Verbose Vocabulary: Why More Is Better

1. Verbose Vocabulary: Why More IsBetter Richie Wells rwwells@uncc.edu http://rwwells.pbworks.com

2. Table of Contents • Essential Questions • Vocabulary Defined • Levels of Vocabulary Ownership • Research and Statistics • Practical Vocabulary Strategies • Motivate Students to Read • Improve Quality of Oral Language Experiences • Teach Figurative Language • Teach Independent Word-Learning Strategies • Conclusion and Resources • Contact Information

3. Essential Questions • What is vocabulary? • What does research say about vocabulary? • What practical vocabulary strategies can be used to enhance students’ reading success?

4. \vō-ˈka-byə-ˌler-ē\ Knowledge of words and word meanings The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. -Mark Twain

5. Levels of Vocabulary Ownership Levels of Vocabulary Ownership

6. Research and Statistics • “Students begin kindergarten with approximately 5,000 words in their vocabularies, and their vocabularies grow at a rate of about 3,000 words a year,” (Nagy & Herman, 1985). • “There is a strong connection between readers’ vocabulary knowledge and their reading comprehension,” (National Reading Panel, 2000). Click here for more research and statistics

7. Research and Statistics • “…3 year olds in higher SES families had vocabularies as much as five times higher than children in lower SES families,” (Hart and Risley, 1995). • “Children who enter with limited vocabulary knowledge grow much more discrepant over time from their peers who have rich vocabulary knowledge,” (Baker, Simmons, & Kame'enui, 1997). Click here for more research and statistics

8. Research and Statistics • “…systematic vocabulary instruction is one of the most important instructional interventions that teachers can use,” (Becker, 1977). • “…student achievement will increase by 33 percentile points when vocabulary instruction focuses on specific words that are important to what students are learning,” (Stahl and Fairbanks, 1986).

9. Practical Vocabulary Strategies • Motivate Students to Read • Improve Quality of Oral Language Experiences • Teach Figurative Language • Teach Independent Word-Learning Strategies

10. Motivate Students to Read • Active engagement in learning tasks • Use visual aids, demonstrations, scenarios, pictures, music, etc. that are relevant to students’ lives • Point out books that might be of interest for individual students

11. Improve Quality of Oral Language Experiences • “Teacher Talk” – intentionally use selective and varied vocabulary when addressing students • Read aloud to students often and hold meaningful discussions afterwards • Engage children in conversations • Ask for synonyms/antonyms of words being discussed Word Poverty Ninja

12. Teach Figurative Language • Idioms • Metaphors • Similes • Helps to understand comparisons

13. Teach Independent Word-Learning Strategies • How to use a Dictionary and Thesaurus • How to identify and use Context Clues • Use Word-Part Information to figure out unfamiliar words • Root Words • Prefixes • Suffixes

14. Conclusion and Resources • 4 Levels of Vocabulary Ownership • Research Supports Vocabulary Instruction • Additional Resources • A Focus on Vocabulary • Integrated Vocabulary Instruction: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in Grades K-5 • Give it a try! It’s facile and stimulating!

15. Contact Information • Richie Wells • rwwells@uncc.edu • Skype: legardendejardin • Phone: 704/264-5132 • http://rwwells.pbworks.com