On Challenging Words

Spectrometer, assembly,
operations, basalt, meteorite, satellite, communicate,
atmosphere, hematite, mineral, jarosite,
sulfate, surveyor, orbiter, reconnaissance,
thermal, emission, aeronautics, navigation, panoramic, phyllosilicates, abrasion, silica…




Are these words that you think will pull kids into a book
and get them excited about science or space exploration?  I think not. But they are words that were
absolutely essential to telling the story of the Mars rovers Spirit and
Opportunity.  I think one of the biggest
challenges in writing nonfiction for children, especially science, is how to
introduce very sophisticated, sometimes technical, words to young readers
without intimidating or losing them.




With the Common Core’s emphasis on integration of knowledge
and increasing text complexity, I thought it might be interesting to explore some
techniques that I use to handle challenging words.




Start slowly: I
deliberately try to avoid throwing a lot tough word in the beginning of my books.
Instead I try to grab readers so that they won’t give up when they hit
something challenging. So The Mighty Mars Rovers opens with a
page about life on Mars (Martians…that’s a word kids know and love). Chapter one
introduces scientist Steve Squyres as a boy who gets a telescope for Christmas
and later watches the Apollo landing. I don’t really start hitting readers with
the tough stuff until I describe the making of the Mars rovers in chapter two,
starting on page 16.




Space it out: If
possible, I try to spread out the most difficult words, so kids aren’t reading
a bunch of technical terms all at once.




Follow with short
definitions: When I introduce a tough word, I try to follow it with a quick
definition, something as short as possible. (I describe a Microscopic Imager as
a cross between a camera and a microscope.)




Define and define
again: For a really challenging word, especially one that is central to understanding
the story, I will define the term not just on the first mention but the next
several times as well. Sometimes I use the same definition; sometimes I offer
different ways for kids think about the word.




Use visuals: If I
can show a reader what a word means with a photo or graphic, I do. There is no
better way for kids to absorb the importance of silica on Mars than showing a
photo of silica uncovered by a dragging rover wheel with a caption that explains
its significance.




A spoonful of sugar:
If there is a funny or clever way to define something, I do. Take one of the
tools on the rovers. I wrote:  “The RAT was
not a furry gray creature, but a rock abrasion tool, a drill to bore holes into
soil and rock.” When I talk about land deformation in my volcano books, I
describe how magma swelling underground is like a mole pushing up a lawn. (These
examples makes me wonder why furry mammals keep ending up in my hard-science
books.)




I often include a glossary. I know glossaries are important.
But my hunch is that a glossary is not the way most kids learn the difficult
words in a book.




What do I think is really the key to helping kids handle
sophisticated vocabulary? Amazing, gripping, can’t-put-it-down books that don’t
dumb down the language. I really believe that kids who are captivated by a
story will not let a five-syllable word stand in their way. And as they are
swept away by a fascinating true story, they will absorb some rich, challenging
vocabulary as they go.




I hope I’m right because my next Scientist in the Field book,
which comes out later this year ( Eruption: Volcanoes and the Science of
Saving Lives,) includes these doozies:  Dormant, tectonic, lahar, pumice, pyroclastic
flow, seismograph, spectrometer (again, can you believe it?)…




How to best handle challenging words will be an issue I face
in other books I’m working on, so I want to toss out a few questions:




For the writers out there: How do you handle challenging vocabulary
in your books? I would love to learn more ideas and techniques….




For teachers and other readers: What do you think writers of
nonfiction can do to help readers master tough words? What works? What doesn’t?




I’d love to hear from you!




Elizabeth Rusch