VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

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VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

• And Comprehension Improvement
• Presentation provided by UTPB West Texas Literacy
  Center, an HSI funded program. HSI is a federally
  funded program granted by the Department of
  Education Title V programs. Developed by Ana
  Miller, M.A., Reading Specialist

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Words as Tools

• To access background knowledge
• To express ideas
• To learn about new concepts
• Word knowledge is crucial to reading
  comprehension and academic success.

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Three Types of Vocabulary

• Listening Established by the time student
  begins kindergarten
• Speaking Words used in everyday speech
• Reading Body of words students must know if
  they are to read increasingly demanding text with
  fluency and comprehension
• On average, students add 2,000-3,000 words a year
  to their reading vocabularies
• Six to eight words per day

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Two Vocabulary Dimensions

• Breadth
• The number of words that a student knows, at
  least at a superficial level
• Depth
• How well the student knows a word, including
  pronunciation, spelling, meaning, frequency, and
  morphological and syntactic properties
• Morphology The formation, internal structure,
  and derivations of words
• Syntax The arrangement of words within phrases,
  clauses, and sentences

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Breaking Down Types of Words

• Tier One In spoken vocabulary mother, clock,
  jump
• Tier Two Words with wide usage that most
  readers do not have in their spoken vocabularies
  dismayed, paradoxical, absurd, wary. Estimated
  7,000 words
• Tier Three Highly specialized and are almost
  never used outside of the disciplines where they
  are encountered monozygotic, tetrahedron,
  bicameral

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Strategies to Increase Vocabulary Development

• Implicit
• Wide reading
• Readers learn new words by repeatedly
  encountering them in text
• Explicit
• Instruction
• Structural Analysis The use of word parts
• Prefixes- word part added to beginning of a root
  or word preheat
• Suffixes- word part added to the end of a word or
  root and usually changes the words part of
  speech cloud (n) Cloudy (adj)
• Roots-Word parts that carry the basic or core
  meaning of a word scrib/script write
  scribble
• Compounds-A new word formed by two words
  paperwork
• Use of context clues
• Efficient use of the dictionary

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Structural Analysis

• Many words in the English language are made up of
  words parts called prefixes, roots, and suffixes.
• These word parts have specific meanings that,
  when added together, can help you determine the
  meaning of the entire word.
• Example The students thought the book was
  incomprehensible.
• in not
• Comprehen to understand
• ible able to do something also changes this
  word from verb to adjective
• incomprehensible not able to understand

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Structural Analysis

• In most cases, a word is built upon at least one
  root.
• Words can have more than one prefix, root, or
  suffix.
• Two or more roots geo/logy earth/study of
• Two prefixes in/sub/ordination not/under/order
  
• Two suffixes beauti/ful/ly beauty/full of-
  noun to
• adjective/ly-
  adjective to adverb
• Words do not always have a prefix and a suffix.
• Some words have neither a prefix or a suffix
  read
• Others have a suffix but no prefix read/ing
• Others have a prefix but no suffix pre/read

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Structural Analysis

• The spelling of roots may change as they are
  combined with suffixes Root terr/terre
  territory
• Different prefixes, roots, or suffixes may have
  the same meaning
• bi-, di-, duo- all mean two
• Sometimes you may identify a group of letters as
  a prefix or root but find that it does not carry
  the meaning of that prefix or root
• Ex. The letters mis in the word missile are part
  of the root and are not the prefix mis- which
  means wrong bad
• Websites that provide Prefix, Suffix, and Root
  Tables (meanings and examples)
• http//www.msu.edu/defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx
  -tab1htm
• http//www.msu.edu/defores1/gre/sufx/gre_suffx_ta
  b_prn.htm

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Context Clues

• The words around an unfamiliar word that give you
  clues about the unknown words meaning
• The couple finally secured a table at the
  popular, crowded restaurant.
• By using the clues around the word secured, the
  reader can determine that secured means able to
  get.

