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With the increased use of technology that corrects our grammar, checks our spelling, and predicts what we are going to say next, dictionaries are becoming an endangered species, and the ability to use them, even rarer. The most important reason that we should protect this rarely seen specimen of knowledge is that Dictionary skills transfer to the use of other reference materials that students will use to research or find information. Dictionaries should be the first reference a student learns how to use. They help teach the basics of alphabetization, correct spelling and spelling patterns, help students acquire a broader vocabulary, foster reading comprehension, and expose a student to additional word meanings, uses, and other information. Contrary to the sounding of its name, a Thesaurus is not a dinosaur! Thesauruses expose students to synonyms, antonyms, and collections of words and are the second reference that students should learn how to use. Students must focus on the intended meaning of a word in context, in order to choose the correct one. This helps to expand a student's vocabulary, lays the foundation for navigating through other reference books and materials, including their electronic counterparts with more efficiency and greater understanding, and transforms their writing. Students, particularly English Language Learners, need to be exposed to the sounds, words, and meanings that will help them communicate successfully. We can all understand how hard it is for very young children when they are unable to communicate how they feel, what they want and need, and what they think. Now, can you imagine being in upper elementary school and still not being able to do that? Dictionaries and Thesauruses can help students overcome those hurdles.

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With the increased use of technology that corrects our grammar, checks our spelling, and predicts what we are going to say next, dictionaries are becoming an endangered species, and the ability to use them, even rarer. The most important reason that we should protect this rarely seen specimen of knowledge is that Dictionary skills transfer to the use of other reference materials that students will use to research or find information. Dictionaries should be the first reference a student learns how to use. They help teach the basics of alphabetization, correct spelling and spelling patterns, help students acquire a broader vocabulary, foster reading comprehension, and expose a student to additional word meanings, uses, and other information. Contrary to the sounding of its name, a Thesaurus is not a dinosaur! Thesauruses expose students to synonyms, antonyms, and collections of words and are the second reference that students should learn how to use. Students must focus on the intended meaning of a word in context, in order to choose the correct one. This helps to expand a student's vocabulary, lays the foundation for navigating through other reference books and materials, including their electronic counterparts with more efficiency and greater understanding, and transforms their writing. Students, particularly English Language Learners, need to be exposed to the sounds, words, and meanings that will help them communicate successfully. We can all understand how hard it is for very young children when they are unable to communicate how they feel, what they want and need, and what they think. Now, can you imagine being in upper elementary school and still not being able to do that? Dictionaries and Thesauruses can help students overcome those hurdles.

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