Effective Vocabulary Strategies for Academic Success
What every teacher can do to help
students improve academic vocabulary
Research shows a student in
the
50th percentile
in terms
of ability to comprehend the
subject matter taught in
school, with no direct
vocabulary instruction, scores
in the
50th percentile
ranking.
The same student, after
specific content-area terms
have been taught, raises
his/her comprehension
ability to the
83rd
percentile
.
Background knowledge is
more important to the
understanding of reading
than IQ.
Vocabulary instruction in
specific content-area terms
builds up student
’
s
background knowledge in
content area
It is not necessary for all vocabulary terms to
be directly taught.
Yet, direct instruction of vocabulary has been
proven to make an impact.
How many new words
does a LEP or low SES
student need to learn
EACH DAY
in order to
catch up to a general
education student?
17
words per
day
or
3000
words per
school year
How many times
must a student
interact with a word
before they
“own” it?
24
times
Information
is
connected
and
retained
in the brain
through “mental
pathways” that are linked
to an individual’s
existing
schema
.
Learning Strategies
are
special thoughts or
behaviors that
individuals use to help
them comprehend,
learn, or retain new
information.
Teaching students a
variety self regulating
strategies improves
student learning and
reading.
The expectation is
Metacognition -
not fact
regurgitation
More academic & content vocabulary
Greater depth of science content
More “thinking” steps
Must look for best, worst, NOT, etc.
We must help our student
think about their
thinking
We must directly teach them how to do this
ALL
teachers need to know and use these
techniques
Picture a class or a group that you gave a
task to but they felt unprepared for it
Picture individual students within the class or
group
Now think…
What were they doing when you asked them to
do something that they don’t know how to do or
have never experienced before?
What did they say (word for word in quotes)?
How do you think they were feeling?
How were they acting?
My students
Doing
“Saying”
Feeling
Acting
Vocabulary strategies are good for all
students: LEP, Low SES, students in the Special
Education program, GT, general education
Compiled from several conferences presented
by Region 10
Researched based
Polysemous Words
What???
Words with multiple meanings
These words must be taught explicitly
They cross content areas, even Fine Arts
These words cause breakdowns in
understanding on standardized tests
The judge asked the defendant to
approach the bar.
The man sat in the restaurant’s bar.
He bought a bar of soap.
Mary walked along the bank of the
river.
Harbor Bank is the richest bank in
the city.
How many meanings can you come up with for
the word:
Measure
The judge ruled using the
full
measure
of the law.
The museum’s Impressionist
exhibit didn’t
measure
up to
last year’s.
Activities don’t encourage
Metacognition
Strategies are:
Taught at a very young age
Perfected throughout rest of your life
Applicable across the curriculum and contents
Looking for patterns
Graphing
Using roots, prefixes, & suffixes
u
n
-
,
r
e
-
,
i
n
-
(
n
o
t
)
a
c
c
o
u
n
t
f
o
r
5
1
%
o
f
t
o
t
a
l
u
n
-
,
r
e
-
,
i
n
-
(
n
o
t
)
,
d
i
s
-
a
c
c
o
u
n
t
f
o
r
5
8
%
o
f
t
o
t
a
l
-s, -es, & -ing
account for
65% of suffixed
words
10 suffixes account for 85% of
suffixed words:
-s, -es, -ing, -er,
-ion, -able, -al, -y,
-ness, & -ly
Objectives
Content
You are already doing these well!
Language – based on the ELPS
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Use sentence frames to scaffold students’ use
of academic vocabulary:
Plants use ________ to make food.
________is the process by which plants make
_______from light, water, nutrients, and
carbon dioxide.
This gives them confidence to answer questions when they
otherwise wouldn’t. Post generic frames around room for
students to use.
Use analogy sentence frame for the academic
word:
Example:
The word ____ is related to ______ when…
The word
measure
is related to
music
when…
The word
measure
is related to
science
when…
Older students can do more in depth analogies
with a relating factor:
_____ is to ______ and ______ is to ______.
Relating Factor: ____________
EX:
Bird
is to
fly
as
fish
is to _____
Relating Factor:
mode of transportation
In this activity, students fold their papers into rows of 4 sections each. The
number of row can relate to the number of words to be studied.
In the first section, the student writes the word.
In the 2
nd
section, the student writes a definition of the word in their own
words.
In the 3
rd
section, the student draws a picture or symbol to represent the
word.
In the 4
th
section, the student writes a sentence with the word based on their
definition.
Students fold the paper and keep as notes.
What do you see?
