The Importance of Explicitly Teaching Vocabulary in Education
Teachers should prioritize explicit vocabulary instruction to enhance students' understanding of subject matter. By delving into etymology, morphology, and the Frayer Model, educators can equip students with the tools needed to grasp essential concepts efficiently. Hinge words, low-stakes testing, and diagnostic assessments are valuable techniques to assess and enhance students' vocabulary comprehension in a variety of subjects.
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Vocabulary and Your Subject Why and how teachers should explicitly teach vocabulary
Separate Break free Break away Break ground Break-up (relationship) Break up (collection) Break (in snooker) Make a break Break of day Break even Break bread To share Break bread to overcome restraint Disrupt continuity Break time Breakfast Breaking news On a break to divide violently in to parts to separate Improvised musical passage Break bad Daybreak to begin to execute a plan Overcome restraint Make a break for it Break wind Break the ice Catch a break Break confidence break Execute a plan Break with the old Break-out to initiate or make a sudden move Initiate Break into a run Make a break for it Break new ground to disrupt continuity Divide violently Break a bone Breakers yard Break someone s heart Break a promise to share It was the break of day. Over breakfast, Emily broke the ice with some breaking news; her waters had broke. Dad broke wind in surprise. word depth
Hinge words for this session Hinge words for this session Word gap Word depth Retrieval Etymology Morphology Vocabulary schema Hinge words Low-stakes testing Diagnostic assessment Do you have the vocabulary to grasp the essential concepts in this CPD session? 1 I can read and pronounce it 2 I can make an educated guess what it means 3 I could probably use it in a sentence 4 I know the word/term well and could use it confidently
The Frayer Model Definition The etymology of etymology Characteristics The study of the origin of words and how their meaning has changed over time. The word etymology derives from the Greek word etumolog a, itself from tumon, meaning "true sense", and the suffix -logia, denoting "the study of . Academic words in English are often from Latin and/or Greek origins. Etymologists trace back the roots of words. Examples of correct use The etymology of the word Pali is uncertain. The etymology may be wrong, but this is the popular sense of the word. Etymology Etymology is therefore literally the study of the true sense of words. Non-examples What other ology words do you know? Examples Although words often derive from more than one word, etymology is not the same as morphology which means breaking words down in to their parts and how the words relate to each other in the same language. Consider unkindness as three morphemes (smallest units of meaning). Dinosaur derives from the Greek word deinos (meaning terrible) and sauros (meaning lizard). The literal translation is therefore terrible lizard .
What is the Word Gap? The term word gap describes the vast differences between students with regard to the number of words they know and use i.e. their vocabulary. Vocabulary is important as it determines how well students think, speak, read, write and comprehend (Mary Myatt, 2018).
The Matthew Effect The rich get richer. Vocab Word-rich Word-poor Source: http://inservice.ascd.org
Vocabulary schema
The three tier model Vocabulary can be divided in to three tiers (Beck, McKeown & Kucan): Tier 1: The approx. 5500 high frequency words in common daily use. Tier 2: General academic words essential to reading comprehension. Tier 3: Subject specific words. Teachers should focus on the words that you see often in books, but hear rarely in speech (e.g. derive, evoke, surreptitious, eradicate).
The explicit teaching of vocabulary Identify the most important vocabulary Explain the meaning clearly Give multiple examples of its use Require students to practise (verbally and in writing) Say it before you write it.
Definition Characteristics Word Examples Non-examples
Etymology What does the Greek word isos mean? Why does it matter? Knowing this helps you: Understand concepts Decode other words Make links between subjects Remember spelling Look smart Isos means equal . It is part of the root of the words: Isosceles Isobar Isometric www.etymonline.com
Comprehension is not a skill; it depends entirely on knowledge. Discuss. Source: www.learningspy.co.uk
What words would you pre-teach a Year 7 class? Then, in 2015, a team of scientists unearthed thousands of dodo bones in some mud flats in Mauritius. The remains date back to over 4,000 years ago, when the island was suffering from a lengthy drought. The mud flats would have formed a freshwater oasis in an otherwise parched environment. It is thought that most of the animals, while trying to reach the slowly receding waters of the lake, became stuck and died of thirst and suffocation. However, clearly some dodos survived as they did not become extinct until much later. The discovery is helping to rehabilitate the image of this much-ridiculed bird. The very fact that the dodo was still alive and well on Mauritius 4,000 years after a drought that claimed the lives of thousands of animals is an indication of the bird s ability to survive. The remains are also helping scientists to find out more about the anatomy of the dodo, for example that it was a much slimmer bird than any pictures suggest.
