Choosing and Introducing Words for

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

Objectives

• Review Quiz• Discuss Methods for Integrating

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction into Your Text-Talk Discussions– Reviewing Effective Practices– Applying examples with target words

from Running Out of Time

Choosing and Introducing Words for

Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

What does it mean to KNOW a word?

What does it mean to know a word?

Four Levels of Word Knowledge

• Unknown• Initial word knowledge: seen or heard

it• Partial Word Knowledge: know one

meaning and can use in a sentence• Full Word Knowledge: more than one

meaning and can use in several ways portendtyranny

So how long does it take to KNOW a word??

• Students need to be exposed to a word at least six times in context before they have enough experience with the word to determine its meaning and use it as part of their daily language.

• Explicit instruction in new words enhances the probability that students will understand the words when they encounter them.

Typical Word Learning Strategies

• Analyze word parts • Checking a dictionary• Using context clues

These ideas DIFFER dramatically from Beck & McKeown’s ideas

about how to teach vocabulary…

Definitions are little help…

• Weak differentiation: Definition does not differentiate how the word is different from other words (e.g. conspicuous = “easily seen.” How does that differentiate from visible?)

• Vague language (typical = “being a type”)• More likely interpretation: Definition uses

familiar words in unfamiliar ways (e.g. devious = “straying from the right course, not straightforward.” Students could interpret as walking.

• Multiple pieces of information: definition gives no help in how to integrate pieces (e.g. exotic = “foreign, strange, not native”)

Context cues CAN help, but not always • “Rebecca, come back and eat your

Cheerios, they’re getting soggy.” • Rebecca (4 years old) inferred

soggy meant sad and lonely. And then, she later used it in her own language…

• I don’t want to go to bed – I feel soggy!” – When context clues do work, for

every 100 words, only learn 3-15 of them.

Conditions (and problems) for learning words from

context• READ WIDELY TO encounter lots of NEW

WORDS– Many students who in need of

vocabulary development don’t read widely, or they don’t read books that include words with which they are unfamiliar

• STUDENTS MUST HAVE SKILLS to infer meanings of words from context– Many students who in need of

vocabulary development are less able to derive information from context

How helpful are context clues? It

depends… • Directive contexts: likely to lead to

correct inference about meaning (86%)– Nora grew smaller and smaller and

finally vanished. (disappeared)• General contexts: enough clues to

infer general category of meaning (49%)– Brian said morosely, “This miserable

town will be the death of us!” (bad, negatively – but specifics are undefined)

How helpful are context clues? It

depends… • Non-Directive contexts: (27%)

little assistance in helping to define meaning– Freddy look at the team members.

Each looked more hapless than the next. (Happy? Untrained? But descriptive…)

• Misdirective contexts: direct to incorrect meaning of word (3%) – John was exhilarated after his first

experience mountain climbing.

The biggest challenge…

• There are too many words to teach!– Students encounter so many new

words in reading, how could we teach them all?• Not all words need attention• Not all words should be treated equally

• According to Beck & McKeown, what types of words need attention and which can we “ignore”?

Choosing words to teach

• Tier One words: Most basic words, rarely require instruction (cake, street, walk, jump)

• Tier Three words: Words that are low frequency, or are domain specific (isotope, woof, peninsula), probably learned best when needed in content

Tier Two words

• High frequency words for mature language users

• Words that would be found across a variety of domains

• Words that can be worked with in a variety of ways so that students can build rich representations of them and their connections to other words and concepts

• Words for which students understand the general concept, but their use would provide more precision

• e.g. astonished, coincidence, absurd, scrumptious– Mad: frustrated, angry, disturbed …

Words from Running Out of Time

• Tier 1:

• Tier 2:

• Tier 3:

Beck & McKeownTeaching Vocabulary

• Start with instructional materials/books – choose words that are important for comprehension– Multiple exposures (at least FIVE)– Breadth of information – Actively engage with word by

thinking and processing deeply– HOW DO WE DO THAT??

Student-Friendly Explanations

Alternatives to the dictionary

Student-Friendly Explanations

Two Key Strategies

• Characterize the word and how it is typically used

• Explain the meaning in everyday language

Student-Friendly Definitions

Characterize the Word• Explanation should be as particular as

possible (When do I use this word particularly? Why do we have such a word?)– Tamper: Defined as, “to interfere in a

secret or incorrect way.” Could be construed as meddling. Does not get at the idea of messing something up in a sinister way.

– Student friendly explanation: “to change something secretly so that it doesn’t work properly or becomes harmful.”

