Vocabulary and Comprehension:

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• Vocabulary and Comprehension
• Read Alouds and Story Structure

Oregon Reading First Regional Coaches
Training December 2007
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Research Related to Strengthening Instruction in
Reading Comprehension Edited from the work of
Joseph K. Torgesen Florida State University and
the National Center for Reading First Technical
Assistance Comprehension Conference, Spring,
2007
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Background for an Extended Research Example
If young children are introduced to many word
meanings briefly in K-2, can they use this
initial knowledge to further build word knowledge
through reading?
The concept of fast mapping (Cary, 1978)
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Background for an Extended Research Example
Biemiller, A. Boote, C. (2006). Journal of
Educational Psychology, 98, 44-62
Learning vocabulary while listening to stories
read by the teacher
If word meanings are explained within the context
of a single story reading, 15 of words are
learned.
If word meanings are explained within the context
of a story that is read repeatedly, 26 of words
are learned.
If stories are read repeatedly, but word meanings
are not explained, a 9 gain in word recognition
is found.
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• Parts of todays presentation is based on an
  earlier presentation by
• Anita L. Archer, Ph.D.
• archerteach_at_aol.com503-295-7749

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Read Alouds

• We can enhance childrens language, vocabulary,
  comprehension, and cognitive development through
  the process of a teacher reading text aloud to
  students in small and large groups. We can give
  students access to rich vocabulary and concepts
  that they would not be able to access
  independently.

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Read Alouds Increasing Effectiveness

• Lets watch a video model!
• Note effective instructional strategies.

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Read Aloud Wolf!
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Read Aloud The Why

• Enhance language abilities
• Increase vocabulary
• Enhance comprehension abilities

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Read Aloud The Why

• Gives students exposure to rich vocabulary
• Provide students with a model of effective
  reading strategies
• Models for students how to think about text in
  their journey towards becoming fluent and
  independent readers

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Read Aloud The What

• Teacher reading a text in front of students in
  small and large groups.
• Strategically chosen text
• Well-prepared teacher talk
• Strategic opportunities for students to
  interact with each other, the teacher, and the
  text

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High Quality Literature

• Selections should (when possible)
• reflect students cultures.
• reflect students interests.
• be above the independent reading level of
  students.
• have ample rich vocabulary.

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Highlight on Active Engagement

• Increase the effectiveness of reading aloud
  by
• Giving students opportunities to reflect
• Asking questions that require more than an
  easily retrieved answer
• Think, Pair, Share During the
• Read Aloud!

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Parts of the Read Aloud

1. Background Knowledge
2. Pre-teach Vocabulary Key Concepts
3. Fast Mapping
4. Check for Understanding

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Role of Background Knowledge

• Overall Goal
• Integrate it with text content in order to assist
  comprehension. (Beck McKeown, 2001)
• Avoid student attempts to introduce irrelevant or
  tangential background knowledge.
• Does the background knowledge assist to establish
  major story concepts?

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Teach the Meaning of Critical, Unknown Vocabulary
Words

• BIG IDEA If students understand the meaning of
  critical vocabulary in the passage, their
  comprehension will be enhanced.

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Fast Mapping
Direct, brief explanation of meaning can
establish initial fast mapping of meaning.
Substitute critical unknown vocabulary with a
student friendly synonym or brief phrase.
As initially mapped words are encountered in
other contexts, their meaning is extended and
deepened.
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Fast-Mapping

• Example The Crow and the Pitcher
• The text reads, Suddenly, the crow spied a
  pitcher sitting on a picnic table.
• What is a student-friendly synonym or phrase for
  spied?
• The text reads, To the crows dismay, his beak
  could not reach the water at the bottom of the
  pitcher.
• Whats a student-friendly synonym or phrase for
  dismay?
• Find another word that can be fast-mapped. What
  is a student-friendly synonym or phrase for that
  word?

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Check for Student Understanding

• Think, Pair, Share
• Choral Responses
• Signaling
• Purpose of Active Engagement
• Teachers - Monitor student understanding
• Students - Practice thinking and talking about
  text

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Read Aloud

• Video Model Honk!
• Get out your Best Practices sheet.
• Write down the active engagement strategies you
  observe.
• Which words are fast-mapped?
• What other good practices did you observe?

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Read Aloud Honk!
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ELL Students and Reading Aloud

• Beneficial to ELL Students
• Aids in development of social and academic
  language
• Increases vocabulary
• Teaches students to determine between important
  and unimportant points about the text

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ELL Students and Reading Aloud

• Especially important instructional strategies for
  ELL students during Read Aloud
• Use of background knowledge will support
  comprehension and vocabulary retention
• Use of words students are already familiar with
  to define new words (fast-mapping pre-teaching
  critical vocabulary)

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Your Turn!

• Take out your teachers manual. Lets look at
  what your Core TE already has prepared for you.
• Step 1 Find where or if your Core TE directs
  you to develop background knowledge.
• Does the suggested activity meet the needs of
  your students? Why or why not?

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Your Turn!

• Step 2 Find the vocabulary word list to teach in
  conjunction with this story. Check your lesson
  map for the list.
• Which words are the most and least important for
  your students?
• What do you notice about the provided
  student-friendly definitions?

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Your Turn!

• Step 3 Quickly peruse the story.
• Which words would be helpful to fast-map?
• Are these words from the Core provided vocabulary
  list or not?

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Your Turn!

• Step 4 Find where the Core TE directs you to
  engage the students in understanding the story.
• Which active engagement strategies are suggested
  by the Core TE?
• What could you do to increase student practice
  and opportunities to check for understanding?

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Story StructureThe Crow and the Pitcher

• Day 1 Model story structure using a large
  graphic organizer.
• Day 2 Guided practice of story structure with
  students filling out graphic organizer with the
  teacher.
• Day 3 Students fill out graphic organizer with
  a partner.

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Reading comprehension is thinking guided by
print.

• (Perfetti, 1995).

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Thank you!