Word Generation

A single word can have many meanings, as O’Maley students have learned through a unique vocabulary-building program, Word Generation, which was introduced through start-up funding provided by GEF.

Word Generation introduces students to a set of five new words each week incorporated into a written paragraph describing a situation that challenges students to think about a topic—for example, why are there not more females in science careers, or should schools be allowed to sell junk food?  Students learn how these words are applicable in different context through discussions held during their classes in English, math, science and social studies.  They are also required to take a position and debate the topic of the week and write an essay utilizing the five weekly words.

Developed by educators at Harvard University, Word Generation is unique at O’Maley in that it is an all-school initiative—in fact, O’Maley was one of the first middle schools in the country to adopt this in all grades.