The Dictionary Dilemma
You are starting a new novel study. You know there are tricky words in Chapter 1 that will trip your students up.
The old way? You scan the book, highlighter in hand, looking for "hard words." Then you type them into a document. Then you open a dictionary and copy-paste definitions.
But dictionary definitions are often useless for students. They use other hard words to explain the first hard word. (Example: Defining "obscure" as "not clearly expressed or easily understood"—if a student doesn't know "obscure," they probably don't know "expressed" either).
There is a better way.
You can use AI to scan the text for you, pick out the "Tier 2" academic words, and write definitions that a 5th grader can actually understand.
Tier 2 Words: High-frequency words that appear across many different subjects (e.g., "analyze," "compare," "structure") but are rarely used in casual conversation. These are the most valuable words to teach.
Strategy 1: The "Tier 2" Extractor
You don't need to guess which words are important. AI can identify which words are critical for understanding the text.
The Why: Teachers often pick "fancy" words (Tier 3) that students will never see again. It is better to focus on "power words" (Tier 2) that show up in Science, Math, and History.
The How: Paste the text of the chapter (or a summary of it) into the AI and ask it to filter the words for you.
Copy-Paste Prompt:
[Context]: I am teaching [Book Title] to [Grade Level] students.
[Role]: Act as a Literacy Specialist.
[Exact Task]: Identify 10 "Tier 2" vocabulary words from the text below.
[Criteria]: Choose words that are essential to understanding the plot but might be challenging for this grade level.
[The Text]: [Paste text here]
Strategy 2: The "Student-Friendly" Definition
Now that you have the list, you need definitions that stick.
The Why: Standard dictionaries are circular. To learn a word, students need a "friendly explanation" that connects to real life, not a formal definition.
The How: Use this prompt to get definitions that use simple language.
Copy-Paste Prompt:
[Task]: Create a vocabulary table for the 10 words you identified.
[Format]: Column 1: The Word. Column 2: A "Student-Friendly" definition (explain it using words a 3rd grader would know). Column 3: A synonym. Column 4: An example sentence related to the characters in the book.
[Tone]: Keep the definitions short and conversational.
Strategy 3: The Context Clue Generator
A list is good; practice is better. Students learn words by seeing them in action.
The Why: Rote memorization (flashcards) doesn't build long-term retention. Seeing the word in a sentence where the meaning is implied (context clues) forces the brain to "solve" the word.
The How: Ask the AI to create a "fill-in-the-blank" exercise immediately.
The Prompt:
"Create a 'Fill-in-the-Blank' practice worksheet using these 10 words. Write a paragraph that summarizes the next chapter of the book, but replace the vocabulary words with blanks. Include a word bank at the top."
For more on how to modify texts to fit your students' reading levels while keeping key vocabulary, read our guide on how to create leveled readers using AI.
Recommended Video: Research-Based Vocabulary Routines (Made Easy with ChatGPT!) This video is excellent because it connects the "Science of Reading" to AI. It shows you how to choose the right words (not just the hard ones) and how to create routines that actually help students retain them.
The Safety Check: The "Context" Trap
Words have multiple meanings. AI doesn't always know which one the book is using.
The Risk: If the book says, "The dog began to bark," and the AI defines "bark" as "the rough outer covering of a tree," your students will be confused.
The Fix: Always scan the "Example Sentence" column.
Does the definition match how the word is used in the specific chapter?
If the word is a homonym (like "jam," "row," or "scale"), ensure the AI picked the right one.
Conclusion
Vocabulary instruction shouldn't be about copying from a dictionary. It should be about unlocking meaning.
By using AI to find the high-leverage words and explain them simply, you save hours of prep time and give your students a tool they can actually use.
Once you have your list, use the Exercise Generator to instantly turn those words into a quiz, a crossword puzzle, or a matching game.
Check it out here: Exercise Generator
