VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE: Why It is Important in Young Readers & STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION

1. VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE: Why It is Important in Young Readers & STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION By: Lisa Pennington

2. Why is Vocabulary Knowledge Important? • Larger vocabularies = more capable readers • Capable readers read more often so they acquire the skills to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. • Capable readers encounter more challenging text with more sophisticated vocabulary. • Vocabulary instruction plays an important part in a balanced literacy classroom.

3. Important Components of Vocabulary Instruction • Immerse students in words through listening, talking, reading, and writing. • Teach specific words through active involvement and multiple encounters with words. • Teach word-learning strategies. • Develop students’ word consciousness (their awareness and interest in words.)

4. Quick Guidelines for Teaching Vocabulary • Choose key words from books students are reading and highlight them on word walls. • Have students participate in word-study activities such as word maps, word sorts, and word posters. • Teach mini-lessons about the meanings of individual words, and word-learning strategies. • Scaffold students as they develop word knowledge by learning multiple meanings, how root words and affixes affect meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and figurative meanings. • Use interactive read-alouds and focus on high-frequency words. • Provide ample opportunity for independent reading- at least 20-30 minutes in grades 1-3 and 30-60 minutes in grades 4-8.

5. 6 Types of Context Clues

6. Tiered Words • TIER 1: basic words • TIER 2: academic words • TIER 3: specialized words

7. Implications for English Learners • Often need more explicit instruction on words. • Need to become familiar with not only the meaning of a word, but also the underlying concept and words that describe the word. • Tier 1 Words: easier for English learners to learn. • Tier 2 Words: it’s necessary to build background knowledge and preteach. Explicit instruction and a variety of word-study techniques are beneficial. • Tier 3 Words: it is not very important to teach these technical words as they are specialized and not useful in everyday conversation.

8. Implications for Struggling Readers • Struggling students need to know more words. • Struggling students don’t read as much, and as a result, are limited in their exposure to vocabulary. • Some strategies to use with struggling readers: • Nurture students’ awareness of words using word walls, independent reading, and interactive read-alouds. • Explicitly teach the meanings of 8-10 words each week by introducing key words before reading and providing worthwhile practice activities afterward. • Develop students’ ability to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words.

9. Vocabulary Assessment Tools • Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4 (PPVT-4) -Individually administered to screen vocabulary knowledge. Can be used with K-8 students, but it’s most commonly used with K-2 students. It measures receptive vocabulary. The teacher says a word, asks the students to look at 4 pictures and identify the one that best illustrates the meaning of the word. • Expressive Vocabulary Test-2 (EVT-2) -Individually administered test used to screen K-8 students’ knowledge of words. It measures expressive vocabulary. The teacher points to a picture and asks the student to say a word that labels the picture or to provide a synonym for the word that is illustrated in the picture. • Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs) Sometimes used with students in grades 2-8. One or two comprehension questions as each grade level focus on the meaning of words selected from a passage the students have read. Its usefulness is limited because so few deal with vocabulary and because students who read below grade level aren’t tested on age-appropriate words.

10. References • Beers, K. (2003). When kids can’t read, what teachers can do. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemen. • Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.