Ensure students develop a mental model for comparison of strings in a physical dictionary because few students use paper dictionaries anymore.

  • For example, in a paper dictionary students can note that the page they’re on includes words that are too late or too early alphabetically.
  • Seek out activities that require students to compare words alphabetically.
  • The reduced use of physical, paper dictionaries seems to be manifesting in a difficulty to compare words alphabetically.
    • Most students use dictionaries on their devices and no longer have to flip through pages in a dictionary.
    • This means students are getting less practice comparing words alphabetically.
  • It’s very important to address this by having students compare words.

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Interview with Suzy Crowe

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