Show a picture of the word or concept you
are teaching
Cover ½ or more of the picture
Ask students to use their vocabulary to
describe what they think the picture is
Introduce new vocabulary
Done with only the most academic demanding
words
ELPS learning strategy
Done over two days for best learning
Metacognitive strategy – helps students think
about their thinking
Do these on day one
Do these on day two
Strategies
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
After each group makes a prediction…ask them
HOW
they got their prediction, i.e., knew the suffix, same
root as another word, knew the word in Spanish, etc.
Help them put it in academic terms and write it down.
Keep these posted in your class and refer back to them
to help students think about their thinking! Strategies
need to be applied across the curriculum.
Pictionary with a twist
Give student the target word
Student draws a picture to elicit the word
BUT the student is explaining the picture
they are drawing using academic vocabulary
The class tries to guess the word
Students are practicing using academic
vocabulary in a safe environment
Marzano’s Building Academic Vocabulary
Describe the
term in kid
friendly
language
Students
restate
description
in their own
words
Students engage
the word through
an activity: take
word apart, look
for root, etc
Discuss terms with
each other – tell how
the word is relevant
in their own lives
Play games
with words
THE KEY:
REPETITION
Students construct a
picture…MOST important
step, a symbol only that
means something to them
Give the root word.
Ask the students to
come up with words
that use the root
but that they see in
other content area
classes.
The Nifty Thrifty Fifty store of words contain
common roots, prefixes and suffixes.
To help students learn a system for decoding
and spelling big words, they learn to read,
spell and understand common spelling
patterns of the following 50 words.
Once students know the spelling patterns of
these words, they can apply that knowledge
to help them to spell and build meaning for
many other words.
Patricia Cunningham writes that for each
Nifty Thrifty Fifty word a reader knows, she
or he can read at least 7 more words.
That means that by mastering the Nifty
Thrifty Fifty words listed, students can use at
least
350 additional words
when reading
and writing.
Students try to guess which word you are
thinking of from the word wall or set of
vocabulary words
You give clues to help them guess
They must write down a word after each clue
even if they write the same word each time
Clue #1:
Write down the word I am thinking (don’t
give any additional info – they write down any
word from the word wall)
Clue #2:
Give a feature of the word, i.e. it has a
prefix (don’t tell them what the prefix it is)
Clue #3:
Give another feature of the word, i.e. it
has 3 syllables
Clue #4:
Give a definition or description of the
word
Clue #5:
Give a clue that would make it impossible
to miss the word, i.e. it starts with the letter…
Other ideas for features
A synonym
An antonym
Definition of the root
Definition of the prefix
Definition of the suffix
How the word relates to another word
A picture or symbol expressing the word
________________
Target Word
_________________
Clue #1
_________________
Clue #2
_________________
Clue #3
_________________
Clue #4
No longer the Frayer Model
Make personal connection
I have the students write the definition in the vocabulary term box
and write a sentence in the definition box.
Helps teach syntax
Basic pattern of sentences
Nouns must be plural
Color code words
Have kids stand up to do this
Use words and sing to “Farmer in the Dell”
Brainstorm multiple words for each category
As a group, choose:
2 adjectives
1 noun
1 verb
1 adverb
1 prepositional phrase
This can be the best laugh you will have all
week!
Use as review of key concepts
Students use a notecard and write a question
about a word on the word wall
Students line up facing each other in a line
One student asks his/her question, trying to elicit
the correct answer
The other student does the same
1 person moves to the end of the line (with
Conga or country music)
Do the same process with a new partner until
they get through all the words
To review vocabulary you have been
practicing
Each group gets one bubble or relationship
map.
Take a vocabulary words you are working on
and write it in the center of the map.
Each person in the group (at the same time)
writes how the word relates to the book,
paragraph, idea, concept, etc. in the bubble
or space closest to them.
Each person in the group then explains what
they wrote, justifying their answer.
Put students into small groups.
Provide a vocabulary word you have already discussed (in
context)
Ask each group to write 5 sentences using the vocabulary
word.
Word cannot be used in the way they already learned it for
your lesson.
Example: strike
1. I
strike
the match against the bottom of my shoe.
2. The factory workers went on
strike
for better benefits and
hours.
3.
Strike
up the band!
4. I was so angry I had to stop myself from
striking
her.
5. Draw a
strike
through the wrong answers.
This is a relatively simple strategy for teaching
word meanings and generating considerable
class discussion.
The teacher chooses six to eight words from
the text that may pose difficulty for
students. These words are usually key
concepts in the text.
Next, the teacher chooses four to six words
that students are more likely to know
something about.
The list of ten to twelve words is put on the
board. The teacher provides
brief
definitions
as needed.
Students are challenged to devise sentences
that contain two or more words from the list.
All sentences that students come up with,
both accurate and inaccurate are listed and
discussed.
Students now read the selection.
