How Movement and Repetition Help Vocabulary Stick

A daily routine that combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetic inputs helps students learn new words, recognize them when reading, and remember their meanings. At Clinton Valley Elementary School in Michigan, fifth-grade teacher Samantha DiCicco helps students in her small fluency group build vocabulary through a short multisensory routine that incorporates movement and repetition. At the end of every day, students spend a few minutes practicing four or five words from their core curriculum, doing call and response chants with the words and their definitions along with hand motions. By introducing the vocabulary before they encounter it in their reading, DiCicco gives students a chance to become familiar with the words and their meanings ahead of time. For more strategies on reading instruction, visit: https://www.edutopia.org/topic/literacy Join the Edutopia community today to get articles, videos, and more delivered via email every Wednesday—all tailored to you and your unique role: https://edut.to/3wEVHUh Follow us here: Official Website: https://edutopia.org  YouTube:    / edutopia   Facebook:   / edutopia   Instagram:   / edutopia   BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/edutopia.org #readingfluency #teachingstrategies #elementaryenglish #vocabulary © 2026 George Lucas Educational Foundation