Transcript Winning the war on words:

Victorious vocabulary
Winning the war on words
in 15 minutes or less
Amy Mount, K-12 Social Studies Coordinator, Tyler ISD
[email protected] – http://smartersocialstudies.edublogs.org
Victorious Vocabulary
 Review what the research says about
best practices
 Consider the components of effective
vocabulary instruction
 Participate in a mini-lesson
 Share other resources
What the research says
Why Do we teach vocabulary?
Knowing
vocabulary
is the
key
to
unlocking
text.
Good vocabulary instruction helps
children gain ownership of words,
instead of just learning words well
enough to pass a test. Good
vocabulary instruction provides
multiple exposures through rich and
varied activities to meaningful
information about the word. - Stahl
& Kapinus, 2001
Why Do we teach vocabulary?
• Each month, children in high poverty
environments are exposed to 600
fewer different words than children
in low poverty environments.
• By age 4, children in high-poverty
environments have heard 32 million
fewer words than those in low
poverty environments. (Hart & Risley,
2003)
Children in
middle-income
homes: 700
words
Children in
high-poverty
homes: 500
words
Children in lowpoverty homes:
1,100 words
Cumulative
Monthly
Vocabulary
Spoken in
the Home
The Do’s of Vocabulary InsTrucTIon
Vocabulary instruction is MOST EFFECTIVE when the
teacher
1. Knows the word and its correct pronunciation
2. Knows the meaning of the word as it is used in the
context in which the students will be working
3. Has decided on several robust examples and
instructional encounters in which to engage the
students.
The Don’Ts of Vocabulary InsTrucTIon
Good vocabulary instruction is not
• Copying definitions from the dictionary/glossary
• Just sticking words on a word wall
• Matching words and definitions
• Writing sentences (that often don’t make sense)
• Expecting students to learn words through reading alone
• Limiting student talk
• Pushing it all on the ELAR teachers
Direct vs Indirect instruction
Indirect
- Conversations with peers and adults
- When students read or are read to
- Encouraging word curiosity (word
walls, word notebooks, etc)
Direct
- Use of a vocabulary routine
- Teaching words through the use of context
- Using models, demonstrations, graphic
organizers, classroom discussions
Which Words Do we teach?
Select a limited number of words for explicit instruction and
subsequent practice and review that:
1. Are unknown to students,
2. Are important to understanding the text/topic,
3. Are likely to be encountered in the future
a. Are high frequency words
b. Are “tier two words”
4. And are characteristic of mature language learners.
Tiered
Vocabulary
3
Where the words fall in the
tiers depends on your kids
and your content
Mercantilism
• Tier 1: Common words
you’d encounter in every
day life
• Tier 2: Words you’re more
likely to encounter when
reading all kinds of texts
• Tier 3: Words that are
specific to a field of study
Taiga
Manorialism
1
Legacy
2 Financial
Society
Budget Settle
Religion
Progress Leader
Alphaboxes
Components of effective instruction
Marzano’s
6 steps
1. Teacher
provides a
studentfriendly
description,
explanation,
or example.
Which One Helps Students?
The title given to Russian
autocratic monarchs
before the 1917
Revolution; from the Latin
word “Caesar,” meaning
emperor.
Leaders in Russia were
called czars. They had
complete control over all
of the people and
decisions in the country.
Their power was
unlimited.
Marzano’s 6 STEPS
2. Student restates
the description,
explanation, or
example in their
own words.
Turn and Talk
… but what do I talk about?
• What experience do I have
with this word?
• What does this word remind
me of?
• If I were writing the
dictionary, my definition of
this word would be…
Marzano’s 6 STEps
3. Students (record
their definition
and) draw or create
a picture, symbol,
or graphic
representation of
the word
• No artists? Have them find an
image to represent the term
and justify why this is the
best representation. (Words
really well with abstract
terms!)
• Kids need to move? Have
them act it out instead.
• Use student illustrations for
your Word Wall!
Marzano’s 6 Steps
4. Students add terms to their vocabulary notebook.
• Dinah Zike’s Foldables
• Pinterest!
5. Ask students to discuss terms with one another.
• LRE Mix-Match-Freeze games
• Inner-Outer Circle Discussion
• Sentence Stems
6. Play games using the terms.
• I have, who has?
• Pictionary / Charades
• Bingo
Anita Archer
• Queen of Vocabulary - http://explicitinstruction.org
• Instructional Routine for Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
Introduce the word
Present a student-friendly explanation
Illustrate the word with examples.
Check for understanding
• Ask processing questions. (“Why do you think…?”)
• Have students discern between examples/nonexamples.
• Have students generate their own examples.
Mini lesson
What does MLK’s Letter from
a Birmingham Jail reveal
about his leadership and the
Civil Rights Movement?
11TH GRADE US HISTORY
Objectives
The student will be able to explain how MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail reflects his
leadership in the Civil Rights movement and tactics such a civil disobedience and nonviolence.
The student will show comprehension of text (Letter from a Birmingham Jail), through analytical
skills such as close reading, and by synthesizing findings in a poem.
Nonviolence
Compelled
Agitator
Demonstration