After reading, revisit the Possible Sentences
and discuss whether they could be true based
on the passage or how they could be
modified to true.
Stahl
8
reported that Possible Sentences significantly improved both students' overall recall of word meanings and
their comprehension of text containing those words. Interestingly, this was true when compared to a control
group and when compared to Semantic Mapping.
http://www.phschool.com/eteach/language_arts/2002_03/essay.html
Make a list of words from the unit you are
studying.
Add words that do not belong to the unit.
Ask the students to determine which words
should be excluded.
Game to reinforce content vocabulary
Write content vocabulary words on sentence strips or large
pieces of paper and stick them to the walls, bookshelves,
etc. around the room.
Have the words, definitions, parts of speech, and unit
name/number written on note cards.
Use the cards to read the definition of a vocabulary word
to the teams.
The students standing at the line have 10 seconds to find
the vocabulary word and “touch it” after you finish reading
the definition.
If no one touches the correct vocabulary word in 10
seconds, the students 2
nd
in line from each group get a
chance to find the word.
Form participants into groups of four.
Allocate one piece of printer paper or butcher
paper to each group.
Ask each group to draw the diagram on the paper.
The outer spaces are for each participant to write
their thoughts about the topic.
Conduct a ‘Round Robin’ so that each participant
can share his or her views.
The circle in the middle of the paper is to note
down (by the nominated scribe) the common
points made by each participant.
Each group then reports the common points to the
whole group.
This collection explores various strategies and research findings to enhance students' academic vocabulary, emphasizing the crucial role of vocabulary instruction in improving comprehension and background knowledge. It delves into the impact of direct vocabulary teaching on student performance and presents insights on language learning strategies and word acquisition rates. Discover practical tips and insights to support students in mastering vocabulary effectively.
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Presentation Transcript
VOCABULARY STRATEGIES FOR ALL STUDENTS What every teacher can do to help students improve academic vocabulary
VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION Research shows a student in the 50th percentile in terms of ability to comprehend the subject matter taught in school, with no direct vocabulary instruction, scores in the 50th percentile ranking.
VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION The same student, after specific content-area terms have been taught, raises his/her comprehension ability to the 83rd percentile.
CONSIDER THIS Background knowledge is more important to the understanding of reading than IQ.
CONSIDER THIS Vocabulary instruction in specific content-area terms builds up student s background knowledge in content area
VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION It is not necessary for all vocabulary terms to be directly taught. Yet, direct instruction of vocabulary has been proven to make an impact.
OXFORD CLASSIFICATION OF LLS (1990) Language Learning Strategies Direct Instruction Indirect Instruction Memory Strategies Cognitive Strategies Compensation Strategies Metacognitive Strategies Affective Strategies Social Strategies
NEW WORDS PER DAY How many new words does a LEP or low SES student need to learn EACH DAY in order to catch up to a general education student?
NEW WORDS 17 words per day or 3000 words per school year
OWNING IT! How many times must a student interact with a word before they own it?
OWNING IT! 24 times
SCHEMA Information is connected and retained in the brain through mental pathways that are linked to an individual s existing schema.
STRATEGIES Learning Strategies are special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn, or retain new information.
SELF REGULATING STRATEGIES Teaching students a variety self regulating strategies improves student learning and reading.
STAAR The expectation is Metacognition - not fact regurgitation More academic & content vocabulary Greater depth of science content More thinking steps Must look for best, worst, NOT, etc.
METACOGNITION We must help our student think about their thinking We must directly teach them how to do this ALL teachers need to know and use these techniques
THINK ABOUT YOUR CLASS Picture a class or a group that you gave a task to but they felt unprepared for it Picture individual students within the class or group Now think What were they doing when you asked them to do something that they don t know how to do or have never experienced before? What did they say (word for word in quotes)? How do you think they were feeling? How were they acting?
THINK ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS Doing Saying My students Feeling Acting
VOCABULARY STRATEGIES Vocabulary strategies are good for all students: LEP , Low SES, students in the Special Education program, GT, general education Compiled from several conferences presented by Region 10 Researched based
WHERE DO I START? Polysemous Words What??? Words with multiple meanings These words must be taught explicitly They cross content areas, even Fine Arts These words cause breakdowns in understanding on standardized tests
EXAMPLES The judge asked the defendant to approach the bar. The man sat in the restaurant s bar. He bought a bar of soap.
EXAMPLES Mary walked along the bank of the river. Harbor Bank is the richest bank in the city.
POLYSEMOUS WORDS How many meanings can you come up with for the word: Measure
SOCIAL STUDIES- MEASURE The judge ruled using the full measure of the law.
ART VOCABULARY The museum s Impressionist exhibit didn t measure up to last year s.
