Transcript Slide 1

Vocabulary
August 2008
What do you know about
vocabulary ?
1. The smallest unit of meaning in language is
a.
b.
c.
d.
morpheme
grapheme
phoneme
letter
2. A word’s meaning depends largely on the
a.
b.
c.
d.
context in which it is used
part of speech
reader’s interpretation
phonemic rules
3. Words can have
a. the same sounds but different meanings
b. different sounds but the same spelling
c. the same spelling but different meanings
d. all of the above
4. “Passive” vocabulary refers to
a. nouns and pronouns
b. words we are indifferent to
c. words we recognize but don’t know well
d. words we don’t recognize at all
5. “Active” vocabulary refers to
a. verbs
b. words we use regularly
c. words we can say but not define
d. words we recognize
6. According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
how many meanings are there for word run?
a. 82
b. 43
c. 6
d. 28
7. One of the best ways to expand vocabulary
is through
a. wide reading
b. spelling lists
c. memorization
d. writing compositions
8. Learning a new word “concept” requires
a. 5 exposures
b. 12 exposures
c. multiple exposures
d. multiple exposures in different contexts
9. Which of the following is a good way to teach
vocabulary?
a. student exploration of various resources
b. word sorts
c. direct instruction of key words
d. wide reading
e. all of the above
10. Which of the following is not a good way to teach
vocabulary?
a. memorizing definitions
b. direct instruction of key words
c. word games (Wordo)
d. literature discussions
Answers~Think~ Pair~
Share
 Answers: 1-a; 2-a; 3-d; 4-c; 5-b; 6-a; 7-a; 8-d;
9-e; 10-a
 Turn to the person on your left and share what
you knew and what surprised you.
Vocabulary
Grades K-5
 Vocabulary refers to words we must
know to communicate effectively.
 Oral vocabulary refers to words that we
recognize in listening (receptive) or use
in speaking (productive).
 Written vocabulary refers to words we
recognize in reading (receptive) or use in
writing (productive).
Research says…
 Becoming literate requires knowing thousands of words.
 Gaps in vocabulary start in preschool.
 Word knowledge in preschool correlates to comprehension in
middle school. (Scarborough, 1998)
 Vocabulary is central to comprehension and learning.
(McKeown, Beck, Omanson and Perfetti,1983, 2002)
 Lots of exposure to books and wide reading are essential.
 Instruction can make a difference. (Snow & Dickinson)
 Vocabulary knowledge predicts comprehension performance
with positive correlations between .6 and .8.
(Pearson, Kamil, & Hiebert, 2007)
 Students with poor vocabulary by third grade have declining
text comprehension scores in fourth and fifth grade.
(Chall, Jacobs and Baldwin, 1990)
What Does It Mean to “Know
a Word’s Meaning?
 Continuum of Word Knowledge
 Level 1 “I’ve never seen it before.”
 Level 2 “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know what it
means.
 Level3 “I recognize its context, it has something to
do with…
 Level 4 “I know it.”

(Dale & O’Rourke 1986)
Context Clues Word Study Chart
Word
simultaneously
Code:
!=Know it
+=Heard it
X=Never heard it
+
Think It Means
(Must take a
guess-can’t write
“don’t know.”
similar
Definition
To happen at the
same time.
Context Clue Chart continued…
Day
Sentence-underline vocabulary word and circle clue word (s)/phrase.
9/8
When the two actors in the musical sang simultaneously their voices
became one.
Inference
Types of Clues:
Explanation clues-definition
Synonym clues-restatement
Antonym clues-contrast
General context clues-inference
How do children learn
words?
 Direct Instruction
 Estimates are that teachers can directly teach between 300 and
600 words per year.
 Indirect Instruction
 Estimates are that children can learn about 3000-3500 words
per year from listening and reading in context.
 The teacher still plays a role in creating experiences and
guiding discovery.
 You need both instruction and context, but context provides
many more word meanings.
How Many Words Should
Students Know?
 Some estimate that students learn about 7
new words a day elementary through high
school.
 Results in about 2,700-3,000 words a year.
 However, others argue that students may be
exposed to 7 words a day but to understand
and use words productively requires a much
longer process.
(Snow, Burns, Griffin, 1998)
Independent Reading
What Matters (Trelease2006, Allington 1988
Percentile Rank
Minutes of Reading Per Day
Words Read Per Year
98
65.0
4,358,000
90
21.2
1,823,000
80
14.2
1,146,000
70
9.6
622,000
60
6.5
432,000
50
4.6
282,000
40
3.2
200,000
30
1.8
106,000
20
0.7
21,000
10
.1
8,000
Language Development in Young
Children
Amount of time spent in
conversation
Grade
Number of Words
Known
Growth in that
Year
4,000 of fewer
words
8,000-10,000
11,500
2,000 Words
50 hours (2 minutes a
day)
1800 (1 hour a day)
2,000 (1.1 hours a day)
K
Prior to entering
School
1
6,000 Words
10,500
15,000
2,500 Words
3,750
4,000
2
8,500 Words
14,225
19,000
3,000 Words
4,500
5,000
3
11,500 Words
18,750
24,000
3,500 Words
5,000
5,500
2,500
3,000
What Can We Do to Close the
Gap?
 Explicit robust vocabulary instruction:
 Offers rich information about words and their uses.
 Provide frequent and varied opportunities for students to
think about and use words.
 Enhance students’ language comprehension and
production.
 Connect new words with prior experiences.
 Include labeling and classifying sorts.
 Teaching students a few select strategies for unlocking
word meanings during reading
Teacher’s Must…
 Choose appropriate words for instruction.
 Vary instruction according to the nature
of the words.
 Provide active engagement of the
students.
 Provide multiple exposures.
 Help them understand the structure of
words, prefixes, suffixes and roots.
Teacher’s Will…
 Encourage wide reading.
 Provide instruction before reading,
during reading, and after reading.
 Provide definitional, contextual,
conceptual, and relational emphases.
 Provide modeling and instruction in
independent word-learning strategies.
Student’s Must…
 Learn and refine the meanings for
unfamiliar words.
 Actively engage in discussions about
words in the story.
 Develop an appreciation for WOW words.
Student’s Will…
 Use strategies to figure out word
meanings, when appropriate.
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
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Identify word parts.
Use context clues.
Use the dictionary effectively and efficiently.
Ask for help when needed.
Tier One: Basic Words
 The most basic words; rarely require
instruction.

