INTRODUCING WORDS: A FEW INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Why? What? How?

York Professional Development Day

1.17.11

FACETS OFPURPOSEFUL VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION Provide rich and varied language experiences

discussion, focused attention on words, being read to, wide and frequent reading

Teach word-learning strategies Using context, using morphology (word parts), using

a dictionary

Foster word consciousness Awareness, interest in words and their meanings,

understanding of communicative power of language

Teach individual words

(Graves, 2006)

WHY SHOULD I TEACH SOME WORDS EXPLICITLY, AND WHAT WORDS SHOULD I TEACH EXPLICITLY?

EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION Vocabulary instruction should focus on critical words

Effective vocabulary instruction does not rely on definitions.

Teaching word parts enhances understanding.

Different types of words require different types of instruction.

Active engagement improves learning.

Repeated exposure is essential.

CRITERIA TO CONSIDER Word Knowledge

prior knowledge necessary

understanding

Relationship to other important words morphological (word

parts) semantic (categories of

meaning)

Frequency & Distribution rate of occurrence in

English text

Utility instructional potential outside of particular

school context generativity

Importance reading comprehension

(particular selection, general comprehension)

content-specific achievement

Conceptual difficulty

QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING Is this word unknown?

Is this word critical to understanding (the particular text, the particular subject matter)?

Is this a word students are likely to encounter again (in sophisticated language use, in this particular subject, in other domains)?

Is this word conceptually difficult (abstract, new concept, multiple meanings)?

Does this word have high instructional potential (morphology, connections to other words, word learning)?

HOW MIGHT I INTRODUCE DIFFERENT KINDS OF TERMS MOST EFFECTIVELY?

“Often, it will be necessary to teach words in ways that do not consume large amounts of time and

do not produce the strongest possible results…

…In these cases, think of your initial instruction on a word as just that—initial

instruction, an initial experience that starts

students on the long road to learning a full and rich meaning for the word.”

(Graves, 2006, p. 70)

QUICK INTRODUCTION Learning new words for known concepts in text

During read-aloud Before students read text

Read-aloud Provide known synonym/descriptive phrase after

the word (without disrupting the narration)

Prior to student reading Display or quick note with target word and known

synonym/descriptive phrase Preview descriptions provided in textbooks

(supplement as necessary)

Reception Check

Full Bars…Decent Reception…Dropped Call?

INTRODUCING SPECIFIC WORDS

1. Student Friendly Explanations Characterize word and typical use Explain meaning in everyday language

2. Teacher-Created Contexts Develop instructional contexts that provide

strong clues to meaning

3. Active Engagement with Words Short, playful, lively opportunities for

students to interact with words and meanings right away

(Beck et al. 2002 in Diamond & Gutlohn, 2006)

STUDENT FRIENDLY EXPLANATIONS Consider resist

Dictionary: “to withstand the force or the effect of”

Student-friendly: “when a person struggles or fights not to give in to something”

Write a student-friendly explanation for one word you teach.

TEACHER-CREATED CONTEXTS Consider convey

Literary Context: “Of the Right Whale, the best outline pictures are in Scoresby; but they are drawn on too small a scale to convey a desirable impression” (Melville, Moby Dick).

Teacher Created: The speaker was successful in conveying his main ideas to the audience. They all understood what he said, and most agreed with him…

Write a few sentences using your word in context to clarify meaning.

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH WORDSCHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING, REVIEW

Consider interior

Questions Jake thought it would be fun

to explore the interior of Alaska. Why might you want to spend time in the interior of Nebraska?

Example or Non-example? Which tells about the

interior of Oregon? On their vacation, the family

visited a lake in central Oregon.

On their vacation, the family visited the beaches and coast of Oregon?

Finish the idea After a trip to the coast,

we headed to the interior of the country because _____.

Have you ever…? Can you describe a place

you know about that is located in the interior of Nebraska?

Choices If what I say could be in

the interior of a big island, say “interior”…

A mountain An ocean beach

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH WORDSCHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING, REVIEW

Consider interior

Questions Jake thought it would be fun to explore the interior

of Alaska. Why might you want to spend time in the interior of Nebraska?

Finish the idea After a trip to the coast, we headed to the interior

of the country because _____.

Have you ever…? Can you describe a place you know about that is

located in the interior of Nebraska?

EXAMPLE OR NON-EXAMPLE? Which tells about the interior of Oregon?

(“interior” or “NOT!”)

On their vacation, the family visited a lake in central Oregon.

On their vacation, the family visited the beaches and coast of Oregon?

MAKING CHOICES If what I say could be in the interior of a big

island, say “interior”… A mountain An ocean beach

MAKING CHOICES

leisurely or in a hurry?

Taking a walk in the park

Firefighters getting to a fire

Runners in a race

Sitting and talking to friends

A dog lying in the sun

T-P-S: Think of more situations that sound leisurely.

(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002, p. 57)

MAKING CHOICES glimpse scrutinize

Which can you do more quickly?

inspector spectator What would you probably call every person watching a

football game?

largo ritardando Which tells me to slow down gradually?

(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002, p. 80-81)

MAKING DISTINCTIONS Would you pay homage to something

tolerable?

Would you suppress a profound thought?

Would blurting out your thought be an example of indecorum?

(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002, p. 89)

VOCABULARY INSTRUCTIONAL ROUTINE

Learning new words representing known concepts

1. Introduce the word2. Present a student-friendly

explanation3. Illustrate the word with examples4. Check understanding5. Review a group of words

(see video examples by Anita Archer, http://explicitinstruction.org/)

Reception Check

Full Bars…Decent Reception…Dropped Call?

