Vocabulary for All: a school-wide literacy

initiative

Leslie Wesson & Kristie Hall

Vision Statement

A successful literacy program is based on standards that promote:

– rigorous goals for academic performance

– literacy instruction across the curriculum

– assessment of students’ progress toward meeting goals using “best practices”

– a collaborative learning community (including parents and outside members of the community), in which every voice is valued and heard

It is our vision that high quality literacy instruction goes beyond test scores and leads students to become

life-long readers and learners.

“Consistent and powerful beliefs that underlie actions are essential to sustained system and school improvement” (Hirsh, 464).

Needs Assessment

• Principals desire a vocabulary focus for the 2010-2011 year.

• Literacy coach has noted through classroom observation a need for strengthened vocabulary instruction.

• Analysis of scores on curriculum-based and standardized assessments have indicated a drop in overall performance as students enter 4th and 5th grade.

• A formal needs assessment will be conducted at the beginning of the school year.

• 46% of the school population are Second Language Learners.

“Connecting the school and the community means listening to the community in which the school is situated, so that the individual voices of those students and of that school can be the foundation of the education

those students receive” (Edwards, 44)

Research Question

What best practices in vocabulary instruction will accelerate literacy learning for all students that can be built upon from year

to year, and include both English and Spanish?

To implement high quality vocabulary instruction for all learners (in both English and Spanish) and provide a supportive learning

environment throughout the community.

Inside School

• Provide students with vocabulary foundation.

• Engage learners in meaningful language opportunities.

Outside School

• Engaging in activities outside of school will allow students an opportunity to apply their learning to the “real world”. (i.e. conversation or discussion)

Focus of Study

“Without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (Wilkins as quoted in Milton, 228).

Desired Outcomes

•Increase teachers’ professional knowledge of best practices in vocabulary instruction.

• Enhance parents’ and the community involvement as a supportive role in word learning.

• Student will be confident in exploring and applying new word learning through vocabulary instruction that is meaningful to their daily language use. • The biliterate community of Westworth Village will become more aware of the languages and vocabulary in their area.

“Teachers are increasingly faced with a diverse group of learners in terms of current word knowledge, linguistic background, learning styles, and literacy abilities. It is up to teachers

to make word learning enjoyable, meaningful, and effective.” (Blachowicz as quoted in Gambrell, 179)

Impact on Student Learning

Academic Benefits

• gains in comprehension

• deeper meaning in writing

• strengthened oral language skills

Self & Cultural Benefits

• additional confidence in language use

• better ability to communicate with others

• greater sense of learner ownership

“According to Stahl and Fairbanks, vocabulary knowledge has been identified as the most important indicator of oral language

proficiency” (Wallace, 39)

Contributions to the Comprehensive Reading Program

Curriculum

•Creating a new resource for vocabulary instruction based on research and best practices.

Assessme

nt

•Introducing an informal assessment of vocabulary for grades K-2.

•Building upon the current bi-monthly assessment of vocabulary for grades 3-5.

Instructio

n

•Facilitating a shift in instructional practices that will lead to a deeper understanding of words.

VocabularySupporting Research & Theory

• “Comprehensive vocabulary instruction includes, frequent and varied language experiences, teaching individual words, and teaching word learning strategies, as well as fostering word consciousness.” (Graves, 186)

• “Research indicates that knowledge of individual words exists on a continuum ranging from known to unknown.” With each new encounter with a particular word, depth of knowledge increases, moving the word further along the continuum from known to unknown. (Graves, 192)

• The most important aspect to creating a word-rich environment is that the teacher scaffolds and nurtures students’ engagement, especially students with smaller vocabularies. (Graves, 2008)

• For word learning to occur, two conditions need to be met: Students must read widely enough to encounter a substantial number of unfamiliar words, and they must have the skills to infer word meaning information from the contexts they read. (Beck, 2002)

• English language learners vary widely in the breadth and quality of their vocabulary knowledge (Ordonez, Carlo, Snow, & McLaughlin, 2002), depending on the richness of the English and native language they have access to, and their access to appropriate vocabulary instruction. (Gambrell, 2007)

“Vocabulary … is the foundation of success in school.” (Akhavan, 4)

Supporting Research Cont.

• Students’ reading outside of school is mediated by family, siblings, and a larger support network (Haneda, 2006).

• When a school includes the community they, “make learning personally relevant to their students” (Haneda, 342).

• Learning that includes the community teaches tolerance and allows all students to feel connected to their school and education (Edwards, 2001).

• “Parents are a child’s first and most important teachers” A parent’s actions provide a model for their child in life, and their responses to their child’s comments have a great influence on the child’s knowledge and beliefs (Booth, 2002).

Parent & Community Connection

“Literacy can be shared discovery” (Ciotti, 59).

Levels of Involvement

Leadership Team

• Provide: – training

• recourses• research

– lesson demos– monitor progress of

instruction and student performance

– teacher support– overall planning of

parent/community connection events

Teachers

• Primary source of vocabulary instruction.

• Provide parents with information sessions.

• Administration of assessments.

• Librarian: reinforce classroom vocabulary instruction, and support local librarians’ efforts.

“Collaboration among educators builds shared responsibility and improves student learning” (Hirsh, 469)

Levels of Involvement Cont.

Students

• Demonstrate applied knowledge of new vocabulary.