ACTIVITIES VS. STRATEGIES Activities don t encourage Metacognition Strategies are: Taught at a very young age Perfected throughout rest of your life Applicable across the curriculum and contents Looking for patterns Graphing Using roots, prefixes, & suffixes
PREFIXES Prefix Meaning % of All Example Prefixed Words un-, re-, in- (not) account for 51% of total un not; reversal of 26 uncover re again, back, really 14 review in / im in, into, not 11 insert un-, re-, in- (not), dis- account for 58% of total dis away, apart, negative 7 discover en / em in; within; on 4 entail mis wrong 3 mistaken pre before 3 prevent a not; in, on; without 1 atypical
SUFFIXES -s, -es, & -ing account for 65% of suffixed words Suffix Meaning % of All Suffixed Words Example 31 -s, -es more than one; verb marker in the past; quality, state when you do something; quality, state how something is one who, what, that, which state, quality; act able to be related to, like characters, reads, reaches 10 suffixes account for 85% of suffixed words: -s, -es, -ing, -er, -ion, -able, -al, -y, -ness, & -ly -ed 20 walked -ing 14 walking -ly -er, -or 7 4 safely drummer -tion, -sion -able, -ible -al, -ial 4 2 1 action, mission disposable, reversible final, partial
STRATEGY #1 Objectives Content You are already doing these well! Language based on the ELPS Reading Writing Speaking Listening
STRATEGY #2 Use sentence frames to scaffold students use of academic vocabulary: Plants use ________ to make food. ________is the process by which plants make _______from light, water, nutrients, and carbon dioxide. This gives them confidence to answer questions when they otherwise wouldn t. Post generic frames around room for students to use.
STRATEGY #3 Use analogy sentence frame for the academic word: Example: The word ____ is related to ______ when The word measure is related to music when The word measure is related to science when
STRATEGY #3 CONT. Older students can do more in depth analogies with a relating factor: _____ is to ______ and ______ is to ______. Relating Factor: ____________ EX: Bird is to fly as fish is to _____ Relating Factor: mode of transportation
STRATEGY #4 Word Meaning #1 Meaning #2 Musical symbols that tell me what to play on my instrument Writing down what the teacher says in my notebook so I can study it later notes A color produced by adding black to a pigment A piece of fabric you pull down over the window or put in your windshield to block out the sun Shade The time established for the actors to report to the theater before a performance When I say my dog s name because I want him to come to me Call
STRATEGY #5 - 4 FOLD VOCABULARY In this activity, students fold their papers into rows of 4 sections each. The number of row can relate to the number of words to be studied. In the first section, the student writes the word. In the 2nd section, the student writes a definition of the word in their own words. In the 3rd section, the student draws a picture or symbol to represent the word. In the 4th section, the student writes a sentence with the word based on their definition. Students fold the paper and keep as notes. Word Definition Picture Sentence beat a steady succession of rhythm The beat of music is measured in BPM.
STRATEGY #5 What do you see? Show a picture of the word or concept you are teaching Cover or more of the picture Ask students to use their vocabulary to describe what they think the picture is
COGNITIVE DICTIONARY Introduce new vocabulary Done with only the most academic demanding words ELPS learning strategy Done over two days for best learning Metacognitive strategy helps students think about their thinking
Do these on day two Do these on day one Word Prediction Ask each groups to tell you their predictions write all their predictions in this column Meaning/Sketch After the lesson, have groups decide on a definition and draw a visual representation Sentence Add the sentence each group writes using the word, sentence should contain context clues to define the word Give them a word that is used in your content area ask them to predict what the word means without looking the word up then After each group makes a prediction ask them HOW they got their prediction, i.e., knew the suffix, same root as another word, knew the word in Spanish, etc. Help them put it in academic terms and write it down. Strategies 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Keep these posted in your class and refer back to them to help students think about their thinking! Strategies need to be applied across the curriculum.
MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS 1. Teacher tells students what the word means. 2. Teacher draws a picture or symbol for the word. 3. Student uses own words to tell what the word means. 4. Student draws or shows his/her own picture or symbol for the word. 5. Student makes connections to the word in writing or orally. 6. Student shares the word with others.
STRATEGY #6 Pictionary with a twist Give student the target word Student draws a picture to elicit the word BUT the student is explaining the picture they are drawing using academic vocabulary The class tries to guess the word Students are practicing using academic vocabulary in a safe environment
STRATEGY # Marzano s Building Academic Vocabulary Students restate description in their own words Describe the term in kid friendly language Students construct a picture MOST important step, a symbol only that means something to them Students engage the word through an activity: take word apart, look for root, etc Play games with words Discuss terms with each other tell how the word is relevant in their own lives THE KEY: REPETITION
