Transcript Document

Developing Word
Consciousness: What do we
know that can help English
language learners?
Judith A. Scott,
University of California, Santa Cruz
IRA World Congress
Costa Rica
2008
•Principal Investigator for The VINE project Vocabulary Innovations in Education
•Grant funded by the US Department of Education
(IES/NCER).
•4th grade teachers in 6 school districts to help
students, particularly English language learners,
develop word consciousness and an
understanding of how to use academic language
as a tool of communication.
•<vineproject.ucsc.edu>
Goals of my presentation
•Introduce and develop the
concept of word consciousness
•Introduce 10 ideas that I think
can make a difference in how
you think about vocabulary
instruction
What is word consciousness
and why is it important?
• an interest in and
awareness of words
• the ability to reflect on,
and manipulate words as
units of language
Word consciousness
helps students
become aware of
words in ways that go
beyond a particular
set of words.
Music Appreciation
Art Appreciation
Word Appreciation
2.
Words are the building
blocks of
communication
Purpose of learning new word
meanings:
1)to understand them when we
are listening and reading
(receptive vocabulary) and
2)to be able to use them when
we are talking and writing
(productive vocabulary).
English learners have to
learn both basic words
for communication in
English and academic
language which is found
in schools and books.
Words tied to specific content:
molecular, settlers,
ecosystems, hypotenuse
or
Words that add richness and
depth to writing:
despicable, vacillate,
translucent, grim
By the time children enter
kindergarten, a conservative
estimate is that native
English speakers know
4,000–5,000 word families in
orally in English.
It is estimated that the average
native English speaking
student in the United States
learns 2000-3000 new
vocabulary words every year
Much of that word learning
comes from wide reading and
informal vocabulary coaching
In U.S. schools, there is an
ever-widening gap between
proficient readers and those
with access to informal
vocabulary coaching,
and those who are less skilled
in reading who do not have as
much access to informal
vocabulary coaching.
Projected Growth of Root Words in Highest vs. Lowest Groups
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
The Vocabulary Pyramid
(Lubliner & Scott, 2008)
Word
Problem
Solving
Word Consciousness
Wide Reading & Read Alouds
Rich Oral Language
Closing the vocabulary gap
• Co-ordinated multi-faceted effort
• Wide base of exposure to rich and
varied language in books and
conversations
• Fosters word consciousness
• Teaches problem solving skills for
words
• Teaches students individual words &
phrases
2.
Word knowledge
and
world knowledge
are closely aligned
Rich Oral Language
Wide Reading & Read Alouds
Word Consciousness
Problem
Solving
Word
3.
Word knowledge is
complex and
multi-dimensional
Word learning
involves the
development of a
network of knowledge
Knowing a word isn’t
straightforward and simple
Knowing a word involves
knowing a word schema -all sorts of things related to
that word
Words have multiple
meanings. As a reader or
listener, you have to try to
figure out an appropriate
meaning given the context.
• He put the dinner plates in the
dishwasher
• He ran across home plate
• Baleen whales have jaws lined
with plates of baleen instead of
teeth.
4.
• Word learning is incremental
and takes place in many
steps over time.
• The more times one sees or
hears a word, the more likely
it is to be learned.
…He alternates using his big
adze, axe and chainsaw,
seeing in his mind how deeply
to cut.
Word learning exists
on a continuum
Not  Well
Known
Known
5.
Different types of words
require different types of
instruction
Building
new word meanings involves:
1. Building a completely new concept
- photosynthesis
- democracy
2. Attaching a new label to a known concept
el gato = cat
rapscallion = an annoying child
Building new word meanings involves:
•Locating a word within an existing
semantic field
Frigid = very cold
Tamarind = a kind of fruit
•Expanding the domain of a known
label - a new meaning of a word
plate, baskets,
6.
Traditional dictionaries
are poor tools for
learning the meanings of
many new words
The wood must be placed level and firmly in the
vice. Always plane in the direction of the
grain.
Vice:
1) An evil, degrading, or immoral practice or
habit
2) Second in rank
3) A kind of strong tool for holding an object
firmly
Plane:
1) a surface generated by a straight line
moving at a constant velocity
2) An airplane
3) To smooth with a plane
Definitions work best when:
•Attaching a new label to a
known concept
•Locating a word within an
existing semantic field
7.
Students need others
to help them learn
both about the world
and about how
language works.
If we want students to learn
the language of school we
need to actively, explicitly
and thoroughly
marinate
students in opportunities to
see, hear and use these
words.
8.
Exposure to rich and
varied language can
make a difference.
Exposure in preschool to
 rich vocabulary
 stimulating discussion
predicts kindergarten literacy
and 4th and 7th grade


reading comprehension
receptive vocabulary
Dickinson & Tabors (2001)
•Even a small amount of
sophisticated word use
•with instructive support for the
meaning of the words,
 increased vocabulary scores
Weizman & Snow (2001)
Gift of words
•Students gather
•Put on strips of tagboard
Students finished couplets, water
colored frames for their couplets, shared
all kinds of poetry with each other, and
started their own free verse. It’s pretty
clear to me that if I set the tone of words
being gifts students will take the time to
explore and work with their writing
pieces.
~Margarita, 4th grade VINE teacher
9.
Metacognitive coaching and
the development of word
consciousness can make a
difference.
The most useful thing I learned as a
writer this year is the Gift of Words.
I like how you can take a sentence and
transform it, like changing “I’m afraid”
to “heart pounding fear.” Sometimes
I don’t use them but I don’t know why.
When I do, BOOM, my sentences
become a lot more powerful.
~Rodrigo, Grade 6
Cognate Recognition is a form of
Word Consciousness
Students who become proficient
at cognate recognition are
metacognitively aware that they
can use cognate strategies to
figure out new vocabulary
10.
Creating connections
between the students’ world,
and the world of words used
in schooling can make a
difference.
For more information about our
federally funded grant to explore word
consciousness with 4th grade
teachers, please contact:
[email protected] or visit us at
our website
vineproject.ucsc.edu.
Books for Teachers:
Scott, J., Skobel, B. & Wells, J. (2008). The
Word-Conscious Classroom: Building
the vocabulary readers and writers
need. Scholastic: Theory and Practice
Series.
Lubliner, S. & Scott, J.A. (Expected in
2008). Nourishing Vocabulary.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Most Recent Research Publications:
Scott, J., Nagy, B. & Flinspach, S. (in press). More than
merely words: Redefining vocabulary learning in a
culturally and linguistically diverse society. In A.
Farstrup & J. Samuels (Eds.). What Research Has to
Say About Vocabulary Instruction. Newark, Delaware:
IRA
Scott, J.A., Hoover, M., Flinspach, S. & Vevea, J. (in
press). A multiple level vocabulary assessment
tool: Measuring word knowledge based on grade
level materials. In Y. Kim, V. Risko, D. Compton, et. al.
(Eds.), 57th National Reading Conference Yearbook.
Oak Creek, WI: National Reading Conference