Transcript Supporting Vocabulary

Supporting Vocabulary
Grades K-2
What does vocabulary
instruction look like in your
classroom?
❧ When?
❧ How often?
❧ How do you plan for it?
Why Teach Vocabulary?
❧ There is a strong correlation between word knowledge
and reading comprehension
❧ There are profound differences in vocabulary knowledge
among learners from different SES groups, and once
established, remain
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By age 3, there is strong evidence of a gap in vocabulary
knowledge for children of different SES groups
First grade vocabulary predicted students’ reading
achievement in their junior year of high school
High-knowledge third graders had vocabularies about
equal to the lowest-performing 12th graders
- Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2013
How do we learn words?
❧ Most words are learned most effectively in context,
either in natural conversation or naturally occurring
written text
❧ As we grow up, we learn most of our new words
through written texts, and direct instruction is
important
“A robust approach to vocabulary involves directly
explaining the meanings of words along with thoughtprovoking, playful, and interactive follow-up.”
- Beck, McKeown, and Kucan
What does it mean to
know a word?
Know it well, can explain it and use it
Know something about it, can relate it to a
situation
Have seen or heard the word; have a
sense of the word’s connotation
(negative/positive)
Do not know the word
When choosing words,
consider:
❧How useful is the word? It is a word that
readers will meet in other texts? Will they be able to
use it when describing their own experiences?
❧How does it relate to other words or ideas that
learners know or have been working on?
The Three-Tiers Framework
Tier 3
Low frequency
words often limited
to specific topics or
domains
Tier 2
Words that are of high utility
for mature language users,
more likely found in written
language
Tier 1
Basic, common words that appear in
oral conversations around everyday
experiences
You try it!
❧ In your Read Aloud, identify the Tier Two
words.
- Which are most necessary for
comprehension?
-Which will need brief/elaborate
attention?
- Which will be most useful to your
children?
If you find that your book doesn’t have
opportunities to learn rich
vocabulary…
❧introduce related words for use in
conversations about the book
For example, if the story features a character who
works hard, you might introduce the word diligent and
support kids to use this new word in their turn-and-talks
or stop- and-jots.
How to Teach Vocabulary
❧ Use Read Aloud to provide context
❧ Choose just a few words
❧ Quickly define words in the midst of reading only if it
is essential to comprehension in the moment
❧ Explicitly teach into the words’ meanings after
reading
❧ Follow-up repeatedly to get learners using the words
Introducing Words
❧ Make it child-friendly
❧ Capture the essence of the word and how it is typically
used
❧ Explain in everyday language
❧ Use associations, often including words such as
something that, someone who, or describes so that
children can begin to get a sense of how to use the word
You try it!
❧ Decide on just a few (2-3) words from
your Read Aloud that you will explicitly
teach
❧ Create and jot child-friendly definitions
for the words!
A Format for Vocabulary
Learning
❧ What do you notice during and after my
Read Aloud? Name what you saw with a
partner.
A Format for Vocabulary
Learning
❧ 1. Read the book.
❧ 2. Contextualize the word within the story
❧ 3. Have children say the word.
❧ 4. Provide a student-friendly definition of the word.
❧ 5. Present examples of the word in contexts different from
the story context.
❧ 6. Engage in activities to help children interact with words.
❧ 7. Have children say the word.
Your turn!
❧ Plan your read aloud and direct vocabulary
instruction
Follow-up to allow for multiple
encounters with words
❧ Situations and Examples
❧ Find the missing word
❧ Word Association
❧ Finish the Sentence
❧ Yes/No
Developing Vocabulary in
the Classroom
❧ Teach individual words
❧ Provide rich and varied language experiences
❧ Foster word consciousness
❧ Teach word-learning strategies*
Creating Communities of Rich
Language
Electrical Engineer,
Concierge, Conductor,
Sanitation Officer,
Representative, Liaison,
Media Specialist,
Nutritionist, etc.
Creating Communities of
Rich Language
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Use sophisticated language when giving directions and engaging in
discussions
Use the ordinary and more sophisticated word (quiet reading time and
independent reading time)
Try it…
1. Say a few phrases you say to students
often
2. Now lift the level of the language
Foster Word Consciousness
Shared Reading and Shared
Writing
Frayer Model