• Ally: Defined as, “one associated with another”– What is association?

• Student friendly explanation: “somebody who does things with you”

• Does that characterize “ally”?– Doesn’t get at main characteristic of

helping in a common cause• Better student friendly explanation: “Someone

who helps you in what you are trying to do, especially when there are other people who are against you.”

Student-Friendly Explanations

Explain Meaning in an Everyday Way

Student friendly definitions in Running Out

of Time?

• scandalous (p.10) – to be disgraceful in a way that offends or shocks people

• undistorted (p.49) – looking normal and not stretched or twisted out of shape

• admiration (p. 14)? Solemn? (p. 20)

Activities for Building Vocabulary

Students interact with the words

Example - Nonexample

Shades of Meaning

How would you rank these?

ConfidantAlly FriendAcquaintance

• See whether there is anything about the words that is related.

• Create an activity to relate the words.– Reluctant, insisted, drowsy might be

demonstrated by facial expressions– Create a sentence using all words: Would

you prefer to budge a sleeping lamb or a ferocious lion? Why?

– Ask students to choose between two words: If you get your clothes ready to wear to school before you go to sleep, would that be sensible or raucous?

Thinking Deeply About WordsRelating Words

What other techniques can you use to teach

word meaning? • Making Choices• Idea Completion• Have You Ever?• Word Associations• Using words in one context• Classifying words

“Interacting with Words”: Making Choices

• If any of the things I say might be examples of people clutching something, say “clutching.” If not, don’t say anything.– Holding tight to a purse– Holding a fisful of money– Softly petting a cat’s fur

• If any of the things I say would make some one radiant, say, “You’d be radiant.” If not, don’t say anything.– Winning a million dollars– Getting a hug from a favorite movie star– Walking to the post office

Thinking Deeply About Words

Idea Completions• Provide students with stem that

requires them to integrate a word’s meaning into a context in order to explain a situation– The audience asked the virtuoso to

play another piece of music because…

– The skiing teacher said Maria was a novice on the ski slopes because …

Interacting with Words: Questions, Reasons,

Examples• If you are walking around a dark room, would

you do it cautiously? Why? What are some other things that need to be done cautiously?

• What is something you could do to impress your teacher? Why? What is something that might impress your mother?

• Which of these things would be extraordinary? Why or why not?– A shirt that was comfortable or a shirt that washed

itself?– A person who has a library card, or a person who

has read all the books in the library?

Thinking Deeply About Words

Have You Ever …?• Helps students associate new

words with contexts and activities from their own experiences– Describe a time when you might urge

someone?– Describe a time when you might

banter with someone?– What would make you gleeful?

Thinking Deeply About Words

Word associations• Associate a new word when

presented with a word or phrase: – Words = accomplice, virtuoso,

philanthropist, novice– Which word goes with crook?– Which word goes with “gift to build a

new hospital”?

– ROT (p. 12-13) dawdled, converged, implore

Thinking Deeply About Words

Using the Words in One Context

• What would an immense plate of spaghetti look like?

• Would you feel miserable after you ate all that spaghetti? Why or why not?

• What would it look like to eat the spaghetti in a leisurely way?

Thinking Deeply About Words Use the Same

Format for Words• If you satisfy your curiosity, do you

need to find out more or have you found out all you need? Why?

• If a dog was menacing, would you want to pet it or move away? Why?

• If you wanted to see something exquisite, would you go to a museum or a grocery store? Why?

Thinking Deeply About Words

Classifying• Mammals

– People– Cats– Dogs– Lions– Mice – Whales

• Reptiles– Snakes– Alligators– Dinosaurs– Lizards

• What makes something a mammal?– Hair– Warm-blooded– Milk to young

• What makes something a reptile?– Skin?– Cold-blooded– Shape of head

Thinking Deeply About Words

Classifying

Teaching words in semantic groups

Bad People– Villain– Malefactor– Burglar– Embezzler– Miscreant– Cad– Rogue– Scoundrel

Red– Crimson– Scarlet– Pink– Blush– Ruby– Sanguine– Carmine

Semantic Feature Analysis

Try It Out With Your Lesson Template:

The Scarecrow’s Hat

Tier 2 words in Running Out of Time

Work in groups of three. Choose a chapter 1-8. Locate three Tier 2 words. Develop questions and activities

for word building focused on each of those three words.

Homework

• Check the Wiki!! • Read Hancock article on Literature

Response Journals (learn about four types of responses)

• Read Running Out of Time Ch. 9-16

• Complete Book Activity 7: Literature Response Journal

Bring to class on Tuesday!