USING A THESAURUS

In this dyslexia blog article I want to talk about using a thesaurus.

Many dyslexics find it difficult to find a word in a dictionary because if they don’t know the first few letters then they can’t find the correct word easily. In a earlier article I referred to some specialized dictionaries that might be more useful for the dyslexic student to use than the standard dictionary.

Another useful strategy is to teach your child to use a thesaurus so that they can identify spellings.

What is a thesaurus ?
A thesaurus is a collection of synonyms (words or phrases with a similar meaning ) and antonyms ( words or phrases with a opposite meaning ) .

There are two types of thesaurus one which is like a dictionary were the words are in alphabetical order.The other lists the words in a index form which is in the back of the book.

Microsoft word has its own thesaurus which students can make use of in their studies. There are also some online versions of a thesaurus like :

reference thesaurus com

There is also a Visual Thesaurus available online which gives visual diagrams of all similar meaning words.

Your child must first think of a easier word which they able to spell, but which has a similar meaning to the word they are looking for. Eg sad

After they look in the thesaurus under sad to find a more difficult word that they can’t spell eg morose .

Other examples :
Small – miniscule
Thin – gaunt
Dictionary – thesaurus

Alphabet Arc : Dictionary Skills

Here in this Dyslexia Blog article is a useful strategy if your child has trouble looking words up in dictionaries and other reference books that are arranged in alphabetical order.

Make an alphabet arc using a protractor.

First draw an arc onto a piece of card.Divide the arc into 4 roughly equal sections..

Write the alphabet in the four quarters :
A- F
G- M
N- S
T- Z

You could cut the arc out and fold it along the lines into quarters if you want.

They can carry it with them in their school bag.

It makes looking things up quicker and more accurate, and your child won’t have to start from the beginning of the alphabet for each word.

You could make up a mnemonic to remember the first 4 letters in each section eg : All gorillas need tomatoes

Play some games with them to test their skills.- eg they have to find a word within a certain time.

This can even be used with older students.

Still Blogger is playing up - spent 3 hours just adding one blog article.. Its driving me crazy!! So bear with me ....