Transcript implies contains reflects represents supports consequently therefore

Word Generation
A Process for Learning
Academic Language
To learn the importance of explicitly
teaching academic vocabulary in each
content-area.
 To give an overview of Word Generation.
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Think about your content area. What
are the biggest challenges to
comprehension of the text?
Pick top two:
Fluency
Motivation
Background knowledge
Vocabulary
Syntax
Text Structure
Only 30% of secondary students read
proficiently (nationally)
 89% of Hispanic and 86% of AfricanAmerican middle and high school students
read below grade level (NCES, 2005)
 96% of 8th grade LEP students scored below
the basic level (4% scored proficient or
advanced on 2005 NAEP)

The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
Why were you able to answer most
comprehension questions?
The marlup was poving his kump.
Parmily a narg horped some whev in his
kump. “Why did vump horp whev in mh
frinkle kump?” The marlup jufd the nard.
“Er’m muvvily trungy,” the narg grupped.
“Er heshed vump norpled whev in
your tranquil kump.” Do vump pove your
kump frinkle?
Why is the last comprehension question
difficult to answer?
Vocabulary is acquired incidentally by just
encountering words in conversation and while
reading.
2. Word meanings can usually be inferred from the
text.
3. Students can learn word meaning from dictionary
definitions.
4. We can understand texts in which we know 75% of
the words.
5. We can learn a word from a few exposures.
6. Students know when they don’t know words.
7. If you can spell/pronounce a word you know it.
1.
As an individual read the myths assigned
to your group.
 Each person will share a sentence that
he/she feels is particularly important from
the assigned myths.
 As a group select a sentence to share to
the larger group.

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Pick words to be used in the unit of study
Present them in motivating ways (not lists)
Provide learner-friendly definitions
Ensure recurrent exposures
Provide opportunities to use the words
Teach word-learning strategies
Motivate ‘word awareness’
Science Language
Math Language
Literature Language
History/Social Studies
Electives
Language
General Academic language for knowing,
thinking, reading and writing
Foundation of home and community language
and cultural factors
Science Language
Math Language

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Literature Language
History/Social Studies
Electives
Language
Content-specific terms/vocabulary
Technical words
High-yield words that play a key role in the
lesson
Tools for understanding the lesson
Words in big, bold-faced print
General Academic language for knowing,
thinking, reading and writing
 General
academic words that are
common terms in everyday
communication
 Words used across a variety of
domains
 Subtle words or expressions that
connect bricks
implies
contains
reflects
represents
supports
consequently
therefore
factors
contrast
differ from
analyze
ramifications

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ELA
Social Studies
Math
Science
Any discipline
Science Language
Math Language
Literature Language
History/Social Studies
Electives
Language
General Academic language for knowing,
thinking, reading and writing
Foundation of home and community language
and cultural factors

If we simply pile bricks up to make a walloverdo vocabulary quizzes and
dictionary work-the wall will fall. The
bricks need mortar to stick together
Jeff Zwiers Building Academic Language
Hard to learn incidentally (especially for
poor/reluctant readers)
 Found in content area texts and state
tests
 Crucial to full comprehension, yet no
one takes responsibility for it
 Teachers often overlook its importance

Opportunities to hear the words
 Opportunities to practice the words
 Opportunities to link the words to
different content areas
 Opportunities to formulate arguments
 Opportunities to sharpen arguments
 Preparation for writing

Integrate language teaching with
content teaching
 Recognize that explicit and implicit
teaching both work, and can be used
together
 Honor disciplinary respectability
 Build coherence across content areas
 Amplify, don’t simplify
 Make it engaging

Why Word Generation?
Build the vocabulary of middle school
students through repeated exposure to
high frequency academic words in
various contexts;
 Promote regular use of effective
instructional strategies among teachers;
 Facilitate faculty collaboration on a
school-wide effort.

What do you see?
 List 5 things that you notice in the Word
Generation Teacher Guide.

24 weeks – Passages written to engage
adolescents in the “National Conversation”
as well as in topics that are of great interest
to this age group
 Each are focused on a set of 5 target words
selected from the Academic Word List
(AWL)
 The 5 target words include two topic
related and three all-purpose words(mortar)

 Passages
are written at a 6th grade
level
 15 minutes a day/5 days a week
 Embeds activities for all content areas
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Should school be a place for debates?
Should secret wiretapping be legal?
Should the government regulate genetic
testing?
Should it be mandatory to get a parent
license?
Who is responsible for protecting teens from
online predators?
Should you be able to rent a pet?
Monday
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TuesdayThursday
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Social Studies, Science, Math
Content-area activities
ELA
 Writing with focus words
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Friday
ELA
Read the passage
Introduce the words

Each HISD Word Generation campus will:
› Create a campus WG Action Committee
› Create a campus implementation plan
› Conduct initial campus-wide WG training
› Administer pre and post WG test
› Sequence their WG work as follows: Launch—
cross discipline week—writing—Launch—cross
discipline work—writing—Launch ….

Campus WG Coaches will:
› Provide PD for WG with a focus on
accountable talk
› Provide ongoing, collaborative support for
WG using student progress
› Provide weekly reminders and updates
› Model effective WG practices in the
classroom

Generate questions
Monday
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ELA
Read the passage
Introduce the words
Introduction to passage, containing
academic vocabulary, built around a
question that can support discussion and
debate
 A list of five target words are defined in kidfriendly and dictionary language
 A list of five comprehension questions, to
guide the class in checking for
understanding of the passage
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TuesdayThursday
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Social Studies, Science, Math
Content-area activities
http://www.wordgeneration.org/atbigpic.html
The positions in the WG book are based
on the passage.
 The class may want to include additional
position statements.
 The students will use Accountable Talk
and the 5 target words to debate their
positions.

A word problem similar to TAKS math is
provided using some of the target words.
 Suggested ideas:

› Work in pairs
› Whole group discussion
› Open-ended response (show/explain how
you got your answer)
http://www.wordgeneration.org/observe
/McLean1a.html
 http://www.wordgeneration.org/observe
/hibbsW1.html
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Students engage with in a brief
experiment designed to provide
opportunities for student use of scientific
reasoning and academic language in
formulating conclusions from the data
provided.
http://www.wordgeneration.org/observe
/Hayes4.html
 http://www.wordgeneration.org/observe
/Hayes6.html
 http://www.wordgeneration.org/observe
/images/hayesworksamples/data6.jpg
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ELA
 Writing with focus words
Friday
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no comprehension
to recognition
to production
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Struggling Adolescent Readers and Vocabulary Development
across the Content Areas: “Word Generation” -Claire White, Harvard
Graduate School of Education
http://houstonwordgeneration.wikispaces.com/PowerPoint+Presentations

Promoting Academic Language Use by Teachers and Students- Catherine E.
Snow, Harvard Graduate School of Education
http://houstonwordgeneration.wikispaces.com/PowerPoint+Presentations
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www.wordgeneration.org
http://serpinstitute.org/index.php