FAB FIVE OF LITERACY:VOCABULARY

Developed by Meredith Parrish

WORDS

WORDS

WORDS

WORDS

Research Says…

• By First Grade, the vocabulary of a struggling student is half that of students who are successful in literacy.

• Teachers can close the gap between lower and middle SES children’s vocabulary by using new words in appropriate context (i.e. quality literature).

• People who read a lot from a variety of text have much larger and richer vocabularies than people who do not.

Research Says…• The average student learns about 8 words

per day.

• Children need to encounter a word 12 or more times to know and understand it.

• Repeated readings can help young children’s vocabulary growth.

Making the Most of Small Groups: Differentiation for All

D. Diller (2007)

After considering the research, what are the implications for your teaching?

The Three Tiers of VocabularyBeck & McKeown

Tier Definition Examples Implications for Teaching

1 Basic words, already a part of daily speech

Clock

Baby

Happy

Walk

Rarely requires instruction

2 High frequency words, applied by mature language users in a variety of settings

Coincidence

Absurd

Industrious

fortunate

Focus of instruction

Students can attach new vocabulary to previous knowledge

3 Used infrequently, content specific, specialized words

Isotope

Lathe

Peninsula

Stratocumulus

Best learned when a specific need arises (ex: teach peninsula during geography unit)

Vocabulary Tiers - Try it Out!

• Read the passage and choose words that would be Level I words (underline once), Level III words (underline three times), and Level II words (underline twice).

• How did you decide which words belonged to which level?

Four Kinds of Vocabulary

1. Speaking (Expressive)– words used in conversation

2. Listening (Receptive)– words understood through hearing

3. Reading – words read and comprehended

4. Writing – words used to convey messages

ORAL Vocabulary

PRINT

Vocabulary

Why don’t students just look up the definition?

Dictionary definitions provide:

• weak differentiation (conspicuous = easily seen)

• vague language (typical = being a type)

• less accurate interpretations (devious = straying from the right course)

• multiple pieces of information (exotic = foreign, strange, not native)

A Dictionary Does NOT Provide:• student friendly definitions• instructional contexts• opportunities for student interactions with the

word meanings little thought involved

So, help your students rewrite their own definition.New Word Dictionary Says I Say

Raiment Clothing, wearing apparel, attire

Unusual way to refer to clothing, considers all clothes –not just pieces

Vocabulary Cautions

• Teach new words throughout the day in meaningful contexts - - not in isolation.

• Don’t just teach vocabulary as you introduce a new selection. Revisit vocabulary everyday and encourage use of strategies everyday.

• Don’t make instruction a word hunt.• Combine direct and indirect vocabulary

learning experiences.

Teaching Vocabulary

Quick Write• Reflect on your own vocabulary

instruction.• When does it occur? How often during

each day?• How do you teach students new words?• How successful do you think your

instruction is? Do students use/retain new vocabulary? How do you know?

• Share your thoughts with a partner.

How Can I Teach Vocabulary?Direct and Indirect Instruction

• Provide rich and varied language experiences

• Teach individual words

• Teach word-learning strategies (ex: structural analysis, contextual analysis)

• Encourage word consciousness

Create a multifaceted instructional approach!

Graves (2000, 2006)

Where Does Vocabulary Instruction Fit Into My Day?

Morning Work

•Word of the Day activities•Word-play activities•Independent reading•Teacher-Student reading and writing conferences

Reading Block

•Independent reading and writing•Read alouds•Imagine It instruction•Literature circles•Shared and guided reading•Instruction in self-selected and teacher-selected words from books or writing•Writing workshop•Minilessons on word-learning strategies•Teacher-student conferences

Where Does Vocabulary Instruction Fit Into My Day?

Content Area

•Instruction in specific subject matter vocabulary•Word-learning strategy instruction integrated into lessons•Content related read-alouds and trade book reading

Other •Read alouds•Independent reading•Reader’s-writer’s chair

Vocabulary Ideas Time to Explore!

• In groups of 6, explore some ideas for vocabulary instruction.

• Preview the materials.• Try them out.• Do these ideas make you think of other

activities you’ve used in the past? If so, add them to the chart on the wall.

• We will rotate (clockwise) through the stations every 7 minutes.

Quick Write• What is at least one new area

where I can focus on vocabulary instruction?

• What would it look like?

Share your thoughts with a partner.

Integrating Across CurriculumBuilding Academic Language

Only 6 % of school time was centered on vocabulary development and in content areas that percentage was only 1.4%

(Scott, Jamieson-Noel & Asselin, 2003)

How do you incorporate vocabulary development into content area instruction? What challenges do you face? Have any strategies been successful?

Integrating Across CurriculumBuilding Content & Academic

LanguageWhat Should Teachers Do?

• Be selective about which words to teach.• Provide multiple encounters with targeted

words.• Provide students direct instruction on how to

infer word meanings.• Promote in-depth word knowledge.• Provide students with opportunities to extend

their word knowledge.• Read aloud passages.

Flynt & Brozo, (2008)

Bringing Words to Life(Beck, McKeown & Kucan)

• Words are learned from context.

• We need to create multiple “context” experiences by:

– Carefully choosing vocabulary to teach

– Using good literature

– Engaging in text talk

Bringing Words to Life(Beck, McKeown & Kucan)

What would text talk look like?• Contextualize a word for its role in the story• Ask children to repeat word• Explain meaning of word• Provide examples in contexts• Ask children to interact with examples you

create or provide examples of their own• Children say the word again to reinforce its

phonological representation

Bringing Words to Life

Now You Try It!

• Using another page of The Bat Boy & His Violin choose 2 vocabulary words and an activity from Bringing Words to Life to correspond with each.

• Be prepared to share with the group.

Possible Lesson Focuses

Browse additional ideas for lessons and center activities.

What do you think would be valuable for your students? What modifications might you make?

Other Instructional Considerations

• If 5,000 words make up 90% of elementary texts, teach students to read, write, and spell high frequency words ASAP!

• Students need to think about words, not memorize definitions.

Using Graphic Organizers

• Use them as a pre/post assessment.

(ex: “I Know the Meaning Of” organizer)• Schema building and word relationships

(ex: word webs)• Others???

How do graphic organizers benefit students? How are they useful to you? When would/do you use them?

Teacher Prompts for Vocabulary

You are holding either a student challenge or a possible teacher prompt.

• Find the group members that complete your card!

• Once you’ve found your group, discuss prompts and see if you can generate any additional prompts you might use with your students.

Assessment

• Guiding Questions for Observation

• Writing Samples

• Retell Rubrics

• Informal Vocabulary Inventory

What are you looking for with these assessments? How will they help you plan for future vocabulary instruction?

Now what???

How will I use this information to guide my instruction or support other teachers?