key vocabulary and_questions_final_presentation

KEY KEY VOCABULARY VOCABULARY AND AND QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

Gemán Iván Zárate Lara

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION•WHAT: To introduce key vocabulary and pose questions.•WHO: A mixed group of adults and teenagers (Tenth and eleventh graders).•WHY: To improve reading comprehension. •WHERE: An institute for adults.•WHEN: Every Wednesday.

RESEARCH QUESTIONRESEARCH QUESTION

What are the effects of introducing key vocabulary before reading and asking questions related to the text on tenth and eleventh graders in an adult educational environment?

METHODS OF DATA METHODS OF DATA COLLECTIONCOLLECTION

Research questions

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

What are the effects of introducing key vocabulary and asking questions on tenth and eleventh graders?

Fieldnotes Sample of students work

Informal talks

METHODS OF DATA ANALISYS METHODS OF DATA ANALISYS

•IDENTIFYING THEMES: Look for patterns that emerge from sample of students work.

•REFLECTIVE MEMO: A written document to reflect on fieldnotes and informal talks.

FINDINGSFINDINGS

•Key vocabulary and glossaries helped students to comprehend texts.•Students paraphrased lines from the text when they answered factual questions.•Students gave their opinions and they were interested to justify their answers based on what they found in the text when they answered open questions.

Key vocabulary and glossaries Key vocabulary and glossaries helped students to comprehend helped students to comprehend texts.texts.

FIELDNOTES•In the first session, students were handed a text, without key vocabulary... During that session, many students constantly asked for the meaning of several words.

•Although key vocabulary was introduced, students claimed that it would be better if more words were explained... it was decided for the next session, students were to scan the text at home.


SAMPLES OF STUDENTS WORK•“Las personas tenemos que tener una estabilidad conyugal para no tener desequilibrios emocionales” (People have to have a stable conjugal relationship not to have an emotional crisis).

•Another student answered the question on the sheet of paper as follows. “Las personas que viven bajo estres y tristesa tienen mas posibilidades de enfermar que las personas que tienen buen humor” (People who live under stress and feeling sadness have more probabilities to get sick than people who are in a good mood).


INFORMAL TALKS“¿Fue más fácil trabajar este mismo texto explicando algunas palabras claves… ? ¿Por qué?” (Was it easier to work this same text explaining some key words…? Why? One of them said: A student answered: “La primera vez que leí el texto me fue difícil porque había muchas palabras que no conocía y no sabía cómo distinguir la idea principal, mientras que las palabras me dieron idea de que se trataba el texto…”. (The first time I read the text it was difficult for me because there were many words that I did not know and I did not know how to find the main idea, but the words gave me a clue of what the text was about…).

Students paraphrased lines from Students paraphrased lines from the text when they answered the text when they answered factual questions.factual questions.

FIELDNOTES•Según el texto, la memoria en el sueño es diferente a la memoria cuando se está despierto ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre estas dos clases de memoria? (According to the text, memory in dreams is different to the memory when one is awake. What is the difference between these two kinds of memory?).•One student answered:“La memoria en el sueño raramente se asocia con experiencias vividas, mientras que la en la otra clase de memoria, casi todo se asocia. Por eso es que muchos sueños no tienen sentido”. (Memory in dreams is barely associated with prior experiences, while in the other kind of memory, almost everything is remembered; that is why many dreams do not make sense)

Students paraphrased lines from Students paraphrased lines from the text when they answered the text when they answered factual questions.factual questions.

SAMPLE OF STUDENTS WORK• “¿Porqué el texto afirma que las personas que constantemente aprenden cosas, mantienen sus cerebros más saludables?” (Why does the text affirm that people who constantly learn things keep their brains healthier?)• A student wrote: “El aprender hace que nuestro cerebro produzca una molecula que mantiene el cerebro fresco y conservado en edades avanzadas”. (Learning makes our brains produce a molecule that keeps the brain fresh and conserved in advanced ages).

Students paraphrased lines from the Students paraphrased lines from the text when they answered factual text when they answered factual questions.questions.

INFORMAL TALKS•“¿Sirvieron las preguntas para entender el texto?”. (Were the questions useful to understand the text?) •The first student said: “Hubo dos preguntas que lo hacían buscar las respuestas en el texto, eso fue útil porque uno sabía que partes tocaba resumir…”. (There were two questions that made me look for information within the text; that was useful because one know which pat one has to sum up…)

Students gave their opinions and they were Students gave their opinions and they were interested to justify their answers based on what interested to justify their answers based on what they found in the text when they answered open they found in the text when they answered open questions.questions.

FIELDNOTES•“¿La música de Mozart mejora la inteligencia de los niños?” (Does Mozart’s music improve children’s intelligence?). •One student stated: “La música de Mozart no hace a nadie más inteligente, pero si sería de gran ayuda para los niños que escuchen esta música cuando están haciendo una tarea”. (Mozart’s music does not make anybody smarter, but it would be helpful for children to listen to this music when they are working on a task).

Students gave their opinions and they were Students gave their opinions and they were interested to justify their answers based on interested to justify their answers based on what they found in the text when they what they found in the text when they answered open questionsanswered open questions

SAMPLES OF STUDENTS WORK•“¿Los opuestos se atraen?” (Do opposites attract each other?). • A student wrote: “De acuerdo a la lectura la gente busca parejas que compartan los mismos valores, y personalmente creo que eso hace que las relaciones sean más estables”. (According to the text, people usually look for couples who share their same values and I personally think that that makes relationships more firm)

Students gave their opinions and they were Students gave their opinions and they were interested to justify their answers based on what interested to justify their answers based on what they found in the text when they answered open they found in the text when they answered open questionsquestions

INFORMAL TALKS

•“¿Qué tan útil fue cada una de las preguntas para entender el texto?” (How useful was each one of the questions to understand the text?• The first student said: “Me parecieron útiles porque justificamos cada mito y al final de la clase todos tratamos de defender nuestras opiniones”. (I think they were useful because we justified each myth and at the end of the class, we all tried to defend our opinions).

ACTION PLANACTION PLAN

•I will have my students prepare a glossary of words and expressions that will be used during classes.•I will attempt to recycle words and expressions as much as possible in order to have my students use certain vocabulary that will help them understand content. •I will use factual questions to have my students recall information that is important to take into account.•I will use open questions that will help students analyze, apply or synthesize information.

CONCLUSION (Key CONCLUSION (Key vocabulary) vocabulary)

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Marzano (2004)

LITERATURE REVIEW

Carlo, August, McLaughlin,

Snow, Dressler, Lippman, Lively

and White (2008) and

Marzano (2005)

MY STUDYKey

vocabulary and glossaries

helped students to

comprehend texts.

CONCLUSION (Questions)CONCLUSION (Questions)

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Bloom, Engelhart, Furst,

Hill and Krathworl (1956)

LITERATURE REVIEW

(Morgan, Moni and Jobling,

2009).Renaud and

Murray (2007)

MY STUDYStudents paraphrased lines from the text when they answered factual questions. Students gave their opinions and they were interested to justify their answers based on what they found in the text when they answered open questions.