Many of the daily activities in the lower elementary grades lend themselves
well to the development of nonacademic vocabulary, such as “show and tell.” The
challenge becomes greater in the upper elementary grades at which time the teacher
needs to be creative and specifically plan to incorporate activities that include
everyday vocabulary. For example, you can organize activities around the topics of
food and nutrition (recipes), shopping, traveling, and clothes, relating them to the
different seasons and situations. By making use of storybooks and activities that
emphasize everyday vocabulary teachers can strategically support its use.