Building Vocabulary and Comprehension through Primary Read-Alouds

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Welcome!
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Building Vocabulary and Comprehension through
Primary Read-Alouds
Michael C. McKenna University of Virginia
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Todays Goals

• Understand why read-alouds are the best way to
  build vocabulary and comprehension in the
  primary grades
• Be able to plan, conduct, and follow- up a
  read-aloud.
• Examine differences between fiction and
  nonfiction read-alouds

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Why are read-alouds the best way to build
vocabulary and comprehension?
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Why are read-alouds the best way to build
vocabulary and comprehension?
They may actually be the only way! Lets look at
some reasons.
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Why Read-Alouds ?

• The teacher does the decoding.
• Natural contexts for words are provided.
• Authentic opportunities for modeling
  comprehension strategies occur.
• Student engagement is likely.
• Discussion is facilitated.
• Words and strategies can be reinforced in new
  contexts all year long.

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But I can introduce vocabulary more efficiently
without read-alouds.
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But I can introduce vocabulary more efficiently
without read-alouds.
Maybe, but if you did, youd have to create an
entire curriculum. Thats why so little is done.
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Vocabulary levels diverge greatly during the
primary years, and virtually nothing effective is
done about this in schools. (p. 29)
Andy Biemiller
Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the
primary grades.In J.F. Baumann E.J. Kameenui
(Eds.), Vocabulary instruction Research to
practice (pp. 28- 40). New York Guilford.
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But the kids know lots of words. Why not just
focus on teaching them to recognize the ones they
know?
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But the kids know lots of words. Why not just
focus on teaching them to recognize the ones they
know?
Why not do both? If you ignore vocabulary, the
Matthew effect can be terrible.
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50K 40K 30K 20K 10K 0
5,000 1,500
K 12
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50K 40K 30K 20K 10K 0
45,000 17,000
5,000 1,500
K 12
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Oral vocabulary at the end of first grade is a
significant predictor of comprehension ten years
later.
Cunningham, A.E., Stanovich, K.E. (1997). Early
reading acquisition and its relation to
experience and ability 10 years later.
Developmental Psychology, 33, 934-945.
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But how can a few read-alouds make a dent in that
huge number of words?
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But how can a few read-alouds make a dent in that
huge number of words?
The cumulative effect might surprise you.
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Adding three root words a day is the average
daily number of words learned by primary age
children with the largest vocabularies. (p. 37)
Andy Biemiller
Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the
primary grades.In J.F. Baumann E.J. Kameenui
(Eds.), Vocabulary instruction Research to
practice (pp. 28- 40). New York Guilford.
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Adding three root words a day is the average
daily number of words learned by primary age
children with the largest vocabularies. (p. 37)
3 words x 140 days ? 400 words per year
Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the
primary grades.In J.F. Baumann E.J. Kameenui
(Eds.), Vocabulary instruction Research to
practice (pp. 28- 40). New York Guilford.
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Why be so systematic? Why cant the kids just
rely on context?
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Why be so systematic? Why cant the kids just
rely on context?
Context may not be as powerful as you think. And
besides, many kids dont use it.
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• Four Types of Contexts
• Directive (provides powerful clues)
• Sue was talkative but Bill was taciturn.
• 2. General (helps categorize a word)
• Shed had measles, mumps, and varicella.
• 3. Nondirective (offers very little help)
• The dress was taupe.
• 4. Misdirective (can be misleading)
• He was huge, muscular, and adroit.
• Beck McKeown (2004)

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• Teaching Students about Context
• Remind them that context does not always
  provide strong clues.
• Remember that many students may have
  difficulty making inferences about words from
  context.
• Model the process when possible.
• Beck McKeown (2004)

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But what about comprehension? How do you teach
strategies to kids who cant read?
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But what about comprehension? How do you teach
strategies to kids who cant read?
The alternative is to wait until they can read.
If you do that, it may be too late.
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The Domino Theory Teach children to decode
first, and put off vocabulary and comprehension
instruction until later.
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The Domino Theory Teach children to decode
first, and put off vocabulary and comprehension
instruction until later.
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Research has almost universally supported the
idea that reading aloud to children leads to
improved reading comprehension. (p. 144)
Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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So which strategies do they need?
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So which strategies do they need?
The National Reading Panel identified seven.
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NRP Findings on Comprehension

• Many approaches have some level of research
  evidence.
• For example, stressing mental images and
  mnemonics can be effective.
• But seven instructional approaches have a clear
  scientific basis.

