Transcript Text Talk and Vocabulary

Choosing, Introducing,
and Using Words to
Build Vocabulary
during Read-Alouds
Some ideas from:
Beck, I., McKeown, M., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to
life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: Guilford.
Agenda
• Review Quiz 2
• Review Text-Talk Discussion Prompts from
Homework
• Review Reading Guide and Connect to Activities
– Choosing Words
– Student Friendly Definitions
– Using/Engaging With Words
• Review Text-Talk Assignment
Make Way for Ducklings #3
• Just as they were getting ready to
start on their way, a strange
enormous bird came by. It was
pushing a boat full of people, and
there was a man sitting on its back.
“Good morning,” quacked Mr. Mallard,
being polite. The big bird was too
proud to answer. (pages 7-8)
Where’s the possible confusion? (inference needed?)
How will your questions encourage active building of understanding?
Text Talk Example #3
• Initial: (0pen)
• Response:
• Follow-up:
• Response:
• Follow-up:
• Response:
Make Way for Ducklings #4
• “I like this place,” said Mrs. Mallard as
they climbed out on the bank and waddled
along… “There are no foxes and no turtles,
and the people feed us peanuts. What
could be better?” But… ”Look out!”
squawked Mrs. Mallard, all of a dither.
“You’ll get run over!” And when she got her
breath, she added, “This is no place for
babies, with all those horrid things rushing
about. We’ll have to look somewhere else.”
Where’s the possible confusion? (inference needed?)
How will your questions encourage active building of understanding?
Text Talk Example #4
• Initial: (0pen)
• Response:
• Follow-up:
• Response:
• Follow-up:
• Response:
Reading Guide 2:
Vocabulary
Direct & Rich
Vocabulary Instruction
• What do Beck & McKeown argue is
problem with relying on word learning
solely from context clues?
• What do they propose instead for
explicitly teaching the meanings of
words?
Context cues CAN help,
but not always
• “Rebecca, come back and eat your
Cheerios, they’re getting soggy.”
• Rebecca (4 years old) inferred soggy
meant sad and lonely. And then, she
later used it in her own language…
• I don’t want to go to bed – I feel
soggy!”
–
When context clues do work, for every
100 words, only learn 3-15 of them.
How helpful are
context clues? It depends…
• Directive contexts: likely to lead to
correct inference about meaning
– Nora grew smaller and smaller and finally
vanished. (disappeared)
• General contexts: enough clues to
infer the general category of meaning
– Brian said morosely, “This miserable town
will be the death of us!” (bad, negatively –
but specifics are undefined)
How helpful are
context clues? It depends…
• Non-Directive contexts: little
assistance in helping to define meaning
– Freddy look at the team members. Each
looked more hapless than the next.
(Happy? Untrained? But descriptive…)
• Misdirective contexts: direct to
incorrect meaning of word
–
John was exhilarated after his first
experience mountain climbing.
Choosing Words
Choosing Words To Teach
• There are too many words to teach!
– Students encounter so many new words
in reading, how could we teach them all?
• Not all words need attention
• Not all words should be treated equally
• What do Beck & McKeown
recommend?
Choosing words to teach
• Tier One words: Most basic words,
rarely require instruction (cake,
street, walk, jump)
• Tier Three words: Words that are
low frequency, or are domain specific
(isotope, woof, peninsula), probably
learned best when needed in content
Tier Two words
• High frequency words for mature language users
• Words that would be found across a variety of
domains
• Words that can be worked with in a variety of
ways so that students can build rich
representations of them and their connections to
other words and concepts
• Words for which students understand the general
concept, but would provide more precision in use
• e.g. astonished, coincidence, absurd, scrumptious
–
Mad: frustrated, angry, disturbed …
Choosing Words
Try it Out….
Ruby the CopyCat
Listen for examples of…
• Tier 1 words
• Tier 2 words
• Tier 3 words
Introducing Words
Why don’t definitions work?
• Weak differentiation: Definition does not differentiate
how the word is different from other words (e.g.
conspicuous = “easily seen.” How does that differentiate
from visible?)
• Vague language (typical = “being a type”)
• More likely interpretation: Definition uses familiar words in
unfamiliar ways (e.g. devious = “straying from the right
course, not straightforward.” Students could interpret as
walking.
• Multiple pieces of information: definition gives no help in
how to integrate pieces (e.g. exotic = “foreign, strange, not
native”)
What Works Better?
Develop Student-Friendly
Explanations
Two Key Strategies
• Characterize the word and how it is
typically used
• Explain the meaning in everyday
language
Student-Friendly Definitions
Characterize the Word
• Explanation should be as particular as
possible (When do I use this word
particularly? Why do we have such a
word?)
– Tamper: Defined as, “to interfere in a secret
or incorrect way.” Could be construed as
meddling. Does not get at the idea of messing
something up in a sinister way.
– Student friendly explanation: “to change
something secretly so that it doesn’t work
properly or becomes harmful.”
Student-Friendly Definitions
Explain Meaning in an
Everyday Way
• Ally: Defined as, “one associated with
another”
– What is association?
• Student friendly explanation: “somebody who does
things with you”
• Does that characterize “ally”?
– Doesn’t get at main characteristic of helping in
a common cause
• Better student friendly explanation: “Someone who
helps you in what you are trying to do, especially
when there are other people who are against you.”
Are the words too hard?
• If the words that you use to explain
the target word to the students are
too hard, the word is too hard.
• Will the students be likely to use the
word in their day-to-day lives? If
not, choose a different word.
Explaining Word Meanings
Notice….
