Transcript Vocabulary Instruction - Elementary School Literacy Model

Vocabulary Instruction
Strategies for Word Meaning,
Not Word Memorization
Literacy Vision Statement
Aiken County Public Schools
demonstrates an unwavering
commitment of the educational
community to embrace their
responsibility for ensuring that each
student at any level becomes a
successful reader and writer.
What’s the difference?
Word Study
Vocabulary Instruction
 Phonics skills
 Word meaning
 Spelling patterns  Contextual
framework
Vocabulary Casserole
Ingredients Needed




20 words no one has ever heard before in his life
1 dictionary with very confusing definitions in it
1 matching test to be distributed on Friday
1 teacher who just wants students quiet on Mondays copying words
Mix 20 words onto blackboard. Have students copy each word and then
look them up in the dictionary. Make students copy down all the
definitions. For a little spice, require that students write words in
sentences. Leave alone all week. Top with boring test on Friday.
Perishable. This casserole will be forgotten by Saturday afternoon.
Serves: No one
(Beers, 2003)
Vocabulary Treat
Ingredients Needed
5-10
great words that you really could use
1 thesaurus
Markers and chart paper
1 game like jeopardy or bingo
1 teacher who thinks learning is supposed to be fun
Mix 5 to 10 words into the classroom. Have students test each word for
flavor. Toss with a thesaurus to find other words that mean the same.
Write definitions on chart paper and let us draw pictures of words to
remind us of what they mean. Stir often all week by teacher who thinks
learning is suppose to be fun. Top with a cool game on Fridays like
jeopardy or bingo to see who remembers the most.
Serves: Many
(Beers, 2003)
“Group Chat”
 Why
do we teach vocabulary?
 What
is our ultimate goal in vocabulary
instruction?
Our answers to these questions should be
the guiding force of how we structure our
vocabulary instruction…
Tier 1
Description
Basic words
that the
children know
before
entering
school
Examples
happy, angry,
desk
Tier 2
Tier 3
Words that
Uncommon
appear
words that are
frequently in
typically
text and for
associated
which students with a specific
already have
domain
conceptual
understanding
avoid,
peninsula,
frustrating,
isotope,
fortunate
herbivore
(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)
What The Research Says
The scientific research on vocabulary instruction reveals that
(1) most vocabulary is learned indirectly, and (2) some
vocabulary must be taught directly. The following conclusions
about indirect vocabulary learning and direct vocabulary
instruction are of particular interest and value to classroom
teachers:
Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly,
through everyday experiences with oral and written
language.
Although a great deal of vocabulary is learned indirectly,
some vocabulary should be taught directly.
National Reading Panel
Strategies to Discuss








Context clues
“Would you…” cards
Making Choices
Word Splash!
Is/Is Not
Whole/Part/Whole
diagrams
Picture cards
Concept Cards





Graffiti Walls
Charades
Categories
Ordering Words
Constructing Words
(prefixes, suffixes)

Selecting Words (prefixes,
suffixes)


Multiple Meaning Maps
Probable Passage
Model for students
how they can
“break free” of the
dictionary through
Shared Reading,
read alouds, small
group instruction,
Independent
Reading, etc.
Early Grade Example
Vocabulary Word
The little girl loudly
shouted, “MOM!
WHERE ARE MY
SHOES?”.
The boy was frightened by
the snake, so he ran
away crying.
The teacher walked by the
music room and heard
the children singing a
song.
Context Clues
Definition
Upper Grade Example
Vocabulary Word
The snake slept in a tight,
coiled circle under the
bushes.
Jason jumped off the
diving board and
plunged into the cold
water of the pool.
I thought my dog was
dead as it lay still and
lame on the floor. But,
he was only sleeping.
Context Clue Words
Definition
“Would You Rather…” Cards
Would you rather
play loudly or
quietly at recess?
Why?
Would you be
more frightened
of a bear or a
mouse? Why?
Would you rather
listen to soft or
loud music?
Why?
Would you rather
plunge into ice
cold water or
warm water?
Why?
Would you rather
pet a lame dog or
a barking dog?
Why?
Would you be
more likely to find
a snake or
elephant coiled
up? Why?
(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)
Making Choices
I’ll say some things. If
they would be
considered “quiet”, put
a thumbs up:
 Going to church
 Going to a football
game
 Going to sleep
 Riding a roller coaster
(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)