• Self-assess optimal word use.

Parents/Community

• Provide support for growing vocabulary knowledge.

• Model the exploration of new vocabulary.

• Public Libraries: partner with school to reinforce vocabulary learning.

“Once parents are presented with concrete ideas for getting involved, they often rise to the challenge and serve as important partners in

the literacy process” (Booth, 2002).

Plan for Implementation

Steps for Implementation

1. Introduce initiative to leadership team and administrators.1. Discuss and use feedback to improve initial design.

2. Set up tentative dates for professional learning .

3. Develop guidelines for observation throughout the initiative.

2. Needs assessment (for teachers, public librarians, and parents)

1. Collection of data.

2. Analysis of response, restructuring of initiative as based on need

3. Introduce initiative to educators , public librarians, and parents.

1. Discussion with stakeholders to inform revisions based on need(s).

4. Plan professional learning based on educators’ feedback.5. Data meetings with leadership and grade level teams to

address evaluation of initiative.6. Gathering of resources and materials for in class activities

and home activities.1. Parent volunteer sign-ups

2. Address budget.

7. Creation of online resources (parent/student wiki and teacher wiki)

8. Overall evaluation of initiative by all stakeholders.

“We need to understand the data of our assessments in relation to vocabulary learning and reflect on this information to tweak our lessons and activities to

encourage powerful learning” (Akhavan, 16).

Proposed Professional Learning

Instruction

Best Practices Activity Sharing

Assessment

Informal Standardized

Introduction to Initiative

Research & Theory Knowing vs. Owning Vocabulary

“Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the

world” (Stahl as quoted in Townsend, 250)

Time Frame

•Leadership’s introduction to initiative.

•Needs assessment to educators & public librarians.

•Present initiative to educators and public librarians.

•Needs assessment sent to parents.

August

•Professional Learning (PL): Research & Theory

•Evaluate PL session•Leadership: model instruction

•Open House: begin parental connection

•Parent Volunteer Sign-up

•Create home activities•PL: Assessment•Evaluate PL session

September

•PL: Instruction•Evaluate PL session•Family literacy night: develop partnership and provide materials

•Provide public libraries with training & materials.

•School librarians meet with public librarians to coordinate efforts in school and outside school.

October

•Data meetings for evaluating the effectiveness of the initiative.

•Leadership observation of teaching and student performance.

•Learning walks•Provide public libraries with training & materials.

•Teacher/Parent education sessions

•Each 6 wks: meet to discuss initiative’s progress and celebrate successes.

•Overall evaluation of initiative.

November-May

Evaluation ProcessMonitoring

Effectiveness

• Leadership and teacher observations of students’ oral language and vocabulary use.

• Student self-evaluations.

• TPRI K-2• Curriculum based

assessments 3-5

Receiving Feedback

• Needs assessments• Evaluation surveys

from professional learning.

• Data meetings• Each 6 wks:

update/celebration meeting

• Final evaluation

“Evaluation strengthens performance and results” (Hirsh, 467).

Communication & Delivery

• PowerPoint introductions

• Professional learning sessions

• Teacher resource wiki

• Modeled Instruction

Educators Community

• PowerPoint introductions

• Family Literacy Night

• Family resource wiki

• Teacher/Parent education sessions

“Any new practice must start with teacher collaboration toward a shared understanding of the foundations of vocabulary learning.” (Berne, 320)

References

Akhavan, N., (2007). Accelerated Vocabulary Instruction: Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gap for All Students. New York:

Scholastic.

Beck, I., McKeown, M., Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. New York: Guilford Press.

Berne, J., & Blachowicz, C. (2008). What Reading Teachers Say About Vocabulary Instruction: Voices From the Classroom. Reading Teacher, 62(4), 314-323. Retrieved from Education Research

Complete database.

Booth, D., & Rowsell, J. (2002). The literacy principal: Leading, supporting and assessing reading and writing initiatives. Markham: Pembroke Publishers.

Ciotti, H. (2001). Including parents in the fun: Sharing literary experiences. The English Journal, 90(5),52-59.Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

References Cont.

Edwards, S. (2001). Bridging the gap: Connecting school and community with service learning.The English Journal,90(5), 39-44.Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Gambrell, L., Morrow, L., Pressley, M. (2007) Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. New York: Guilford Press.

Graves, M., & Watts-Taffe, S. (2008). For the Love of Words: Fostering Word Consciousness in Young Readers. Reading Teacher, 62(3), 185-193. Retrieved from Education Research Complete

database.

Haneda, M. (2006). Becoming Literate in a Second Language: Connecting

Home, Community, and School Literacy Practices. Theory Into Practice, 45(4), 337-345. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Hirsh, S., & Killion, J. (2009). When Educators Learn, Students Learn. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(7), 464-469.

References Cont.

Manyak, P., & Bauer, E. (2009). English Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners. Reading Teacher, 63(2), 174-176. Retrieved from

Education Research Complete database.

Milton, J. (2008). Vocabulary uptake from informal learning tasks. Language Learning Journal, 36(2), 227-237. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Townsend, D. (2009). Building Academic Vocabulary in After-School Settings: Games for Growth With Middle School English-

Language Learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 242-251. Retrieved from Education Research Complete

database.

Wallace, C. (2008). VOCABULARY: The Key to Teaching English Language Learners to Read. Education Digest, 73(9), 36-39.

Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

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