What are Words Worth?Vocabulary Instruction Worth Its Weight in Gold

Presented by Tiffany Frierson

Title I Reading Instructional Specialist

Monthlymeetings.wikispaces.com

Why Vocabulary?Vocabulary knowledge is related to reading comprehension, intelligence, content knowledge, and reasoning.

-Stahl, 1999

How confident do you feel about your vocabulary instruction?

On a scale of 1 – 9, how confident are you about your vocabulary instruction?

Place a post-it on the scale on the wall– 1 is the lowest & 9 is the highest.

1 95

Adapted from Dale, Rasband, Ross, Gardner, & Cunningham, 2004

• Discuss within your group.• Record your responses.• Share out.

How do you teach vocabulary?

Essential Questions:

Why is vocabulary instruction so important?

What are exemplary strategies for vocabulary instruction?

What strategies do we want students to use during reading?

4 Components of an Effective Vocabulary Program1. Wide or extensive reading to expand word

knowledge,2. Instruction in specific words to enhance

comprehension of texts containing those words,

3. Instruction in independent word-learning strategies, and

4. Word consciousness and word play activities to motivate and enhance learning.

Michael Graves, 2000

Components of Vocabulary Instruction

The National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that there is no single research-based method for teaching vocabulary. From its analysis, the panel recommended using a variety of direct and indirect methods of vocabulary instruction.

Direct or Intentional Vocabulary Instruction

•Explicit instruction of vocabulary is highly effective. To develop vocabulary intentionally, students should be explicitly taught both specific words and word-learning strategies.

•-National Reading Panel (2000)

Research–based Strategies for Vocabulary Development

•Wide and Extensive Reading•Morphemic Analysis•Contextual Analysis•Dictionary Use•Cognate Analysis (ELL)

Word knowledge is much more than word identification or even definitional knowledge– “It takes more than definitional knowledge to know a word, and we have to know words in order to identify them in multiple reading and listening contexts and use them in our speaking and writing.” (Allen, 1999)

Finding definitions and writing those words in sentences have had little apparent impact on their word

knowledge and language use.Janet Allen, 1999

Dictionary Use!• When students have been provided dictionary definitions and asked to create sentences or answer brief questions about the words, research has shown:

• 63 percent of the students’ sentences were judged to be “odd” (Miller & Gildea, 1985)

• 60 percent of students’ responses were unacceptable (McKeown, 1991; 1993)

When the horse you are riding dies, DISMOUNT!

Some dead horses for vocabulary instruction…

1.Do not give students isolated words or weekly spelling words to look up in the dictionary and write sentences. This is a deadly useless activity that is boring, not good instruction, and only teaches student how boring it is to learn new words.

2.Move away from fill in the blank, or matching word definitions in isolation.

Reading Aloud "The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children."

Becoming a Nation of Readers (1985)

Wide Reading

• Students learn more words than a year than we can teach

• Best way for students to learn many words in conjunction with learning word parts

Vocabulary InstructionDirect teaching of vocabulary can help improve comprehension when we follow these guidelines (Cooper, 1993):

• A few critical words are taught.• The words are taught in a meaningful context. (including nonlinguistic representations)

• Students relate the new words to their background knowledge.

• Students are exposed to the words multiple times.

Planning- Which Words to Choose?

Fiction• Words that are important to the theme

• Words necessary to understand the story

Nonfiction• Words necessary to understand the text (usually in bold or italics)

Words that are common across many contexts (tier 2 words)

Planning- Instruction Routine• Students need repetition with the words that will be explicitly taught• Have a routine for explaining the words

• Deep understanding of the words

• Have a routine for practice with the words• Engage in activities with the words• Encourage students to discuss the words• Read the words in context

What are exemplary strategies for vocabulary instruction?

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary instruction is embedded within the instructional routine for reading and follows a before, during and after reading format.

Before Reading

Instruction • Archer’s Instructional Routine for Vocabulary

• Marzano’s Building Academic Vocabulary-Steps 1-3

• Beck’s Questioning Strategies

Activities• Frayer Model• Semantic Mapping• Word and Concept Sorts

During ReadingInstruction• Model strategy use• Monitor/support student strategy use

• Providing affirmative and corrective feedback

Activities• Vocabulary Tree Map• Dictionary

After ReadingInstruction• Marzano’s Building Academic Vocabulary-Steps 4-6

• Beck’s Questioning Strategies

Activities• Frayer Model• Semantic Mapping• Word and Concept Sorts

Background KnowledgeThe relationship between vocabulary knowledge and background knowledge is explicit in research. (Nagy & Herman, 1984; Marzano, 2004; Hart & Risley, 1995)

“Our inner-city student might have little background knowledge related to camping trips but a lot related to getting around the city on the subway. Consequently, he would have difficulty learning and integrating new information about camping trips but would find it easy to learn new information about transportation via subway systems”.(Marzano, 2004)

Marzano’s Six Step Process• Step 1- Provide a description, explanation or example of

the new term• Step 2- Ask students to restate the description,

explanation or example in their own words• Step 3- Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or

graphic representation of the term• Step 4- Engage students periodically in activities to help

them add to their knowledge of the terms in their notebooks

• Step 5- Ask students to discuss the words with one another.

• Step 6- Involve students periodically in games that allow them to plan with terms

Knowledge Rating Scale

Word

Know it well, can explain it, use it

Know some-thing about it, can relate it to asituation

Have seen or heard the word

Do not know the word

tyrannyserendipitygrapnelpurportsensitivedubious

Word Sorts- organizing words into categories

cold frontmeteorologist temperature

barometer

hurricanes

Why is this a good before reading strategy?

Word Sorts

• Provide students with a set of vocabulary word cards (related to a specific concept or topic).

• Work in groups to sort the words into categories.• Encourage students to find more than one category

for the vocabulary words.• Students then discuss with teacher & peers their

rationale for categorizing words.

Let’s sort!

cold front meteorologist

temperature

barometerhurricanes

Concept Circles Before Reading: Westward Movement

hardship

trail

wagon

food h

unting

learning

Describe the meaning and relationships between and among the words in the sections of the concept circles.

Traveling west had many hardships. One of the many hardships were diseases that the people had without medical help. Wagons would need to hold many delicacies. For instance, food you’d need to eat and live on were carried in them. The trails could have bad terrain, or could be all flat. Hunting was important and learning how to hunt for buffalo, elk, deer, and birds was learned while on the trail and served as good food for all.

terrain

disease

Concept Circles Assessment: Circulatory System

Veins

Large

intestines Heart

Arteries

Salivary Glands

Blood

carbon dioxid

e

Oxyg

en

Describe the meaning and relationships between and among the words in the sections of the concept circles. (Which word does NOT belong? Write why below.)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Migrate• Sentence from text- Philpe’s family migrates from Virginia

to Florida every year to pick oranges.

migrate

Schwartz & Raphael, 1985

To move regularly from one region to another

people working for seasonal jobs

birds Nomads

traveling

relocating

moving around

What are some examples?

What is it like?What is it?

verb

Part of speech

Your Turn

Word MapWhat is it?

Scaffold

What are some examples?

What is it like?

Part of speech

Frayer Model

Definition Characteristics

Examples Non-Examples

First, last week of school. Sitting on the porch reading

Unexpected guests for dinner Bubble bath

Four projects dueLounging by the pool

Stress, anxiety, tension, hostility,Tears, physical symptoms

An extreme state of agitation.

SWIVET

Frayer Model Definition Characteristics

Examples Non-Examples

What is a Noun?

Fryer ModelTerm Visual Representation

Definition Personal Association

sphere

A round 3-D shape My ball is the shape of a sphere.

Your Turn

PRIME SCIENCE &PRIME SOCIAL STUDIES

Which words would you pre-teach? Which words would you explain while you read?

Frayer Model- Choose a word from the PRIME text

Definition Characteristics

Examples Non-Examples

Contextual Redefinition Work with a group to make predictions for definitions of

each of the following words. The words included here are found in Notes on the Space We Take. Remember that some words which look familiar will probably have new meanings in this context.

WORD Predicted Definition

Definition Based on Context

Context Clues Used

hissexoskeletonVulnerability

During Reading Strategies

Marzano’s Six Step Process• Step 1- Provide a description, explanation or example of

the new term• Step 2- Ask students to restate the description,

explanation or example in their own words• Step 3- Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or

graphic representation of the term• Step 4- Engage students periodically in activities to help

them add to their knowledge of the terms in their notebooks

• Step 5- Ask students to discuss the words with one another.

• Step 6- Involve students periodically in games that allow them to plan with terms

During Reading- Scaffolding• Brief explanation of words not important to concept or theme, but helpful to understanding the text• Moccasins- show a picture or provide a good explanation

• Give synonyms, antonyms and examples• Point out word parts that the students are familiar

During Reading- Scaffolding

•Dictionary •How do you use the dictionary?•Only helpful when have context to help figure out the meaning

•May need to revisit after reading to check for understanding

Fryer Model- During ReadingTerm Visual Representation

Definition Personal Association

sphere

A round 3-D shape My ball is the shape of a sphere.