These words may be problematic Then, in 2015, a team of scientists unearthed thousands of dodo bones in some mud flats in Mauritius. The remains date back to over 4,000 years ago, when the island was suffering from a lengthy drought. The mud flats would have formed a freshwater oasis in an otherwise parched environment. It is thought that most of the animals, while trying to reach the slowly receding waters of the lake, became stuck and died of thirst and suffocation. However, clearly some dodos survived as they did not become extinct until much later. The discovery is helping to rehabilitate the image of this much-ridiculed bird. The very fact that the dodo was still alive and well on Mauritius 4,000 years after a drought that claimed the lives of thousands of animals is an indication of the bird s ability to survive. The remains are also helping scientists to find out more about the anatomy of the dodo, for example that it was a much slimmer bird than any pictures suggest.
These words may require pre-teaching Then, in 2015, a team of scientists unearthed thousands of dodo bones in some mud flats in Mauritius. The remains date back to over 4,000 years ago, when the island was suffering from a lengthy drought. The mud flats would have formed a freshwater oasis in an otherwise parched environment. It is thought that most of the animals, while trying to reach the slowly receding waters of the lake, became stuck and died of thirst and suffocation. However, clearly some dodos survived as they did not become extinct until much later. The discovery is helping to rehabilitate the image of this much-ridiculed bird. The very fact that the dodo was still alive and well on Mauritius 4,000 years after a drought that claimed the lives of thousands of animals is an indication of the bird s ability to survive. The remains are also helping scientists to find out more about the anatomy of the dodo, for example that it was a much slimmer bird than any pictures suggest.
The hinge word is Extinct Then, in 2015, a team of scientists unearthed thousands of dodo bones in some mud flats in Mauritius. The remains date back to over 4,000 years ago, when the island was suffering from a lengthy drought. The mud flats would have formed a freshwater oasis in an otherwise parched environment. It is thought that most of the animals, while trying to reach the slowly receding waters of the lake, became stuck and died of thirst and suffocation. However, clearly some dodos survived as they did not become extinct until much later. The discovery is helping to rehabilitate the image of this much-ridiculed bird. The very fact that the dodo was still alive and well on Mauritius 4,000 years after a drought that claimed the lives of thousands of animals is an indication of the bird s ability to survive. The remains are also helping scientists to find out more about the anatomy of the dodo, for example that it was a much slimmer bird than any pictures suggest.
Reading Critical for vocabulary development, therefore for learning anything! Make time in class for reading alone or together Anticipate the vocabulary problems Pre-teach vocabulary explicitly Give students the tools to get help Test comprehension
Linking to other things Vocab lists Building in time Diagnostic assessments Summative assessments
The Matthew Effect The rich get richer. Vocab Word-rich Word-poor Source: http://inservice.ascd.org
Hinge words for this session Hinge words for this session Word gap Word depth Retrieval Etymology Morphology Vocabulary schema Hinge words Low-stakes testing Diagnostic assessment Do you have the vocabulary to grasp the essential concepts in this CPD session? 1 I can read and pronounce it 2 I can make an educated guess what it means 3 I could probably use it in a sentence 4 I know the word/term well and could use it confidently
Next steps Create a word list for a topic Use the Frayer Model to explicitly teach a word Build in reading time to a lesson Explicitly pre-teach vocabulary before a reading task Challenge students to re-frame their answers using the vocabulary listed on the board Challenge students to improve the answers given by others Do a little reading/research in to this topic
