Choosing and Introducing Words for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

1. Choosing and Introducing Words for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

2. Objectives • Word Study Demonstrations (see groupings) 10 mins each X 4 = 40 mins • Integrating Explicit Vocabulary Instruction into Text-Talks • Reviewing Effective Practices • Developing a Text-Talk Vocabulary Lesson

3. Word Study Demonstration Lessons • Brief summary with “student” voice to your peers (I’ll get the handout) – 1 minute • Teacher Voice (Don’t read your handout – teach) • Explain/Model (3 mins) • Provide guided practice (3 mins) • Provide independent practice (3 mins)

4. Choosing and Introducing Words for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

5. What does it mean to KNOW a word?

6. What does it mean to know a word?

7. Four Levels of Word Knowledge • Unknown • Initial word knowledge: seen or heard it • Partial Word Knowledge: know one meaning and can use in a sentence • Full Word Knowledge: more than one meaning and can use in several ways portend appropriation tyranny sycophant

8. Tompkins – Three Word Learning Strategies • Analyze word parts • Checking a dictionary • Using context clues How do these ideas DIFFER from Beck & McKeown’s ideas about how to teach vocabulary?

9. Definitions are little help… • Weak differentiation: Definition does not differentiate how the word is different from other words (e.g. conspicuous = “easily seen.” How does that differentiate from visible?) • Vague language (typical = “being a type”) • More likely interpretation: Definition uses familiar words in unfamiliar ways (e.g. devious = “straying from the right course, not straightforward.” Students could interpret as walking. • Multiple pieces of information: definition gives nohelp in how to integrate pieces (e.g. exotic =“foreign, strange, not native”)

10. Context cues CAN help, but not always • “Rebecca, come back and eat your Cheerios, they’re getting soggy.” • Rebecca inferred soggy meant sad and lonely. And then, she later used it in her own language… • I don’t want to go to bed – I feel soggy!” • When context clues do work, for every 100 words, only learn 3-15 of them.

11. Conditions (and problems) for learning words from context • READ WIDELY TO encounter lots of NEW WORDS • Many students who in need of vocabulary development don’t read widely, or they don’t read books that include words with which they are unfamiliar • STUDENTS MUST HAVE SKILLS to infer meanings of words from context • Many students who in need of vocabulary development are less able to derive information from context

12. How helpful are context clues? It depends… • Directive contexts: likely to lead to correct inference about meaning (86%) • Nora grew smaller and smaller and finally vanished. (disappeared) • General contexts: enough clues to infer general category of meaning (49%) • Brian said morosely, “This miserable town will be the death of us!” (bad, negatively – but specifics are undefined)

13. How helpful are context clues? It depends… • Non-Directive contexts: (27%) little assistance in helping to define meaning • Freddy look at the team members. Each looked more hapless than the next. (Happy? Untrained? But descriptive…) • Misdirective contexts: direct to incorrect meaning of word (3%) • John was exhilarated after his first experience mountain climbing.

14. The biggest challenge… • There are too many words to teach! • Students encounter so many new words in reading, how could we teach them all? • Not all words need attention • Not all words should be treated equally • According to Beck & McKeown, what types of words need attention and which can we “ignore”?

15. Choosing words to teach • Tier One words: Most basic words, rarely require instruction (cake, street, walk, jump) • Tier Three words: Words that are low frequency, or are domain specific (isotope, woof, peninsula), probably learned best when needed in content

16. Tier Two words • High frequency words for mature language users • Words that would be found across a variety of domains • Words that can be worked with in a variety of ways so that students can build rich representations of them and their connections to other words and concepts • Words for which students understand the general concept, but would provide more precision in use • e.g. astonished, coincidence, absurd, scrumptious • Mad: frustrated, angry, disturbed …

17. Words from Ruby the Copycat • Tier 1: • Tier 2: • Tier 3:

18. Beck & McKeownTeaching Vocabulary • Start with instructional materials/books – choose words that are important for comprehension • Multiple exposures • Breadth of information • Actively engage with word by thinking and processing deeply • HOW DO WE DO THAT??

19. Activities for Building Vocabulary Students interact with the words

20. Overheard Conversations Unique Monotone Extraordinary Peculiar

21. Example - Nonexample

22. Word Lines • How much energy does it take to… • Flex your little finger? • Thrust a heavy door shut? • Embrace a teddy bear? • Beckon to someone for five straight hours? • Seize a feather floating through the air • Least energy _____________ most energy How would you rank these personally?