Contextual Redefinition Work with a group to make predictions for definitions of

each of the following words. The words included here are found in Notes on the Space We Take. Remember that some words which look familiar will probably have new meanings in this context.

WORD Predicted Definition

Definition Based on Context

Context Clues Used

hissexoskeletonVulnerability

Semantic Feature AnalysisFDR JFK Nixon Reagan Clinton

Democrat + + - - +War timePresident + - + - -

Congress(same party)

Re-elected

Served in Congress

Won majority of popular vote

Semantic Feature Analysis Convex Equilateral Equiangular 4 sided Opposite

sides parallel

square x x x x x

rectangle x x x x

triangle x

quadrilateral x

Regularpolygon

x x x

rhombus x x x x

trapezoid x x

Your Turn

PRIME SCIENCE &PRIME SOCIAL STUDIES Which words would you explain while you read?

What type of explanation would you provide?

After Reading Strategies

Marzano’s Six Step Process• Step 1- Provide a description, explanation or example of

the new term• Step 2- Ask students to restate the description,

explanation or example in their own words• Step 3- Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or

graphic representation of the term• Step 4- Engage students periodically in activities to help

them add to their knowledge of the terms in their notebooks

• Step 5- Ask students to discuss the words with one another.

• Step 6- Involve students periodically in games that allow them to plan with terms

Interactive Notebooks• Students keep a log or journal to record what they are learning•Teacher provides a concept or word.•Students write quickly & spontaneously (free write/quick write) everything they know about the word.•Analyze word parts.•Draw a graphic representation.•Include graphic organizer and foldables used to learn the word.•Peer and/or teacher response.

Concept Circles

Why? ___________________________________________________

Which word does not belong?

Cone

Rectangle

Trapezoid

Hexagon

Concept Circles

Why? ___________________________________________________

Which word does not belong?

England

Cuba

Japan

Hawaii

racism stereotyping

Churchbombing violence

Concept: Civil Rights Movement

Migrant Dust Bowl

Hobo Hoovervilles

Concept: The Depression

Definition Characteristics

Non-ExamplesExamples

Frayer Model (Frayer, Frederick, & Klausmeier, 1969)

Prime

Best or greatest value

Definition Characteristics

Non-ExamplesExamples

Frayer Model (Frayer, Frederick, & Klausmeier, 1969)Content for this example taken from Baron & Heideima, (2002) Teaching Reading in the Content Areas (Supplement), McRel.

Prime

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, . . . 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10. . .

• 2 is the only even prime number• 0 and 1 are not prime

• Every whole number can be written as a product of primes

A whole number with exactly two divisors (factors)

Frayer or Fryer Model Modifications

•Many versions that can be used to expand on word knowledge

Frayer or Fryer Model- another version

Term Verb- sphered, sphering

noun Adjective- spherical

sphere

A round 3-D shape In the shape of a sphere

To enclose into a sphere

Beck’s Questioning Strategies

• Great sponge activities

• A way to informally assess student’s knowledge of the words

• Encourages students to truly understand the meaning of the words

Questions, Reasons and Examples

•Why might you walk around a dark room cautiously?

•What is something that you could do to impress your teacher? Why?

•Which of these things might be extraordinary?

Making Choices• If any of the things I say might be examples of people clutching something say “Clutching”. If not, don’t say anything.

Making Choices• I’ll say some things, if they sound leisurely, say “Leisurely.” If you’d need to be in a hurry say “Hurry.”

Choices•Ask the children to choose between two words

If you and your friends were watching a funny TV show together and began to laugh a lot, would you sound pounce or raucous?

One Context for All of the Words•What would an immense plate of spaghetti look like?

•Why might you feel miserable after eating all that spaghetti?

•What would it look like to eat spaghetti in a leisurely way?

Concept Sort-Sort before, during and after vocabulary strategies

Before During After +

Concept Sort-Sort before, during and after vocabulary strategies

Before During After +Knowledge rating scale

Dictionary Beck’s questioning strategies

Student conversations about words

Student friendly explanations

Semantic Feature Analysis

Synonym, antonyms, examples

Games Word mapsFrayer/Fryer ModelContextual redefinitionConcept sortsConcept circles