Supporting Vocabulary

Grades K-2

What does vocabulary instruction look like in your

classroom?

❧ When?

❧ How often?

❧ How do you plan for it?

Why Teach Vocabulary?

❧ There is a strong correlation between word knowledge and reading comprehension

❧ There are profound differences in vocabulary knowledge among learners from different SES groups, and once established, remain • By age 3, there is strong evidence of a gap in

vocabulary knowledge for children of different SES groups

• First grade vocabulary predicted students’ reading achievement in their junior year of high school

• High-knowledge third graders had vocabularies about equal to the lowest-performing 12th graders

- Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2013

How do we learn words?

❧ Most words are learned most effectively in context, either in natural conversation or naturally occurring written text

❧ As we grow up, we learn most of our new words through written texts, and direct instruction is important

“A robust approach to vocabulary involves directly explaining the meanings of words along with

thought-provoking, playful, and interactive follow-up.”

- Beck, McKeown, and Kucan

What does it mean to know a word?

Know it well, can explain it and use it

Know something about it, can relate it to a situation

Have seen or heard the word; have a sense of the word’s connotation

(negative/positive)

Do not know the word

When choosing words, consider:

❧How useful is the word? It is a word that readers will meet in other texts? Will they be able to use it when describing their own experiences?

❧How does it relate to other words or ideas that learners know or have been working on?

The Three-Tiers Framework

Tier 3Low frequency

words often limited to specific topics or

domains

Tier 2Words that are of high utility for mature language users, more likely found in written

language

Tier 1Basic, common words that appear in oral conversations around everyday

experiences

You try it!

❧ In your Read Aloud, identify the Tier Two words.

- Which are most necessary for comprehension?

-Which will need brief/elaborate attention?

- Which will be most useful to your children?

If you find that your book doesn’t have opportunities to learn rich

vocabulary…

❧introduce related words for use in conversations about the book

For example, if the story features a character who works hard, you might introduce the word

diligent and support kids to use this new word in their turn-and-talks or stop- and-jots.

How to Teach Vocabulary

❧ Use Read Aloud to provide context

❧ Choose just a few words

❧ Quickly define words in the midst of reading only if it is essential to comprehension in the moment

❧ Explicitly teach into the words’ meanings after reading

❧ Follow-up repeatedly to get learners using the words

Introducing Words

❧ Make it child-friendly

❧ Capture the essence of the word and how it is typically used

❧ Explain in everyday language

❧ Use associations, often including words such as something that, someone who, or describes so that children can begin to get a sense of how to use the word

You try it!

❧ Decide on just a few (2-3) words from your Read Aloud that you will explicitly teach

❧ Create and jot child-friendly definitions for the words!

A Format for Vocabulary Learning

❧ What do you notice during and after my Read Aloud? Name what you saw with a partner.

A Format for Vocabulary Learning

❧ 1. Read the book.

❧ 2. Contextualize the word within the story

❧ 3. Have children say the word.

❧ 4. Provide a student-friendly definition of the word.

❧ 5. Present examples of the word in contexts different from the story context.

❧ 6. Engage in activities to help children interact with words.

❧ 7. Have children say the word.

Your turn!

❧ Plan your read aloud and direct vocabulary instruction

Follow-up to allow for multiple encounters with

words

❧ Situations and Examples

❧ Find the missing word

❧ Word Association

❧ Finish the Sentence

❧ Yes/No

Developing Vocabulary in the Classroom

❧ Teach individual words

❧ Provide rich and varied language experiences

❧ Foster word consciousness

❧ Teach word-learning strategies*

Creating Communities of Rich Language

Electrical Engineer, Concierge, Conductor, Sanitation Officer, Representative, Liaison, Media Specialist, Nutritionist, etc.

• Use sophisticated language when giving directions and engaging in discussions

• Use the ordinary and more sophisticated word (quiet reading time and independent reading time)

Try it…

1. Say a few phrases you say to students

often

2. Now lift the level of the language

Creating Communities of Rich Language

Foster Word Consciousness

Shared Reading and Shared Writing

Frayer Model