Transcript Effective Vocabulary Instruction

Effective Vocabulary
Instruction
Goals of Training
• Understand what effective, explicit vocabulary
instruction looks like
• Understand what effective, explicit vocabulary
instruction looks like in the intermediate
grades
• Understand why word solving is important in
the intermediate grades
Structural (Morphemic) Analysis
• Instruction in root words, common prefixes,
frequently used suffixes, and inflectional
endings that can be pronounced differently
(-ed in played, talked, planted) is beneficial to
struggling readers who are often
overwhelmed by longer words.
independent
in
depend
ent
“One’s vocabulary is highly
predictive of one’s level of
reading comprehension.”
Fountas & Pinnell, 2006
Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency
Thinking, Talking, and Writing about Reading, K-8
The Vocabulary Learning Task
• The vocabulary learning task is huge!
• The average 4th grader probably knows 5,00010,000 words.
• The average high school grad probably knows
50,000 words.
• To acquire this vocabulary, he or she has
learned something close to 3,500 words a
year.
• This translates to 10 words a day!
Vocabulary Deficits
• Many children of poverty enter school with
vocabularies half the size of their middle-class
counterparts.
• Once in school, they continue to learn words
at about half the rate of their peers.
• In the intermediate grades and high school,
their vocabularies are still half the size of their
peers, possibly less.
How do we attack this problem?
• Provide frequent, varied, and extensive
language experiences
• Teach individual words
• Teach word-learning strategies
• Foster word consciousness
Frequent, Varied and Extensive
Language Experiences
• Reading, writing, discussion (speaking), and
listening
Teaching Word-Learning Strategies
• Using context
• Learning and using word parts
• Using glossaries and the dictionary
Types of Word
Consciousness Activities
• Creating a print rich environment
• Promoting word play
• Fostering word consciousness through
writing
• Teaching students about words
Characteristics of Effective Instruction
for Individual Words
• Instruction that involves both definitional and
contextual information is markedly stronger than
instruction that involves only one of these.
• Instruction that involves activating prior knowledge
and comparing/contrasting meanings is stronger still.
• More lengthy and robust instruction that involves
students actively manipulating meanings, making
inferences, searching for applications, using prior
knowledge, and frequent encounters is still stronger.
Characteristics of Effective Instruction
for Individual Words
• Using realia and visuals to show what the
word is
• Point to pictures of the vocabulary word in
book
• Use gestures (total physical response
activities) to act the word out
Building a Basic Oral Vocabulary:
Shared Book Reading
• Both the adult readers and children are active
participants
• Involves several readings
• Focuses attention on words
• The reading is fluent, engaging, and lively
• Deliberately stretches students and scaffolds
their efforts
• Carefully selects words and books
What does vocabulary instruction
look like in Grades 3-5?
• Taking the word apart (multi-syllablic words), putting it
back together to pronounce, and determining meaning of
the word
• Going back and rereading the word in the sentence to
clarify if it makes sense
• Wide variety of word patterns and their meaning (-un, -re, base), the largest meaningful chunk
– Instead of “as” in the word “basement”, look at the word
“base”, determine meaning, and apply it to the meaning of
entire word
Vocabulary
Receptive Vocabulary
• Words we understand
when we hear or read
them
• Reading and listening
comprehension
Expressive Language
• Words we use to
communicate as a
speaker and writer
• Writing and Speaking
Shades of Knowing
Understands and can use words in isolation or context; knows multiple meanings, connotations,
and figurative uses when appropriate
Understands and can use the word in some contexts and knows one or two definitions of it
Knows one definition of the word and can use it in some contexts, but has difficulty applying it
with precision and accuracy
Knows the word in one context only and is unable to use it flexibly
Has some familiarity with the word, like knowing whether it has positive or negative
connotations
Has a hypothesis as to the meaning of the word based on the context
Remembers hearing the word before
Does not know the word and has not heard it
THREE TIERS OF VOCABULARY
DEVELOPMENT
• Tier 1 – Everyday Words
• Basic, Common Sight Words, Automatic
• Mostly learned without instruction
• (farm, tree, happy, summer, family)
• Tier 2 – Academic Words “Goldilocks Words”
• Words that will aid in understanding, Instructional, Guided reading
vocabulary
• These words appear frequently in the vocabularies of mature
language learners
• (considerate, coincidence, fascinate, mentioned, industry)
• Tier 3 – Content-Specific Words
• Complex, Infrequently used
• Specialized words often related to a specific content area
• (algorithm, isotope, photosynthesis)
Beck, 2002
What the research says about
vocabulary instruction…
• Students should be active in developing their
understanding of words and ways to learn them
• Students should personalize word learning
• Students should be immersed in words
• Students should build on multiple sources of
information to learn words through repeated
exposures
Explicit Instruction
• Teacher models and explains
• Teacher provides guided practice
– Students practice what the teacher modeled
and the teacher provides prompts and
feedback
• Teacher provides supported application
– Students apply the skill as the teacher
scaffolds instruction
• Independent Practice
• Reflections
Systematic Instruction
Systematic instruction is the logical,
research-based sequence
educational activities that follow a
developmental continuum which
optimally leads to students’
accomplishment of the learning
outcomes and goals.