CONTEXT-RELATIONSHIP Learning new words representing known

concepts

1. Create a brief paragraph that gives the meaning of the word.

2. Follow the paragraph with a multiple-choice item that checks students’ understanding of the word.  

3. Show the paragraph, read it aloud, and read the multiple-choice options.

4.  Pause to give students a moment to answer the item, provide the correct answer, and discuss the word and any questions they have.

INDOLENCE

Fortunately, none of my English 9 students could be described as indolent. Whereas an indolent student would try to sleep during class, slouch in her seat, procrastinate, and generally avoid exerting any effort, my students are diligent, hard-working, eager, and achievement-driven. I would be worried if someone described an English 9 R student as indolent, because it is worse than just occasional tiredness or laziness. Indolence implies a tendency to be lazy much of the time.

INDOLENT MEANS

A. often lazyB. sometimes lazyC. often hardworkingD. sometimes hardworking

Reception Check

Full Bars…Decent Reception…Dropped Call?

BUILDING ACADEMIC VOCABULARYA SIX-STEP PROCESS

Learning new words representing known or unknown concepts

4. Engage students in word activities

5. Discuss words

6. Engage student “play” with words

1. Introduce word

2. Students generalize meaning

3. Students create nonlinguistic representation

(Marzano, 2004)

Massed Practice

initial word learning

Distributive Practice

all previous words

EXPERIENCE & OBSERVE Strategy observer

What steps/processes did you observe?

Participant observerWhat words, behaviors, evidence of

student learning did you notice?

ParticipantsWhat did you learn? What worked for you?

How did you feel as a learner using this strategy?

PLEASE ANSWER: True or False: In linguistic study, polysemous

words have different roots or etymology.

Rate your understanding of the word polysemous.

1 I’ve never heard this word before.

2 I’ve heard this word, but I don’t really know what it means.

3 I know the general meaning of this word, though I cannot specifically define it.

4 Whether spoken or written, I know this word well and understand its meaning.

POLYSEMOUS etymology (analysis of word origins & parts)

poly (Latin, many) sema (sign) -ous (adj.)

POLYSEMOUSContinental Divide

math function

POLYSEMOUS

Ball (ME bal) A round or roundish

body or mass Testis—often

considered vulgar A game in which a

ball is thrown, kicked, or struck

A pitched baseball…that fails to pass through the strike zone

Ball (OF ballare) A large formal

gathering for social dancing

A very pleasant experience: a good time

PLEASE ANSWER: True or False

In linguistic study, polysemous words have different roots or etymology.

Words at the highest level of complexity are often polysemous.

PLEASE ANSWER: Should teachers focus their direct instruction

of vocabulary on sesquipedalian terms?

Rate your understanding of the word sesquipedalian.

1 I’ve never heard this word before.

2 I’ve heard this word, but I don’t really know what it means.

3 I know the general meaning of this word, though I cannot specifically define it.

4 Whether spoken or written, I know this word well and understand its meaning.

SESQUIPEDALIAN etymology (analysis of word origins &

parts)sesqui (Latin, half as much again)ped (foot)-ian (one that is, one who)

Examples:• antidisestablishmentarianism • pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis • floccinaucinihilipilification

Examples:• antidisestablishmentarianism • pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis • floccinaucinihilipilification

SESQUIPEDALIAN

Everything that coruscates with effulgence is not ipso facto aurous

. --All that glitters is not gold.

<http://www.wordsources.info/words-mod-sesquipedalian-1-16.html>

“Nancy and Sluggo”

PLEASE: Rate your understanding of the word

sesquipedalian.

Should teachers focus their direct instruction of vocabulary on sesquipedalian terms?

1 I’ve never heard this word before.

2 I’ve heard this word, but I don’t really know what it means.

3 I know the general meaning of this word, though I cannot specifically define it.

4 Whether spoken or written, I know this word well and understand its meaning.

EXPERIENCE & OBSERVE Strategy observer

What steps/processes did you observe?

Participant observerWhat words, behaviors, evidence of

student learning did you notice?

ParticipantsWhat did you learn? What worked for you?

How did you feel as a learner using this strategy?

BUILDING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

STEPS 1 - 3

Massed Practice

1. Introduce word Student friendly descriptions, examples,

explanations, images, etc. Must connect to students’ prior

knowledge

2. Students generalize meaning

3. Students create nonlinguistic

representationCaution!

Monitor understanding carefully May require more than one session

Caution! Monitor understanding carefully May require more than one session

637 percentile pts.

higher than… …students who kept repeating definitions.

421 percentile pts. higher

than… …students who were using the terms in a sentence.

Students who used imagery to learn vocabulary, on average, performed…

Students who used imagery to learn vocabulary, on average, performed…

# of studies

(Pickering, 2007, ASCD presentation)

RESEARCH ON IMAGERY AS ELABORATION

Reception Check

Full Bars…Decent Reception…Dropped Call?

CONCEPT OF DEFINITION MAP Learning new words representing known concepts

or those that can be accessed through student experience / prior knowledge

CONCEPT OF DEFINITION MAP

1.Teacher prepares map to clarify meaning of word in text.

2.Teacher models how to write a definition using the information on the word map. e.g. “A potentate is a ruler who has a lot of power.

The people do not elect potentates, and some stay in office for life. Some types of potentates are kings, dictators, and emperors.”

3.Students write their own definitions, verify with a dictionary, and revise or add to them as necessary.

SEMANTIC MAP Clarifying, enriching the meanings of known

words

1. Teacher presents important concept before reading.

2. Students brainstorm related words.3. Teacher records and adds.4. Class classifies to show relationships.5. Teacher highlights target words.6. Students add during/after reading.

Discussion is essential!

SEMANTIC MAP