What activity should the teacher encourage next using the vocabulary words to enhance comprehension?

Encouraging students to predict meanings of vocabulary words prior to reading is an effective strategy to enhance comprehension for several reasons. This activity engages students' prior knowledge and encourages them to think critically about the context in which the words might be used. By attempting to predict meanings, students activate their existing knowledge and make connections to the text they are about to read.

This pre-reading exercise sets a purpose for the reading and motivates students to pay closer attention to how the words are used in context, ultimately improving their understanding and retention of the material. It also allows for a more interactive classroom environment, as students can share their predictions and reasoning, fostering discussion and collaboration. This active involvement helps cement their understanding of the vocabulary in a meaningful way, enhancing overall comprehension.

In contrast, other options may not fully support the depth of engagement needed for comprehension. Writing sentences or creating a word search contributes to vocabulary practice but may not actively involve the students in the reading process. Discussing definitions is informative but typically does not engage students in the same predictive way that encourages deeper connections to the text.