23. Thinking Deeply About WordsApplause, Applause! • 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 word. Why do they feel that way? • Ruby the Copycat • Copycat, original, creative, independent, a leader, a follower

24. Thinking Deeply About WordsRelating Words • See whether there is anything about the words that is related. • Create an activity to relate the words. • Reluctant, insisted, drowsy might be demonstrated by facial expressions • Create a sentence using all words: Would you prefer to budge a sleeping lamb or a ferocious lion? Why? • Ask students to choose between two words: If you get your clothes ready to wear to school before you go to sleep, would that be sensible or raucous?

25. What other techniques did you see in the lesson? • Student-Friendly Definitions • Making Choices • Idea Completion • Have You Ever? • Word Associations • Relating words • Using words in one context • Classifying words

26. Student-Friendly Explanations Two Key Strategies • Characterize the word and how it is typically used • Explain the meaning in everyday language

27. Student-Friendly DefinitionsCharacterize the Word • Explanation should be as particular as possible (When do I use this word particularly? Why do we have such a word?) • Tamper: Defined as, “to interfere in a secret or incorrect way.” Could be construed as meddling. Does not get at the idea of messing something up in a sinister way. • Student friendly explanation: “to change something secretly so that it doesn’t work properly or becomes harmful.”

28. Student-Friendly ExplanationsExplain Meaning in an Everyday Way • Ally: Defined as, “one associated with another” • What is association? • Student friendly explanation: “somebody who does things with you” • Does that characterize “ally”? • Doesn’t get at main characteristic of helping in a common cause • Better student friendly explanation: “Someone who helps you in what you are trying to do, especially when there are other people who are against you.”

29. Student friendly definitions in Ruby the Copycat? • Coincidence – things that happen by chance at the same time • Loyal – always being there for someone • Bitter – the feeling you have when you stay angry • Murmured? Recited? Sensitive? • New words: gently?? Pleasant? Plopped?

30. “Interacting with Words”: Making Choices • If any of the things I say might be examples of people clutching something, say “clutching.” If not, don’t say anything. • Holding tight to a purse • Holding a fisful of money • Softly petting a cat’s fur • If any of the things I say would make some one radiant, say, “You’d be radiant.” If not, don’t say anything. • Winning a million dollars • Getting a hug from a favorite movie star • Walking to the post office

31. Thinking Deeply About WordsIdea Completions • Provide students with stem that requires them to integrate a word’s meaning into a context in order to explain a situation • The audience asked the virtuoso to play another piece of music because… • The skiing teacher said Maria was a novice on the ski slopes because …

32. Interacting with Words: Questions, Reasons, Examples • If you are walking around a dark room, would you do it cautiously? Why? What are some other things that need to be done cautiously? • What is something you could do to impress your teacher? Why? What is something that might impress your mother? • Which of these things would be extraordinary? Why or why not? • A shirt that was comfortable or a shirt that washed itself? • A person who has a library card, or a person who has read all the books in the library?

33. Thinking Deeply About WordsHave You Ever …? • Helps students associate new words with contexts and activities from their own experiences • Describe a time when you might urge someone? • Describe a time when you might banter with someone? • What would make you gleeful?

34. Thinking Deeply About WordsWord associations • Associate a new word when presented with a word or phrase: • Words = accomplice, virtuoso, philanthropist, novice • Which word goes with crook? • Which word goes with “gift to build a new hospital”?

35. Thinking Deeply About WordsUsing the Words in One Context • What would an immense plate of spaghetti look like? • Would you feel miserable after you ate all that spaghetti? Why or why not? • What would it look like to eat the spaghetti in a leisurely way?

36. Thinking Deeply About Words Use the Same Format for Words • If you satisfy your curiosity, do you need to find out more or have you found out all you need? Why? • If a dog was menacing, would you want to pet it or move away? Why? • If you wanted to see something exquisite, would you go to a museum or a grocery store? Why?

37. Thinking Deeply About Words Classifying • Mammals • People • Cats • Dogs • Lions • Mice • Whales • Reptiles • Snakes • Alligators • Dinosaurs • Lizards

38. Thinking Deeply About Words Classifying • What makes something a mammal? • Hair • Warm-blooded • Milk to young • What makes something a reptile? • Skin? • Cold-blooded • Shape of head

39. Teaching words in semantic groups Bad People • Villain • Malefactor • Burglar • Embezzler • Miscreant • Cad • Rogue • Scoundrel Red • Crimson • Scarlet • Pink • Blush • Ruby • Sanguine • Carmine

40. Semantic Feature Analysis

41. Try It Out With Your Lesson Template:The Scarecrow’s Hat

42. Tier 2 words in The Scarecrow’s Hat? • swapped • grateful • relief • delighted • ledge • replied • battered • lookout • streams

43. Homework • Tompkins pages (Assessment) • Running Records Website