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Key Instructional Approaches

• Comprehension monitoring
• Cooperative learning
• Graphic and semantic organizers (esp. those
  stressing text structure)
• Question answering
• Question generation
• Summarization
• Combinations of 1-6

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Can you really plan to focus on comprehension and
vocabulary in the same read-aloud?
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Can you really plan to focus on comprehension and
vocabulary in the same read-aloud?
Yes. Were not trying to accomplish everything
at once. But we can still target both areas with
each read-aloud.
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Whats the difference between a fiction and a
nonfiction read-aloud?
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Whats the difference between a fiction and a
nonfiction read-aloud?
There are differences in both vocabulary and
comprehension strategy use.
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Lets look at vocabulary first.
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Nonfiction Read-Alouds

• Take advantage of clusters of related terms
• Stress the connections among words
• Preteach a few key terms
• Use research-based methods
• Feature analysis
• Other types of charts
• Graphic Organizers

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egg
larva
adult

• pupa

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Insects Spiders
Some can fly None can fly Some are
poisonous All are poisonous 6 legs 8 legs
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Fiction Read-Alouds

• Since the words will not be related and will
  not be essential to comprehending, do not
  preteach them.
• After the read-aloud, create clusters by
  linking a new word to familiar words.
• Use research-based methods, such as
• Silly Questions
• Word Wizards

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Even though words in a fiction read-aloud may be
unrelated in meaning, you can still create
meaningful clusters by using words already
familiar to the children.
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Words Chosen From the Book
fortunate scowl wary
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Familiar Words
Words Chosen From the Book
lucky chance
fortunate scowl wary
frown stare
careful afraid
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Familiar Words
Words Chosen From the Book
lucky chance
fortunate scowl wary
frown stare
careful afraid
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Familiar Words
Words Chosen From the Book
lucky chance
fortunate scowl wary
frown stare
careful afraid
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For a fiction read-aloud, how do I know which
words to teach?
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For a fiction read-aloud, how do I know which
words to teach?
Target what Beck and McKeown call Tier Two words.
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• Two characteristics that make a word
  inappropriate for teaching
• We cant define it in terms that the students
  know.
• The students are not likely to find the word
  useful or interesting.
• Beck McKeown (2004)

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word family A group of words formed from a
single root word history historic prehistoric his
torical historian
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Beck and McKeowns Three Tiers Tier 3 Rare
words 73,500 word families K-12 Usually
content-area related Examples isotope,
estuary Tier 2 Important to academic
success 7,000 word families Not limited
to one content area Examples fortunate,
ridiculous Tier 1 The most familiar words
8,000 word families Known by average 3rd
grader Examples happy, go

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Beck and McKeowns Three Tiers Tier 3 Rare
words 73,500 word families K-12 Usually
content-area related Examples isotope,
estuary Tier 2 Important to academic
success 7,000 word families Not limited
to one content area Examples fortunate,
ridiculous Tier 1 The most familiar words
8,000 word families Known by average 3rd
grader Examples happy, go

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Beck and McKeowns Three Tiers Tier 3 Rare
words 73,500 word families K-12 Usually
content-area related Examples isotope,
estuary Tier 2 Important to academic
success 7,000 word families Not limited
to one content area Examples fortunate,
ridiculous Tier 1 The most familiar words
8,000 word families Known by average 3rd
grader Examples happy, go

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Beck and McKeowns Three Tiers Tier 3 Rare
words 73,500 word families K-12 Often
content-area related Examples isotope,
estuary Tier 2 Important to academic
success 7,000 word families Not limited
to one content area Examples fortunate,
ridiculous Tier 1 The most familiar words
8,000 word families Known by average 3rd
grader Examples happy, go

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Beck and McKeowns Three Tiers Tier 3 Rare
words 73,500 word families K-12 Often
content-area related Examples isotope,
estuary Tier 2 Important to academic
success 7,000 word families Not limited
to one content area Examples fortunate,
ridiculous Tier 1 The most familiar words
8,000 word families Known by average 3rd
grader Examples happy, go

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Beck and McKeowns Three Tiers Tier 3 Rare
words 73,500 word families K-12 Often
content-area related Examples isotope,
estuary Tier 2 Important to academic
success 7,000 word families Not limited
to one content area Examples fortunate,
ridiculous Tier 1 The most familiar words
8,000 word families Known by average 3rd
grader Examples happy, go

Goldilocks Words Stahl Stahl, 2004
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Now lets look at comprehension.
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Fiction Read-Alouds