Lesson Plan: Ruby the CopyCat
Try It Out
Make Way for Ducklings
Enormous
Delighted
Develop student-friendly definitions for each
• Characterize the word and how it
is typically used
• Explain the meaning in everyday language
Using Words: Activities
for Building Vocabulary
Students interact with the words
Beck & McKeown
Teaching Vocabulary
• Start with instructional
materials/books – choose words that
are important for comprehension
– Multiple exposures
– Breadth of information
– Actively engage with word by thinking
and processing deeply
–
HOW DO WE DO THAT??
Overheard Conversations
Unique
Monotone
Extraordinary
Peculiar
Example - Nonexample
Word Lines
How much energy does it take to…
1.Flex your little finger?
2.Thrust a heavy door shut?
3.Embrace a teddy bear?
4.Beckon to someone for five straight hours?
5.Seize a feather floating through the air
Least energy _____________ most energy
How would you rank these personally?
Shades of Meaning
How would you rank these?
Confidant
Ally
Friend
Acquaintance
Using Words
Connecting to
Ruby the CopyCat
Do you see ideas for teaching in
the Lesson Plan?
• When might you use this word
• Examples/NonExamples
• Word Lines
More Activities
for Using Words and
Word Study
Students interact with the words
Thinking Deeply About Words
Idea Completions
• Provide students with stem that
require them to integrate a word’s
meaning into a context in order to
explain a situation
– The audience asked the virtuoso to play
another piece of music because…
– The skiing teacher said Maria was a
novice on the ski slopes because …
Interacting with Words:
Situations & Examples
• If you are walking around a dark room, would you
do it cautiously? Why? What are some other
things that need to be done cautiously?
• What is something you could do to impress your
teacher? Why? What is something that might
impress your mother?
• Which of these things would be extraordinary?
Why or why not?
– A shirt that was comfortable or a shirt that washed
itself?
– A person who has a library card, or a person who has
read all the books in the library?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Have You Ever …?
• Helps students associate new words
with contexts and activities from
their own experiences
– Describe a time when you might urge
someone?
– Describe a time when you might banter
with someone?
– What would make you gleeful?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Applause, Applause!
• Students are asked to clap in order
to indicate how much they would like
(not at all, a little bit, a lot) to be
described by the target word. Why
do they feel that way?
• How much would you like to be known
as a…leader? a tyrant? a princess?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Word Associations
• Associate a new word when
presented with a word or phrase:
– Words = accomplice, virtuoso,
philanthropist, novice
– Which word goes with crook?
– Which word goes with “gift to build a
new hospital”?
“Interacting with Words”:
Making Choices
• If any of the things I say might be examples of
people clutching something, say “clutching.” If
not, don’t say anything.
– Holding tight to a purse
– Holding a fisful of money
– Softly petting a cat’s fur
• If any of the things I say would make some one
radiant, say, “You’d be radiant.” If not, don’t say
anything.
– Winning a million dollars
– Getting a hug from a favorite movie star
– Walking to the post office
Thinking Deeply About Words
Relating Words
• See whether there is anything about the
words that is related.
• Create an activity to relate the words.
– Reluctant, insisted, drowsy might be
demonstrated by facial expressions
– Create a sentence using all words: Would you
prefer to budge a sleeping lamb or a ferocious
lion? Why?
– Ask students to choose between two words: If
you get your clothes ready to wear to school
before you go to sleep, would that be sensible
or raucous?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Use the Same Format for
Words
• If you satisfy your curiosity, do you need
to find out more or have you found out all
you need? Why?
• If a dog was menacing, would you want to
pet it or move away? Why?
• If you wanted to see something exquisite,
would you go to a museum or a grocery
store? Why?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Classifying
• What makes
something a
mammal?
– Hair
– Warm-blooded
– Milk to young
• What makes
something a
reptile?
– Skin?
– Cold-blooded
– Shape of head
Thinking Deeply About Words
Classifying
• Mammals
–
–
–
–
–
–
People
Cats
Dogs
Lions
Mice
Whales
• Reptiles
–
–
–
–
Snakes
Alligators
Dinosaurs
Lizards
Teaching words in
semantic groups
Bad People
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Villain
Malefactor
Burglar
Embezzler
Miscreant
Cad
Rogue
Scoundrel
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Red
Crimson
Scarlet
Pink
Blush
Ruby
Sanguine
Carmine
Thinking Deeply About Words
Using the Words in One Context
• What would an immense plate of
spaghetti look like?
• Would you feel miserable after you
ate all that spaghetti? Why or why
not?
• What would it look like to eat the
spaghetti in a leisurely way?
Possible Sequence for Introducing
Vocabulary:
• Contextualize the word for its role in the story (“The bears
were astonished when ….”)
• Ask the children to repeat the word to gain a phonological
representation (Say the word with me, “astonished.”)
• Explain the meaning of the word (“Astonished means you are
really surprised or shocked at something.”)
• Provide examples other than the one used in the story
(“Someone might be astonished to see a tree grow up to the
ceiling right in front of their eyes.”)
• Children provide their own examples. (“Tell me about
something that would astonish you. Try to use the word
when you tell about it. You could start by saying, “I would be
astonished____.”)
• Children say the word again to reinforce its phonological
representation (“What’s the word we’ve been talking
about?”)
Try It Out:
Make Way for Ducklings
enormous
delighted
Homework
• Read Words Their Way Ch. 2 Spelling:
Stages of Spelling Development
• Due March 27 (next Thursday):
– Text-Based Discussion on Ruby The
Copycat
– Elementary Spelling Inventory (WTW, p.
319) Bring to class