Vocabulary

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Vocabulary
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Survey of Knowledge
Four-Square Vocabulary Map
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Vocabulary
Speaking Vocabulary
Listening Vocabulary
Reading Vocabulary
Writing Vocabulary
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What We Know From Research

• Although estimates vary, researchers suggest that
  students learn 3,000 to 5,000 words each year
  (Anderson Nagy, 1991 Nagy, Herman, 1987)
• Students have a core reading vocabulary of
  approximately 25,000 words by the end of
  elementary school (Anderson Nagy, 1991 Nagy,
  Herman, 1987)
• It is also estimated that by fifth grade students
  may encounter more than a million words of
  written text a year (Nagy, Herman, Anderson,
  1985 Stahl, 1999)
• Pre-teaching the vocabulary of a new text does
  improve students comprehension of that text and
  overall vocabulary development (Beck, Perfetti,
  McKeown, 1982)

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What We Know From Research (cont.)

• Students learn a majority of new words
  incidentally, without direct instruction
  (Kameenui, Dixon, Carnin, 1987)
• Vocabulary knowledge is significantly related to
  reading comprehension, decoding, spelling, and
  school achievement (Beck McKeown, 1991)
• Students who read more have larger vocabularies
  (Nagy Anderson, 1984 Stanovich, 1986)

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The Importance of Vocabulary Instruction

• Students come to school with vastly different
  funds of knowledge about words in kindergarten
  and the elementary years, fostering word learning
  should be a high-priority goal to help some
  students catch up.

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Article Jigsaw

• Promoting Vocabulary Development Components of
  Effective Vocabulary Instruction
• Group 1 pp. 3-9
• Group 2 pp. 10-15
• Group 3 pp. 16-21
• Group 4 pp. 27-32

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Developing Vocabulary
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Supporting Implicit Word Learning

• Lots of talk in the classroom
• discussion of events/experiences
• discussion of books
• peer-group collaboration
• Listening to stories/books read aloud
• Word games
• Teachers modeling of curiosity about words

Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition
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First and Foremost

• Encourage
• Wide
• Reading!

Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition
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Wide Reading

• Is reading a lot and reading a variety of
  different types of texts
• Encompasses both the number of words read
  (reading volume) and the amount of time spent
  reading

Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition
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Promoting Wide Reading

• Begins with helping students learn to read
• Reading difficulties that continue year after
  year are known as the Matthew Effect
• In second grade, good readers read approximately
  ten times as many words each day as poor readers
• Includes helping students start the journey to
  becoming life-long readers
• Students move beyond I can read to I want to
  read

Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition
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Ways to Promote Wide Reading

• Provide models of reading
• Involve students in a variety of reading
  opportunities
• Provide access to a broad range of reading
  materials
• Incorporate time to read
• Extend reading beyond the classroom to home and
  community

Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition
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Word Consciousness

• An awareness of and interest in words and their
  meanings
• Helps students develop a deeper understanding of
  words
• Promotes an understanding of how words and
  concepts are related across different contexts

Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition
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Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Includes

• Expanding word knowledge through definitions and
  contexts
• Actively involving students
• Teaching independent word-learning strategies

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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Expanding Word Knowledge
Vocabulary Words
Definitions (what words mean)
Contexts (how words are learned)
Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
Reword Definitions
Create New Sentences and Stories
Synonyms
Examples
Discuss Multiple Meanings
Antonyms
Non-Examples
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Teaching Independent Word Learning Strategies

• Model and help students learn
• How to determine the meanings of words based on
  their context
• How to look up unknown words
• How to read and understand a dictionary entry

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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A Note on Using Dictionaries

• A study by Miller and Gildea (1998) found that
  writing sentences based on dictionary definitions
  is pedagogically useless (p. 98)

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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Modeling How to Use a Dictionary

• Model and think aloud the complex process of
  looking up a word
• How to find the word
• How to select an appropriate definition
• How to use context to confirm and extend meaning
• How to apply the new word in different contexts

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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Teaching How to Use Word Parts

• Model and help students how to recognize and use
  information about word parts to determine meaning
• Prefixes
• Suffixes
• Common Greek and Latin Roots

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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Vocabulary Instruction

• Concept of Definition Map (p. 21)
• Semantic Map (p. 23)
• Semantic Feature Analysis (p.24)
• Possible Sentences (p. 25)
• Comparing/Contrasting (p. 26)

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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Planning Vocabulary Instruction

• Before students read a text, select specific
  words to teach
• Preview the passage
• List words that you predict will be challenging
  for your students
• Prioritize these words by their importance
• Is the word important to comprehending the text?
• Does the word appear again and again?
• Will knowledge of the word help in other content
  areas?

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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Stop and Think About It

• Materials
• Stop and Think About It handout
• Teachers Edition of your reading program OR
  childrens book
• Directions
• Select one story in your Teachers Edition or a
  childrens book
• Complete the chart Stop and Think About It

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
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Consider DiversityEnglish Language Learners

• Teach new vocabulary words
• Explicitly teach cognates
• Teach strategies for independent word learning
• Match texts that students read to their language
  proficiency
• Use hands-on experiences
• Hold high expectations

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Monitoring Students ProgressVocabulary
Knowledge

• Students know words to varying degrees
• Three levels of word knowledge
• Unknown
• Acquainted
• Established

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Word Knowledge Rating Checklist
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Time to Reflect

• 3 Minute Partner Review
• First partner begins orally sharing what they
  have learned (1 minute)
• Second partner reviews and cannot repeat anything
  first partner said (1 minute)
• First partner reviews again, adding only new
  information (30 seconds)
• Second partner finishes by adding any new
  information (30 seconds)

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Further Reading
Bringing Words to Life Robust Vocabulary
Instruction by Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G.
McKeown, Linda Kucan
Vocabulary Development From Research to
Practice by Steven A. Stahl
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Remember

• .vocabulary is the glue that
• holds stories, ideas, and content
• togethermaking
• comprehension accessible for
• students.
• -Rupley, Logan, Nichols,
• 1998/1999