I’ll say some things. If
they would be
considered “ferocious”,
put a thumbs up:
A quiet kitten
A roaring lion
A thundering storm
Word Splash

Select a few key words from the text

Put words on chart paper or Smartboard

Students write what they know about a word
prior to reading text

Students write what they learned about the word
after reading the text
Word Splash

“Tacky The Penguin”
Odd
Companion

“Thank You Ma’m”
Bully
Victim
Frail
Is/Is Not Vocabulary Strips




Teacher PrepDivides sentence strip into
three sections
Pre-selects words to be
studied and writes word in
middle on sentence strip
(students can also select
words from their own
reading to do a sentence
strip on)
Writes “Is” (synonym) on left
section of sentence strip and
“Is Not” (antonym) on right
side
Is





StudentsReads book that contains
word being studied
Writes a synonym for the
word on the left side of the
sentence strip
Writes an antonym for the
word on the right side of the
sentence strip
Illustrates “Is” and “Is Not”
words
Is Not
frail
Whole/Part/Whole Diagrams

Select a word: compound, prefix, suffix

Write word at top of paper

Write what the parts of the word mean

Puts the meaning of the parts together to
form a definition
Picture Cards
Write a word on the front of an index
card
 Draw a picture on the back of the card
 Write a simple definition of the word

Arid
dry
Concept Cards
Life cycle
Grow
Mature
Circle
Egg
Bear
Hatches
Mammal
Middle
Passage
Sugar
Rum
Spice
Slaves
Trade
Hostage
Money
Graffiti Wall
Charades






Select key vocabulary words from the text and
put on index cards
Give 1 card to a small group of students
Students spend 3-4 minutes preparing how to
silently act out the word
Students act out word in front of class
Class guesses the word
Students tell WHY they acted the way they did
Categories
Mammal
 Bear
 Dog
 Cat
 Horse
Mammal
 Bear
 Dog
 Cat
 Horse
Tax
 Tea Act
 Sugar Act
 Stamp Act
Tax
 Tea Act
 Sugar Act
 Stamp Act
“Word Scales” Words






Boil
Simmer
Explode
Mad
Upset
Furious






Toss
Throw
Hurl
Odd
Different
Unique
Constructing Words





Index cards of prefixes, suffixes, and root words
selected from previously read text
Put cards in a plastic bag
Students match the prefix and/or suffix with the
root word
Students use the text to find the word and
discuss/write how it was used
Students can write their own sentence using the
constructed word
Mis
ful
happy
Un
Joy
behaving
Selecting Words

A person who is acting poorly is:
misbehaving, misled, mistreated
A person who is always ready for anything is:
predicted, prepared, prevented

Multiple Meaning Maps
1. My brother caught the bug in his insect net.
2. My brother really bugs me when he sings
loudly in the shower!
bug
Multiple Meaning Maps
1. Driving on a highway) There's a toll bridge ahead. Do
you have any quarters?
2. The highway death toll has declined sharply since police
began to enforce the drunk driving laws more
aggressively.
3. The bell in the old church tower tolled four o'clock.
Toll
Kindergarten & 1st
2nd and 3rd
4th and 5th
(Beers, 2003)
Questions?
Thoughts?
Comments?
What have you tried?
References



Beck, I., McKeown, L., Kucan, L., (2002).
Bringing word to life: Robust vocabulary
instruction. New York, NY; Gillford Press.
Beer, K., (2003). When kids can’t read: What
teachers can do. Portsmouth, NH;
Heinemann.
http://people.bu.edu/jpettigr/Artilces_and_Pre
sentations/Vocabulary.htm