Teaching Vocabulary to Struggling Readers Michael C. McKenna Georgia Southern University

Teaching Vocabularyto

Struggling Readers

Michael C. McKennaGeorgia Southern University

What is vocabulary?

word-hoard

id

argon

estuary

What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary

Modality

Domain

What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary

Modality

Domain

What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary

Modality

Domain

What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary

Modality

Domain

What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary

Modality

Domain

1755 Dictionary of the English Language

1755 Dictionary of the English Language

114,000 words

1755 Dictionary of the English Language

114,000 words

impertransibilityquecknould

1755 Dictionary of the English Language

2005 Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.)

114,000 words

1755 Dictionary of the English Language

2005 Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.)

114,000 words

660,000+ words

2005 Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.)

660,000+ words

webcamcyberphobic

doh

English users follow set rules for coining new words, thus adding greatly to the number of potential words in the language.

English users follow set rules for coining new words, thus adding greatly to the number of potential words in the language.

The postman likes our street because it is dogless.

Are you a logophile?

50K

40K

30K

20K

10K

0

K 12

5,000 •1,500 •

50K

40K

30K

20K

10K

0

K 12

5,0001,500

45,000

17,000

How do we know which words to teach?

Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words

• 73,500 word families K-12• Usually content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary

Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous

Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go

Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words

• 73,500 word families K-12• Usually content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary

Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous

Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go

Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words

• 73,500 word families K-12• Usually content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary

Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous

Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go

Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words

• 73,500 word families K-12• Often content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary

Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous

Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go

Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words

• 73,500 word families K-12• Often content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary

Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous

Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go

What are some of the guiding principles of

teaching vocabulary?

Preteach key words to improve comprehension.

Guiding Principle

In 1367, Marain and the settlements ended a seven-year war with the Langurians and Pitoks. As a result of this war, Languria was driven out of East Bacol. Marain would now rule Laman and the other lands that once belonged to Languria. This brought peace to the Bacolean settlements. The settlers no longer had to worry about attacks from Laman. The Bacoleans were happy to be part of Marain in 1367. Yet a dozen years later, these same people would be fighting the Marish for independence, or freedom from United Marain’s rule.

In 1763, Britain and the colonies ended a seven-year war with the French and Indians. As a result of this war, France was driven out of North America. Britain would now rule Canada and the other lands that once belonged to France. This brought peace to the American colonies. The settlers no longer had to worry about attacks from Canada. The Americans were happy to be part of Britain in 1763. Yet a dozen years later, these same people would be fighting the British for independence, or freedom from Great Britain’s rule.

Provide more than definitions.

Guiding Principle

WORD = DEFINITION

WORD = DEFINITION

Stimulus Response

WORD = DEFINITION

Stimulus Response

truncate “to cut off”

WORD = DEFINITION

Stimulus Response

truncate “to cut off”

“She truncated the lights.”

Combine definitions and contextual examples.

Guiding Principle

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Connotations

What’s the difference between a fiddle and a violin?

Introduce new words in related clusters.

Guiding Principle

wing

antennae leg

abdomen

thorax

In content areas, clustering words is natural!

But general vocabulary words can also be clustered –

if you work at it!

Stress the connections among related terms.

Guiding Principle

Stress connections among unrelated terms.

Guiding Principle

“Silly Questions”

Would a hermit be gregarious?

Could a virtuoso be a rival?

– Beck & McKeown

Stress connections among unrelated terms.

Guiding Principle

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Tie new words to old knowledge.

Guiding Principle

“Comprehension is building bridges from the new to the known.”

– Pearson & Johnson

Provide brief, periodic review.

Guiding Principle

massedvs.

distributedpractice

Maximize the volume of reading that students do.

Guiding Principle

The Vocabulary Catch-22

Children need to learn more words to read well, but they need to read well to

learn more words.

McKenna, M.C. (2004). Teaching vocabulary to struggling older readers. Perspectives, 30(1), 13-16.