Vocabulary Explicit Instruction
• Instructional Routine
–Introduce the word
–Present student-friendly definition
–Clarify the word with examples
–Check the students’ understanding
Vocabulary Instructional Routine
Example Step 1:
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Introduce the word
This word is expedition
Write the word on the board or overhead
Say the word with me: expedition
Say the word one more time: expedition
– Many students may need to practice pronouncing
the word several times in order to secure it in
memory
Vocabulary Instructional Routine
Example Step 2:
• Present a student-friendly definition
• An expedition is a journey or voyage with a
group of people, usually for a special purpose
• Let’s read this explanation together
– Everyone repeats about explanation
• Explanation within the context of the story
– In this story, Spanish explorers set out on an
expedition to discover gold in Florida.
Vocabulary Instructional Routine
Example Step 3:
• Clarify the word with examples
• Verbal examples
– An organized trip, mission, quest to learn or
discover something
• Concrete examples
– Military expeditions, geographic explorations such
as Lewis and Clark expedition, scientific expedition
such as space exploration
• Visual representations
Vocabulary Instructional Routine
Example Step 4:
• Check for students’ understanding
–Would a safari be an expedition?
Why?
–Would a vacation be an expedition?
Why?
–Which expedition might have a more
important purpose, an expedition to
Mars or an expedition to the grocery
store? Why?
Vocabulary Instructional Routine
Example Step 5:
• Expanding student understanding
– Have you ever gone on an expedition?
• Describe it
– Clap if you think these words are similar to
expedition:
quest, mission, walking, exploration, delay, amble
– Complete the idea: Why might a trip to Alaska be
considered an expedition?
Vocabulary Graphic Organizers
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Semantic Feature Analysis
Semantic Mapping
Frayer Model
Concept Definition Mapping
Linear Arrays
Venn Diagrams
Words in Context/Application
Word Analogies
Dictionary Digs
Semantic Feature Analysis
Cold Temperatures
Repeat Bloomers
Thorns
+
-
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+
+
+
-
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Tulips
Roses
Pansies
Carnations
Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)
Semantic Map
Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)
Vocabulary
Graphic Organizer Example
Essential
Characteristics
Nonessential
Characteristics
Topic
Examples
Nonexamples
Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)
Vocabulary
Graphic Organizer Example
Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)
Linear Arrays
Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)
Venn Diagram
Literacy Essentials and Reading Network (LEaRN)
Vocabulary
Active Engagement Example
Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR), 2007
Fourth and Fifth Grade Student Center Activities: Vocabulary and Comprehension
Word Sorts
• Word sorts allow students to build on their
own prior knowledge to develop a more
complete understanding of words.
Word Sorts
Open Sorts
Closed Sorts
Students are given words to be
categorized and they
determine how to sort them.
Students are given words to sort
AND categories for sorting. The
words are predetermined by the
teacher.
All in the Family
• When teaching a word, teach the family too!
• If you know the meaning of one family member,
you can infer the meaning of related words.
• Start with the easiest word in the family.
– Example: execute
executed
executing
execution
executioner
Vocabulary Wrap
• Using context clues to determine word
meaning is least distractive from text (Keeps
you “in” the text to reinforce comprehension,
rather than leaving the text to search for a
definition)
• Knowledge of prefixes is important because
they have definitive meanings; suffixes have
abstract meanings (need to know part of
speech)
Vocabulary Wrap
• In lower grades, fluency is a predictor of
comprehension
• In higher grades, vocabulary is a predictor of
comprehension
• Use fast mapping instead of having children
“look up” words in dictionary
– “Don’t procrastinate on your project.
Procrastinate means to put off doing something.”
– “What is your hypothesis…your best guess?”
Vocabulary Wrap
• Teach idioms…Don’t commit assumicide!
• The car went rolling down the hill and caught my eye.
• Instructional routines are critical to our
struggling learners
• Learned vocabulary words should NOT be
added to your sight word wall
– Create a content area word wall
– Read aloud book with words
Vocabulary Wrap
• Play word association games
– Show a list of words
representative
reform
– “I am thinking of a word….”
tributary
• …that goes with river
• …that refers to a person who takes ideas to the
government
• …that means change
• Ask connection questions prior to and after
reading text
The Vocabulary Gap
Words heard
per hour
Words heard in Words heard in 3 years
a 100 hour
a 5,200 hour
week
year
Welfare
620
62,000
3 million
10 million
Working Class
1,250
125,000
6 million
20 million
Professional
2,150
215,000
11 million
30 million
Welfare experiences of children are utterances of directives or commands (“Take out
the trash”)
Professional experiences of children are utterances of expansion (“Where is your truck
going?”)
References
• Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., &
Johnston, F. (2004). Words Their Way: Words
Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling
Instruction. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
• Beck, I. McKeown, M., & Kucan, L. (2002).
Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary
Instruction. New York: Gullford Press.
• Blevins, W. (2001). Teaching Phonics and Word
Study in the Intermediate Grades. New York:
Scholastic.
References
• Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR).
(2007). Fourth and fifth grade student center
activities: Advanced phonics and fluency.
Tallahassee, FL
• Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. (2006). Teaching for
Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking and
Talking about Reading K-8. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.