Teaching VocabularyCreated by Trish Glover

What is Vocabulary?“...knowledge of words and word meanings in both oral and print language and in productive and receptive forms”

So what does this mean?And in teaching...“...we use vocabulary to refer to the kind of words that students must know to read increasingly demanding text with comprehension”

(Lehr, F., Osborn, J. & Hiebert, E. 2004, p. 5)

The Link Between Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension

Findings in reading research have found that the extent of students’ vocabulary knowledge relates strongly to their reading comprehension and overall academic success.

(Lehr, F., Osborn, J. & Hiebert, E. 2004)

“...the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” Matthew, 25:29

‘Knowing’ a WordThere are different degrees of ‘knowing’ a word. The degrees of knowing a word are reflected in: •Precision with which we use a word•How quickly we understand a word •How well we understand and use words in different modes and for different purposes•Understanding of how a word relates to other knowledge (word schema)

Ownership of words will only come after many encounters.

(Lehr, F., Osborn, J. & Hiebert, E. 2004)

Classroom Strategies• Possible Sentences• List-Group-Label• Semantic Feature Analysis• Word Map–Map 1–Map 2

How do students learn about words?

• Indirectly• Directly

National Reading Panel, 2000)

Indirect Vocabulary Learning“Children learn the meanings of most

words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written

language”(National Reading Panel, 2000)

Students learn word meanings indirectly in three ways:•They engage daily in oral language.•They listen to adults read to them.•They read extensively on their own.

Direct Vocabulary Learning

“Although a great deal of vocabulary is learned indirectly, some vocabulary

should be taught directly”(National Reading Panel, 2000)

Students learn vocabulary directly when they are explicitly taught both individual words and word-learning strategies.

Direct instruction includes:(1) providing students with specific word instruction; and(2) teaching students word-learning strategies.

Specific Word InstructionTeaching individual words, can deepen students' knowledge of word meanings. In-depth knowledge of word meanings can help students understand what they are hearing or reading. It also can help them use words accurately in speaking and writing.

Why we need to explicitly teach vocabulary?

•Teaching specific words before reading helps both vocabulary learning and reading comprehension.•Extended instruction that promotes active engagement with vocabulary improves word learning.•Repeated exposure to vocabulary in many contexts aids word learning.

(National Reading Panel, 2000)

Word-Learning StrategiesWe would never be able to provide specific word instruction for all the words students need to be able to read. We need to help students develop effective word-learning strategies so that they can determine the meaning of new words independently.

Word-learning strategies include:1.How to use dictionaries and other reference aids to learn word meanings and to deepen knowledge of word meanings;2.How to use information about word parts to figure out the meanings of words in text; and3.How to use context clues to determine word meanings.

(National Reading Panel, 2000)

Which words do we use for explicit instruction?

Teachers have two major considerations to make when choosing the words they will explicitly teach.

•Words that are important to understanding a specific reading selection or concept•Words that are generally useful for students to know and are likely to encounter with some frequency in their reading.

(Lehr, F., Osborn, J. & Hiebert, E. 2004)

Your Turn 1. In a small group select a text from your table.2. List all the words that are likely to be unfamiliar to

students.3. Analyse the word list:

1. Which words can be categorised as Tier Two words?2. Which of the Tier Two words are most necessary for

comprehension?3. Are there other words needed for comprehension?

Which ones?4. On the basis of your analysis, which words will you teach?– Which will need only brief attention?– Which will you give more elaborate attention to?

(Beck, I., McKeown, M., & Kucan, L, 2002)

Celebration of Vocabulary

References• Beck, I., McKeown, M., & Kucan, L, (2002). Bringing

words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction, NY: The Guilford Press, New York, pp. 15 – 30

• Lehr, F., Osborn, J. & Hiebert, E. (2004) A Focus on Vocabulary. Hawaii: Pacific Resources for Education and Learning

• National Reading Panel. (2000) Teaching children to read: An evidence based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development