Transcript Next Stop: Robust Vocabulary Instruction

Next Stop: Robust
Vocabulary Instruction
Tara W. Higgins
March 18th, 2011
Adapted from Beck,
McKeown, & Kucan, 2002
Agenda
•Rationale for vocabulary instruction
•Choosing words to teach
•Introducing words
•Interacting with word meanings
•Closing
Rationale
Rational For
ForExplicit
Explicit
Vocabulary Instruction
•Students can learn words from context, but
they must:
•Read widely
•Infer word meanings
•Contexts can be misdirective, nondirective,
general, or directive
Adapted from Beck,
McKeown, & Kucan, 2002
Rationale For Explicit
Vocabulary Instruction
•Vocabulary in K-2 influences reading
comprehension in older grades (Dr. Paratore)
•High-knowledge 3rd graders’ vocabularies =
lowest performing 12th graders (Smith, 1941)
•Once established; gap is difficult to improve
(Biemiller, 1999)
Choosing Words to
Teach
•Tier 1 Words: basic words children are
familiar with before school
•ball, run, clock
•Tier 3 Words: low frequency; limited to
particular domains
•isotope, peninsula, refinery
Adapted from Beck,
McKeown, & Kucan, 2002
Tier 2 Words
Use literature you would read aloud
•High frequency
•Utilized by mature language users
•Describe concepts students already understand
•Can be explained using terms students already
Adapted from Beck,
know
McKeown, & Kucan, 2002
Introducing Words
Use literature you would read aloud
•Put word in context from the story
•Students repeat the word
•Offer a student friendly explanation
•Give examples of contexts other than the story
•Students interact with the word
Adapted from Beck,
McKeown, & Kucan, 2002
Interacting with Words
•Students should deal with word meanings
right away
•Active involvement
•Interact with all words from a lesson in one
activity
Adapted from Beck,
McKeown, & Kucan, 2002
Reflection
something that squares with your thinking
an important point to remember
a question you still have rolling around in your
head
something you will take back to your
classroom, school, district