightcampaign - work actively forcandidate - one seeking or nominated for an office, prize, honor, or job.capital - chief city, main seat of state or national governmentcapitol - state legislature buildingdefective - faulty; not working properlyhostile - unfriendly, warlikeopponent - foe; person against one in games, battles, elections, etc.predict - foretell, forecastsincere - honest; genuine
Level 1, Word List Eaccept - agree toaccept - receive, takeannual - yearlyanxious - worriedbudget - a plan for meeting expensesindustrious - hard-working, busyissue - problem being talked about or debatedoutline - state brieflyminor - unimportant, smallmultitude - a great number; a crowdtemporary - lasting a short time; not permanentvaliant - brave
Level 1, Word List Faccomplice - someone who helps another, especially in wrongdoingartificial - manmade, not occurring naturallyculprit - guilty onefrail - weakglare - to look angrily atglare - strong, blinding lightliberate - set freeoccupy - live inransack - search thoroughly, usually to robstump - to puzzle with a questionthrifty - not wastefulwitty - cleverly amusing
Level 1, Word List Gagile - able to move quickly and easilydrench - soak, wet thoroughlycurfew - prescribed time to be home or off the streetsextend - to stretch outglide - to move smoothly and easilyimmense - huge, very largeisolated - set apart, all alonelegend - unproven story handed down from earlier timesloathe - hate, despiseoutlandish - strange, unusualrare - barely cooked, still red insiderare - uncommon, scarce
Level 1, Word List Havid - very eager, greedycite - refer to, usually for proof or supportcontribute - give, donateflexible - easily bent; easily changedlure - to attract by offering something pleasant; something that attractslynch - execute by mob ruleprecious - very valuable; much-lovedrepel - to disgustrepel - to drive backseek - look for, try to find or getsite - place, location; webpageutensil - a special tool or container, especially for kitchen use
Level 2 (Word Lists A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)Skill level 7-9
Level 2, Word List Aanonymous - by an unknown person, unnamedantidote - remedy for poison; reliefassassin - murderer, usually of a public personattached - fastenedattached - fond ofhumane - merciful, kindmemento - remembrance, object kept as a remindermourn - show sorrow over a death or loss, grieve forscald - to burn with hot liquid or steam; heat to near boilinguntimely - occurring too soon; done at an inappropriate timeurgent - needing quick attentionwretched - miserable; very unpleasant
Level 2, Word List Bamiable - friendly, pleasant, good-naturedbedlam - a place or scene of uproar and confusionboisterous - noisy, loud, rowdyfantastic - unreal; strikingly unusual; excellent, greatfragile - easily broken; delicateoverwhelm - completely defeat; overpower; upsetreprimand - to scold sharply; to criticize; a severe scoldingparched - dried up; thirstypedestrian - person on footpedestrian - dull, ordinary, commonplacesober - serious, solemn, toned downunruly - disorderly; hard to control
Level 2, Word List Ccallous - emotionally hardened, coldhearted, lacking in feelingcompact - agreementcompact - tightly packed, firmly pressed together; small and efficientjeer - make fun of in a rude way; mockmaimed - crippled, badly injuredsabotage - to harm or destroy underhandedly; an act of deliberate harmscanty - too little, just barely enoughspectacle - a public performance or displaysustain - support, maintain; nourishtranquil - quiet, calm, peacefulvanquish - conquer, overcome, defeatvivacious - full of life, lively
Level 2, Word List Dbizarre - oddconspicuous - attracting attention by being unusual; easily seendescend - go downdismal - gloomy; particularly badenigma - a puzzle or riddle difficult or impossible to solveexhort - urge or advise strongly; plead withliable - legally responsibleliable - likely or aptorator - skillful public speakerpatriot - one who loves, supports, and defends his countryprior - earlier, coming beforetranspose - change the order of, reposition, shift
Level 2, Word List Eadapt - adjust to new conditions, change as neededadopt - select or choose as one’s own; acceptefficient - not wasteful; effective, cost effectiveauthentic - genuine, realdisaster - occurrence of widespread destruction; serious misfortune; total failure, catastropheedible - eatable; fit to be eatenfoolhardy - reckless, rash, unwisely boldgusto - great enjoyment; great likinginherit - come into possession of; to get by heredity; receive by legal
right after a person's deathpenalize - punishreveal - make known, show, disclosestaple - product in steady demand; basic or chief item
Level 2, Word List Faquatic - living in or near water, done in or on waterasset - property, valuable itemcompensate - pay; make up for a losscreditor - one to whom money is oweddeprive - keep from having; take away fromensue - to follow, to resulthubbub - uproar, great noiseinept - clumsy, awkward, incompetentlegible - easy to read, capable of being readnaive - inexperienced, innocentprincipal - chief, mainprinciple - basic truth; standard of good behavior, a rule of conduct
Level 2, Word List Gaggravate - make worse, annoybelligerent - hostile, quarrelsome; warlikechronic - constant, long-lasting, recurringdisgruntled - dissatisfied, annoyed, unhappyexceptional - unusual, out of the ordinaryforbearance - patience and self-controlmurky - dark and gloomy; dirtyoasis - fertile place with water in a desert; a place or time of reliefpennant - triangular flag; championship symbolized by a flagslovenly - messy, untidy; carelesstact - skill in dealing with peopletriplicate - made in three identical copies
Level 2, Word List Habound - occur or exist in large numbers; teemarduous - tiring and difficult, strenuouscontemplate - think aboutdenote - indicate, signifydisrupt - break up, disturb, throw into disorderhabitual - often repeated, constantmass - a large amount or number; widerecollect - remember, call to mindstationary - not moving, motionlessstationery - writing materialssummon - send fortaciturn - frequently silent, uncommunicative