• Rely on such research-based techniques as
• Time Lines
• Story Maps

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Goldilocks Goldilocks Goldilocks finds eats goe
s cottage porridge upstairs
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Example of a Story Map Setting Characters Jack,
his mother, the giant Place Jacks home, road,
giants castle When and where did this story
occur? Who is the main character? Problem Jack
must sell cow but trades for beans Why did Jack
trade? Goal To see if bean stalk is worth the
bad trade What did Jack do when he found the
stalk? Ending Jack steals from giant, flees,
cuts down stalk What did Jack do in the giants
castle? What did the giant do? What happened
to the giant? Was Jack a good guy or a bad guy?
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Fiction Read-Alouds

• Stress
• Imaging
• Summarizing
• Causation and Motive
• Plot structure
• Comprehension Monitoring
• Discussions in which children are free to
  question you and each other

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Nonfiction Read-Alouds

• All strategies may be useful, but especially
• Focusing on text structure
• Graphic organizers
• Comprehension monitoring (using think- alouds
  to model fix-up strategies for confusing text)

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Using Fix-Up Strategies

• Rereading
• Reading on
• Reflecting
• Seeking outside information

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OK, Ill give it a try. Where do I start?
Lets start with planning.
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Planning a Read-Aloud

• Choose engaging, well-illustrated books.
• A number of words should be unknown to about
  half the students.
• Choose 3 target words that are likely to be
  unfamiliar. (In fiction, these words will be
  unrelated in nonfiction, they will be key
  terms.)
• For nonfiction, decide how you will introduce
  the words
• Keep track of the words you choose.

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Planning a Read-Aloud

• Decide which comprehension strategy you will
  target.
• Decide how you will directly explain the
  strategy prior to the read-aloud.
• If youve introduced the strategy before, review
  it prior to the read-aloud.

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Direct Explanation of a Strategy

• Start by introducing the text.
• Then introduce the strategy.
• Declarative Knowledge
• What is the strategy?
• Procedural Knowledge
• How do I use the strategy?
• Conditional Knowledge
• When and why should I use the strategy?
• Model the strategy by thinking aloud.
• Help readers to practice the strategy.
• Read the text both to understand it and to
  practice the strategy.
• After the read-aloud, discuss both the text and
  the strategy.

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www.guilford.com
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Planning a Read-Aloud

• Look for places to model comprehension
  strategies.
• Unfamiliar references
• Opportunities to form mental images
• Chances to recap
• Text that challenges prior assumptions
• Mark key places in your book to remind you.

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Planning a Read-Aloud

• Plan to repeat the read-aloud.
• Plan for small-group sessions (2-5 students).
• Plan multiple exposures to vocabulary in the
  days following.

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Before the Read-Aloud

• Introduce (or review) the comprehension
  strategy.
• Build prior knowledge.
• Preteach key words if the read-aloud is
  nonfiction.
• Focus childrens attention.

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During the Read-Aloud

• Be performance oriented read with expression.

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During the Read-Aloud

• Include rich, dialogic discussion.
• Activate prior knowledge.
• Link the story to experiences of students.
• Elicit responses from students.
• Give synonyms or quick explanations of Tier
  Three words as you go. (Biemiller)

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During the Read-Aloud

• Display pictures after reading a page, not while
  reading it (Beck et al.)

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During the Read-Aloud

• Pause at the places youve chosen to model
  comprehension strategies.
• Remember to prompt children about strategies
  that are becoming familiar.
• Keep the children interacting, especially with
  nonfiction.

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• In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
• a teacher can . . .
• Link a word to its context
• Help children infer causal relationships
• Tell about how texts are structured
• Model the use of fix-up strategies

Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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• In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
• a teacher can . . .
• Link a word to its context
• Help children infer causal relationships
• Tell about how texts are structured
• Model the use of fix-up strategies

Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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T In 1612, French explorers saw some Iroquois
people popping corn in clay pots. They would
fill the pots with hot sand, throw in some
popcorn and stir it with a stick. When the corn
popped, it came to the top of the sand and made
it easy to get. C1 Look at the bowl! T Okay,
now its hot enough to add a few
kernels. C2 Whats a kernel? C3 Like when you
pop. T Its a seed. C4 What if you, like,
would you think a popcorn seed. Like a
popcorn seed. Could you grow popcorn?
Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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T Oh, excellent, excellent question! Lets read
and well see if this book answers that
question, and if not, well talk about it at the
end.
Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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• In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
• a teacher can . . .
• Link a word to its context
• Help children infer causal relationships
• Tell about how texts are structured
• Model the use of fix-up strategies

Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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T Alright, it hit the reef. Why did it hit the
reef? Because it got . . . (no response from
children). What did it say? It said there was
C1 A storm. T Storm, right. C2 They couldnt
see. T Right, it did say that. Because they
couldnt see, and if they were out . . . C3
Were the people surprised? C4 The storm blew it
into the rocks. T Exactly.
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• In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
• a teacher can . . .
• Link a word to its context
• Help children infer causal relationships
• Tell about how texts are structured
• Model the use of fix-up strategies

Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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(No Transcript)
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T And 1000-year-old popcorn kernels were found
in Peru that could still be popped. Now. This
guy is doing different . . . Its kind of like
two stories are going on. What is this part
giving us? Cs (together) Information T It is.
And what is this doing? C1 It is telling
you. T Its giving us, right, steps of how to
make the popcorn. C2 And he has a big old
speech bubble. T Yes, because hes reading about
this, remember? And so his speech bubble is him
reading this book about this (pointing to
pictures of native peoples).
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• In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
• a teacher can . . .
• Link a word to its context
• Help children infer causal relationships
• Tell about how texts are structured
• Model the use of fix-up strategies

Smolkin Donovan, 2002
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T Insects live on the tree, too. This big
cicada just crawled out of its brown, shell-like
skin. For several years . . . (teacher pauses.
The next word in the text is it) Lets start
back here. Insects live on the tree, too. This
big cicada just crawled out of its brown,
shell-like skin. C1 (interrupting) We already
read this. T I know, but see, sometimes if you
stop, it helps to go back It didnt make sense
just reading further in the text
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After the Read-Aloud

• Conduct a discussion.
• Get beyond the literal level!

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Critical Judgments Reading beyond the
lines Inferential Implicitly stated
facts Reading between the lines Literal Explici
tly stated facts Reading the lines
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After the Read-Aloud

• Conduct a discussion.
• Get beyond the literal level!
• Elicit thoughtful responses.

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After the Read-Aloud

• Conduct a discussion.
• Get beyond the literal level!
• Elicit thoughtful responses.
• Dont just questionencourage questioning!

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Question-Answer Relationships QARs
Taffy Raphael
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QARs

• Question-Answer Relationships

Raphael, 1986
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Reciprocal Questioning ReQuest Tony Manzo
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Reciprocal Questioning ReQuest
Variations of Request . . .

• One student asks the teacher as many questions as
  s/he can think of.
• Teacher calls on students at random. Student
  asks teacher a question, teacher asks student a
  question, then calls on another student.
• Teacher reflects each students question to
  another student.
• Students call on other students to answer.

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After the Read-Aloud

• Conduct a discussion.
• Get beyond the literal level!
• Elicit thoughtful responses.
• Dont just questionencourage questioning!
• Practice summarizing.

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After the Read-Aloud

• Conduct a discussion.
• Get beyond the literal level!
• Elicit thoughtful responses.
• Dont just questionencourage questioning!
• Practice summarizing.
• Review the comprehension strategy.

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After the Read-Aloud

• Conduct a discussion.
• Get beyond the literal level!
• Elicit thoughtful responses.
• Dont just questionencourage questioning!
• Practice summarizing.
• Review the comprehension strategy.
• In nonfiction, review the vocabulary.
• In fiction, teach the vocabulary.

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After the Read-Aloud

• Keep track of the words you teach.
• Make a chart with words, dates and books.
• Look for chances to revisit words.
• Record when you do.

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I Introduce R Reinforce
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After the Read-Aloud

• For nonfiction, post graphic organizers.
• For fiction, consider using research-based
  methods like
• Word Wizards and
• Silly Questions.

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Be a Word Wizard!
Beck McKeown (2004)
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• Ask silly questions.
• Beck McKeown (2004)

Would a fortunate person scowl?
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How do I know when the kids actually know the new
words?
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How do I know when the kids actually know the new
words?
Knowing a word isnt all or nothing. Its a
matter of degree.
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A Continuum of Word Knowledge No knowledge A
vague sense of the meaning Narrow knowledge with
aid of context Good knowledge but shaky
recall Rich, decontextualized knowledge, connecte
d to other word meanings
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A Continuum of Word Knowledge No knowledge A
vague sense of the meaning Narrow knowledge with
aid of context Good knowledge but shaky
recall Rich, decontextualized knowledge, connecte
d to other word meanings
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How do I know when the kids can actually apply
comprehension strategies?
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How do I know when the kids can actually apply
comprehension strategies?
Give them chances in later read-alouds.
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Scaffolding Strategy Use

• As children become familiar with strategies,
  give them chances to apply those strategies
  during new read-alouds.
• Prompt them to identify appropriate
  strategies at key points.
• Ask them what a good reader would do.
• Post a chart of key strategies in your
  classroom for referral.

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Thats a lot to process. Can you sum it up?
Sure.
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Primary Read-Aloud Planner
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OK, enough questions. Now get busy!