Minimize rote copying of definitions.

Guiding Principle

What are some research-based ways of teaching

vocabulary?

Some Research-Based Techniques

Read-Alouds Semantic Feature Analysis Other Charting Approaches Graphic Organizers Semantic Maps (webs) Word Sorts Word Lines List-Group-Label Possible Sentences

Read-Alouds

Semantic Feature Analysis

popinary

popinary

“a fry cook”

humans adult female

woman + +

man + o

girl o +

boy o o

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + o + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker + + + adult female

cooks fries makes bakesthings salads

popinary + o o

chef + + +

baker s + + adult female

Planets Moon/s Rocky Surface Rings

Mercury o + oVenus o + oEarth + + oMars + + oJupiter + o +Saturn + o +Uranus + o +Neptune + o +Pluto + + o

Graphic Organizers

A graphic organizer is a diagram that shows how key terms are

related.

What’s so great about them?

• They help kids “see” abstract content.• There is little to “read.”• They are easy to construct and discuss.• Technical terms can be taught in clusters.• They enhance recall and understanding.• They have an impressive research base.

Semantic Maps

(Word Webs)

Ben Franklin

Founding Father

Poor Richard’s Almanac

Electricity (kite)Philadelphia

Inventedbifocals

Daylight Savings

Word Lines

hot cold

hot tepid cold

hot tepid cold

sweltering

hot tepid cold

sweltering chilly

hot tepid cold

sweltering chilly

Word Sorts

thorax pupaabdomen antennaewing larvaadult headegg leg

Open Sort Categories are not given.

Closed Sort Parts Stages

thorax pupaabdomen eggwing larvahead adultlegantennae

Closed Sort Parts Stages

List-Group-Label

ListStudents brainstorm all the words they can recall at the end of a unit.

GroupStudents suggest logical ways to group the words.

LabelStudents suggest a label for each group they form.

ListStudents brainstorm all the words they can recall at the end of a unit.

GroupStudents suggest logical ways to group the words.

LabelStudents suggest a label for each group they form.

ListStudents brainstorm all the words they can recall at the end of a unit.

GroupStudents suggest logical ways to group the words.

LabelStudents suggest a label for each group they form.

no legs garterboa

venomcobra

fang scales

coral tail

rattlecopperhead

no legs garterboa

venomcobra

fang scales

coral tail

rattlecopperhead

no legs garterboa

venomcobra

fang scales

coral tail

rattlecopperhead

Kinds of Snakes garter boa copperhead cobra coral

Things Snakes Might Have rattle scales fang no legs venom tail

no legs garterboa

venomcobra

fang scales

coral tail

rattlecopperhead

Kinds of Snakes garter boa copperhead cobra coral

Things Snakes Might Have rattle scales fang no legs venom tail

Possible Sentences

1. Present a list of 8-12 words the students will encounter in the new unit.

2. Add a few familiar terms.3. Ask for sentences containing at

least two of the words.4. Teach the unit.5. Return to the sentences.6. Together decide whether they are

correct or can be edited to make them so.

Please suggest a sentence containing at least two of the following terms:

connotationword family

lexiconsyntactic clue

distributed practiceeponymtoponympopinary

What can we do to increasechildren’s vocabularies in

Title I schools?

1. Make vocabulary a schoolwide goal

Amend your plan.

Establish testable goals.

Raise consciousness.

Communicate expectations.

2. Provide professional development

Focus on research-based methods.

Ensure ties to actual materials.

Provide follow-up to aid implementation.

3. Establish teacher study groups

Organize groups by grade level.

Provide time for discussion.

Reward participation.

Encourage administrator participation.

Select resource books.

4. Consider supplemental and intervention programs

Tie their use to assessments.

Establish guidelines for use.

Locate product reviews.

http://oregonreadingfirst.uoregon.edu

http://www.fcrr.org

mmckenna@georgiasouthern.edu

http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/~mmckenna