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Types of Context Clues Definition or Synonym

• Sometimes a writer will provide a formal
  definition of the unknown word
• The settlers reached the piedmont, a gently
  rolling foothill area between a plain and
  mountains.
• More often a writer will provide a synonym or a
  brief phrase that defines the unfamiliar word
• The kings laws were often arbitrary in
  other words, he made rules based on how he felt
  at the moment.
• Common signal words which is, in other words,
  also known as, also called, that is, or
• Common punctuation
• Commas The amateur figure skater
  surpassed, or exceeded, the judges expectations.
• Dashes The sculptor usually created a maquette
  a small model before beginning work on the
  actual piece.
• Parentheses Thick layers of loess (wind-blown
  silt) cover regions of the Mississippi River
  Valley.
• These definitions or synonyms may not be found
  in the same sentence but elsewhere in the text.

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Types of Context Clues - Example

• The context in which a word appears may include
  one or more examples that are clues to the
  unknown words meaning.
• Our science class is studying crustaceans,
  such as lobsters, shrimp, and crab.
• Crustaceans must be sea animals with an
  exoskeleton and segmented body parts.
• Words signaling Example context clues
• like for example other including
• for instance such as these include

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Types of Context Clues - Comparison

• The writer compares the unfamiliar word with more
  familiar words. By noting the similarities
  between the things described, the reader can get
  an idea of the meaning of the word.
• The amethyst, like other precious stones known
  for hardness, cannot be cut with a knife or
  scratched by glass.
• An amethyst must be a valuable gem that has the
  properties of a diamond.
• Words Signaling a Comparison
• like similar to similarly
  resembling
• likewise related in the same way

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Types of Context Clues Contrast or Antonym

• The writer states how the meaning of the
  unfamiliar word is different or opposite from the
  clue.
• Lincolns Gettysburg Address was concise, in
  sharp contrast to the long-winded, two-hour
  speech that he presented earlier.
• A concise speech is opposite of a long speech,
  so concise must mean brief or short.
• Words Signaling a Contrast or Antonym
• but on the other hand instead
• differently on the contrary although
  
• however in contrast to unlike

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Types of Context Clues Cause Effect

• The cause of an action or event may be stated
  using an unfamiliar word. If the effect is stated
  in familiar terms, it can help the reader
  understand the unknown word.
• The weeds in the garden are so profuse, that I
  can no longer see the flowers.
• Cause-There are many weeds.
• Effect-You cant see the flowers.
• Profuse must mean a large quantity.
• Words Signaling Cause and Effect
• because consequently that so
• since therefore as a
  result

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Types of Context Clues Infer from General
Context

• Often the context clues are in the surrounding
  sentences, and the reader must infer or make an
  educated guess about the unknown words meaning.
  A single piece of information several sentences
  away from the unfamiliar word may be an important
  clue.
• By the middle of the semester, Bob started to
  see the fallacy in this thinking. Since he had
  done well in high school without doing much
  reading or schoolwork, he thought he could
  continue this routine in college. He now realized
  he had been mistaken. He would have to work to
  earn the grades.
• Fallacy must mean to make an error in judgment.

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No Context Clues?

• Not all sentences or text contain context clues.
  You will need to use other methods to determine
  the words meaning.
• Some suggestions
• Pronounce the word aloud. You may hear a word or
  word part that you know or that you may recall,
  within the unknown word
• Carefully analyze the words parts.
• Look up the word in the dictionary.

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References

• Baumann, J.F., Kameenui, E.J. (1991). Research
  on vocabulary instruction Ode to Voltaire. In
  J. Flood, D. Lapp, J. R. Squire (Eds.),
  Handbook of research on teaching the English
  language arts (pp. 604-632). New YorkMacmillan.
  
• McWhorter, K. (2006). Guide to College Reading.
  New York Pearson Longman.
• McWhorter, K. (2006). Vocabulary simplified
  Strategies for building your college vocabulary.
  New York Pearson Longman.
• Quian, D.D. (1998). Depth of vocabulary
  knowledge Assessing its role in adults reading
  comprehension in English as a second
  language.Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
  University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Quian, D. D. (1999). Assess the roles of depth
  and breadth of vocabulary knowledge in reading
  comprehension. Canadian Modern Language Review,
  56, 282-308.
• Texas Education Agengy. 2003). Promoting
  vocabulary development Components of effective
  vocabulary instruction, Texas Reading Initiative,
• Austin, TX, (No. GEO1 105 04).