Developing a Rich Vocabulary thru Direct Instruction

1. Developing a Rich Vocabulary thru Direct Instruction Presented by Texas Literacy Resources www.texasliteracy.com

2. Vocabulary knowledge is strongly related to reading proficiency in particular and school achievement in general (Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988)

3. Did you know …Students understand and remember about 5% of the new words they read or hear after only hearing them once!

4. What does effective vocabulary instruction look like? • Teachers offer rich information about words and their uses • Students have frequent and varied opportunities to think about and use words • Activities are thought provoking, playful, and interactive.

5. Three Types of Words for Vocabulary Instruction • Tier 1: High Frequency words—Dolch words (Word Wall Words) • Tier 2: Rich words that are encountered in a wide variety of situations and texts—examples: ignore, exhausted, weary • Tier 3: Low frequency words that are used only in specific content areas—examples: galaxy, eclipse, petal

6. What does it mean to know a word? • Stage 1: I’ve never seen it before. • Stage 2: I’ve heard it, but I don’t know what it means. • Stage 3: I recognize it in context as having something to do with _________. • Stage 4: I know it well.

7. Choosing Words for Direct Instruction • Look through McGraw Hill story or a selected Read Aloud book • Decide which ones are tier 2 words • Choose 3-5 interesting words that are not too difficult to explain to students • Write each selected word on an index card large enough for class to see. • Write a student friendly definition on the back of each card.

8. How you can define each word for the students? • Use language students can easily understand • Start with a strong, focused concept of what the word means. • Don’t draw attention to multiple meanings of each word until students understand the definition as it is used in the reading. • Ask yourself, “When do I use this word?” or “In what particular situations or circumstances do I use this word? And “Why do we have such a word?

9. Examples of Student Friendly Definitions • exhausted - feeling so tired you can hardly move • ignored – paid no attention (refer to base word) • weary – tired; needing rest

10. Day 1 • Read the text that contains the words to be learned. • As you come to each of the words, pause and give your student-friendly definition of the word. • After reading, direct students’ attention to each word written on the card. • Say the word. • Have students repeat the word. • Then give the student friendly definition. • Explain to the students that these are the words you want them to learn this week. • Post the cards on a pocket chart or Vocabulary word wall.

11. Day 2 (5-10 minutes) • You may or may not reread the text containing the words. • Review the definitions. • Provide students with examples of the words in other contexts. • Example: • Ignore – • The dog simply ignored Alan. • During work time, the teacher may encourage you to ignore the noise coming from the hall.

12. Day 3(5-10 minutes) • Briefly review the words and definitions. • Involve students in an engaging activity.

13. Dramatization • Ask children to act out the new words they have been learning. • For example, students can show you what they would look like if they were cautious. How would you look if you were exhausted? • Variation: To review words that have been learned over a longer period of time, such as the quarter or semester, put words that can be acted out into a hat and play charades.

14. Word Associations • Ask children to associate one of the new words with another word they know. • Then ask students to tell why they think these words go together. • Which word goes with strong? (sturdy); Which word goes with careful? (cautious); and Which word is the opposite of weak? (sturdy). • The words are not necessarily synonyms, but have a particular relationship. Ask why each word is associated with the other. This deepens the students' understanding of the new words. • Variation: Give several words that go together and one that does not and ask children which word does not belong.

15. Drawing/Writing • Make a "Big Words I Can Use" book. • For example: • Give students a page with "I am cautious when..." at the top of the page • Another page with "____ should be sturdy" at the top of the page. • Ask children to draw pictures and write (using invented spelling) to complete each sentence. • They may also want to dictate to you words to complete each sentence on their papers. • Insert the two pages into a three-ring folder and continue to add new pages for each new "big" word learned.

16. Applause, Applause!Beck et al. (2002) • Students are asked to clap in order to indicate how much they would like (not at all, a little bit, a lot) to be described by the target words: frank, impish, vain, stern. • And, as always, why they would feel that way.

17. What Do You Think? • Ask students questions that require them to think about each word's meaning in order to answer the questions • (e.g., Which of these things might make someone furious? Running out of their favorite breakfast cereal? Crossing a busy street? Finding a hole in their sock?) • Present several examples and tell students to say a word or specific sentence if the example called out relates to the target word • (e.g., If I say something that should be sturdy, you say "That should be sturdy." An envelope, a ladder, a chair, a cupcake, a scarf, a tablecloth, a house, a suitcase?)

18. Questions, Reasons and Examples Beck et al. (2002) • Ask students to think about the new words in other contexts. For example: • Where is a place that you might keep something that is precious? Why? • Which of these things might be an emergency and why? (Breaking a stick or breaking your arm?) • What is something you could do to make your teacher cross? •  Have you ever felt exhausted? Tell me about it.

19. Find Your Partner • Each student is given a piece of paper with either a vocabulary word or a student-friendly definition on it. • The students with coordinating vocabulary word and student-friendly definition must find each other. • Once everyone has found their partner, mix up the papers and repeat the process several times.

20. Four-Square VocabularyMap • Fold a sheet of paper into four sections. • Label each section as follows: • Upper left box: Word: (Picture can be added) • Upper right box: What are some examples? • Lower left box: What is it? • Lower right box: What is it like?

21. Day 4(5-10 minutes) • Students participate in wrap-up activities. • Dramatization • Find Your Partner • Questions, Reasons and Examples • Or any other engaging activity!

22. Day 55-10 minutes • Assess students’ knowledge of these new vocabulary words orally or in writing. • Ways to assess • Have students sit in circle and call on several children one at a time to tell what the word means, use it in a sentence, or act it out. • Have students fold a paper into 3-5 parts and ask the them to write a sentence with each word and draw a picture to illustrate the meaning. • Yes/No quiz—make up statements for each word that can be answered with yes or no • Does creeping mean to walk fast?

23. Failure to comprehend is often due to a lack of background knowledge rather than interest, ability, or literacy knowledge.

24. Teach Students to Learn How to Learn Words! • Make connections to known words • Create visuals and mind movies • Ask questions to clarify meaning of the words as they are used in context.

25. Resources • http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/resources/languagearts/instruction/?mod=232 • Bringing Words to Life, Robust Vocabulary Instruction, By Isabel Beck, McKeown, and Kucan