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clock
baby
happy
boy
sit
to
run
Tier Three: LowFrequency Words
 Seldom used, often limited to specific
domains

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
isotope
lathe
peninsula
prospector
outrider
Tier Two: Rich Words
 High Frequency words
Instruction with these words can add
productively to a student’s language
ability
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coincidence
absurd
delicious
fortunate
eager
Tier Two Words
 Generate a list of possible words which
describe a picture.
 Beat the Teacher
 “I’m thinking of a word” ex. Happy
 What’s in the bag?
 Each child gets one bag, looks inside, and
chooses six words that describe the item.
WORDS ALIVE
 Students are divided into small groups.
Each group is given a few words.
 The teacher discusses the meanings of the
words.
 Each group comes up with an action or
"tableaux" (still life, involving students) that
illustrates the meaning of each assigned
words for other students.
The Words Alive strategy
• Teaches words effectively.
• Allows students to process words deeply.
• Students to cooperate.
• Differentiates
• Excellent for teaching technical words.
Vocabulary Frames
Vocabulary Frames are a flashcard method for learning new vocabulary. Do not
use Vocabulary Frames for every vocabulary word. Words that introduce new
concepts are best used with Vocabulary Frames.
Frame Directions
 Top Right Corner: Write the word’s definition
Top Left Corner: Write the word’s opposite and cross
it out
Lower Left Corner: Write a silly sentence that uses
the definition of the word
Lower Right Corner: Draw a graphic to help you
visualize the concept
In the Center: Write the word
 Isolate any prefixes
Isolate the root
Note the meaning of the root
Isolate any suffixes
Label the part of speech in parenthesis
ANYTHING GOES
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increases automaticity.
provides review.
deepens processing.
takes five to ten minutes.
The teacher lists words on the board or overhead, then “anything goes.” The
teacher can ask any questions he or she wants.
Sample “Anything Goes” questions include:
What does __________ mean?
Find me two adjectives (or other parts of speech).
Find a word with a positive meaning.
How are ________ and __________ related?
Find two words with prefixes (suffixes).
Give me another form of _________.
Find me a word that can be both a noun and a verb.
Find me a word that has to do with _________.
Find me a word with two (or three) meanings.
Show how you ____________.
Websites
 www.manatee,k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/pal
masola.rvocabindex.htm
 www.vocabulary.com
 www.wordexplorations.com
 www.wordcentral.com
References
Allen, Janet, Words, Word, Teaching Vocabulary in
Grades 4-12 (Stenhouse Publishers, 1999, ISBN 1-57110085-7)
Beck, Isabel, Bringing Words to Life (Guilford Press, 2002,
ISBM 1-57230753-6
Graves, Michael F., The VO CAB U-LAR-Y Book Learning
& Instruction (International Reading Association, 2006,
ISBN 0-8077-4627-4)
Hoyt, Linda, Revisit, Reflect, Retell Strategies for
Improving Reading Comprehension (Heinemann, 1999,
ISBN 0-325-00071-9)
Rasinski, Timothy and Nancy Padak, Effective Reading
Strategies: Teaching Children Who Find Reading
Difficult (3rd Ed.) (Prentice Hall 2004 ISBN 0-1311-21863)