“Bucket Words”

Playwright Howard Barker wrote, “Some words, like buckets, slop with meaning.” (The Castle).

When you communicate with language learners remember to put your “bucket words” first.

This form of speech is also likened to “motherese” or in our case, “teacherspeak.”

Avoid modals (will, should, would, could) and especially idioms (Get out! No way! What’s up?).

For example, instead of saying, “You may not hit your friends.” to young language learners say, “No hitting.” For now, the words yes and no and the focus behavior are all that need to be said.

Another example is to try “Black crayon?” (using intonation) instead of “Would you like the black crayon now?”

Please and thank-you are great words to learn, but say them AFTER the bucket word, not before. For example, “Yes, please,” or “Sit down, please,” and “No, thank you.”

Point and say the word, but do NOT use the phrase, “Say…” this will lead to students repeating everything including the word “say.”  Use single command or labeling words and repetition if necessary.

In linguistics, the morpheme is defined as the smallest meaningful unit of language that may or may not be a word, but it conveys meaning. Suffixes, prefixes, pronouns, nouns, etc. can be morphemes if they carry meaning.

Studies show one of the first morphemes acquired is the progressive –ing. Words that describe what you are doing are a great start. Try labeling your actions throughout the day, “walking, crying, coloring, etc.”

Enjoy your English language learners. They offer such a wonderful perspective to our daily routine. We can all benefit from recognizing the many “buckets of meaning” we carry and pass on to our students.

by: Elizabeth Dowling