Strategies for Vocabulary Development

Middle & High School

Martha LambAugust, 2010

Get Acquainted

Goals

• Use research-validated practices for selecting and prioritizing words for vocabulary instruction

• State the five essential steps for teaching vocabulary to mastery (A-PREP)

• Name at least three ways of providing a context when teaching new words

• Identify at least five different activities to use for the “elaboration” phase of vocabulary instruction

• Access numerous activities to use for the “practice & play” phase of vocabulary instruction

Each participant will be able to:

Turn and Talk

Turn to a partner anddiscuss what you know about how a child learns to talk.

Functional Vocabulary

Receptive Productive

Oral Listening Speaking

Written

Reading Writing

Functional Vocabulary

Receptive Productive

Oral Listening Speaking

Written

Reading Writing

Written vocabulary

Spoken vocabulary

Reading vocabulary

Listening vocabulary

Functional Vocabulary

Receptive Productive

Oral Listening Speaking

Written

Reading Writing

Written vocabulary

Spoken vocabulary

Reading vocabulary

Listening vocabulary

How is Academic Vocabulary Acquired?

Wide Reading

+ Direct Vocabulary Instruction

Strong Working Vocabulary

Implication for Instruction:

Choose words to teach based on each word’s:

•Frequency of occurrence

•Importance for understanding course content

Selecting Words for Vocabulary Instruction

Tier 1 words: Basic vocabulary (book, girl, run, orange. . . )

Tier 2 words: High frequency/multiple meaning words (masterpiece, fortunate, benevolent, measure. . . )

Tier 3 words: Low frequency/subject specific words (isotope, cardiovascular, legislative, metaphor, integer . . . )

Teach to ELLs

High priority for instruction

Should be taught selectively. Critical terms are essential for proficiency in content classes.

Brain research tells us we must limit the number of words we teach at one time. For optimal learning, introduce no more than 3 – 5 new words per lesson.

How can I prioritize my vocabulary terms??!?

•Critically important

•Useful, but not critical

•Interesting, but not particularly useful

Effective Vocabulary Instruction: A-PREP

• Access Prior Knowledge

• Teacher Provides a context

• Students Re-state

• Students Elaborate

• Students Practice & play

Access Prior Knowledge

• Paired-Partner discussion• Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart• Prediction chart or foldable

Teacher Provides a Context

• Tell a story• Share an image• Relate to a current event• Provide an experience

Voluminous

Avenue

Turbidity

Viscosity

Classroom Example: Survivalism lesson

Activity• List five words that you will be

teaching in the coming year• Turn to a partner and brainstorm

ways you could provide a context for your students when teaching these words

• Teach one of the words to the group by providing a context

Students Restate Definition In Their Own Words

• Critical for comprehension & retention• Must be checked for accuracy**

**Safeguard first-time learning

Students Elaborate on New Vocabulary Terms

• Create a visual: illustration, symbol, icon• Dramatize (live or with cartoon frames)• Examples• Non-Examples• List synonyms or antonyms• Word Parts

Tools:• Jim Burke’s “Vocabulary Squares”• Frayer Model• Words Gone Wild• Expanded Flash Cards• Word Work Choice Board

Activity• Move about the room while the music

plays. . . When it stops, partner with the person who is nearest to you.

• You & your partner will collaborate to answer questions about content you have learned so far today

Activity• Move about the room while the

music plays. . . When it stops, partner with the person who is nearest to you.

• You & your partner will collaborate to answer questions about content you have learned so far today

1. What are the 5 steps for teaching vocabulary and what is the acronym for those 5 steps?

Activity• Move about the room while the

music plays. . . When it stops, partner with the person who is nearest to you.

• You & your partner will collaborate to answer questions about content you have learned so far today

2. Name the 3 ways that were presented for accessing prior knowledge of vocabulary words.

Activity• Move about the room while the

music plays. . . When it stops, partner with the person who is nearest to you.

• You & your partner will collaborate to answer questions about content you have learned so far today

3. Name 4 ways of providing a context when teaching new terms.

Activity• Move about the room while the

music plays. . . When it stops, partner with the person who is nearest to you.

• You & your partner will collaborate to answer questions about content you have learned so far today

• Name 5 different tasks (not tools) you can have students do to elaborate upon vocabulary terms.

• soliloquy

• subsidy

• overload (law of)

• biodegrade

• outlier

ActivityElaborate on three of the terms by

utilizing a different elaboration tool for each word.

Terms: Tools:

soliloquy Vocabulary Boxessubsidy Frayer Modeloverload (law of) Words Gone Wildbiodegrade Expanded Flash Cardsoutlier Word Work Choice

Board

Effective Vocabulary Instruction: A-PREP

• Access Prior Knowledge

• Teacher Provides a context

• Students Re-state

• Students Elaborate

• Students Practice & play

Students Practice and Play With Words

• 10-24-7 rule of practice• Puzzles• Random Name Picker (classtools.net)• Quizlet • Linear Arrays• Which One Doesn’t Belong• Classroom Feud

Goals

• Use research-validated practices for selecting and prioritizing words for vocabulary instruction

• State the five essential steps for teaching vocabulary to mastery (A-PREP)

• Name at least three ways of providing a context when teaching new words

• Identify at least five different activities to use for the “elaboration” phase of vocabulary instruction

• Access numerous activities to use for the “practice & play” phase of vocabulary instruction

Each participant will be able to: