Some words feel wonderful in your mouth: benevolent, pashmina, Constantinople. They roll right off one’s tongue and into one’s imagination.  Words hold meaning and are the building blocks of all human thought. I marvel at students’ curiosity about words and how they often understand and use words far above their age and grade level.  One of my students was so enamored with geology and dinosaurs that his vocabulary in these areas far surpassed mine, allowing him to be my teacher, and I, his attentive student!  I believe that spark of curiosity and imagination in learning vocabulary ignites the power to explore a universe of ideas and concepts.   I've taken this first week of my summer vacation to reflect on the techniques I've used to support students' vocabulary development.