TIERED WORDS

I really have to try hard while climbing this big

mountain!

I really have to be persistent while

climbing this enormous mountain!

“Mom, I finally learned the words that describe me…

pugnacious and cantankerous!”

“That pizza looks hideou

s!”

“Mom, I’ve been thinking all day of a perfect word that describes President

Bush…..”

GOALS of this SESSION• Introduce strategies that are being tried out in

different schools• Review some relevant research related to

vocabulary development• Identify and interact with Tier 2 vocabulary

words.• Practice explicit, systematic steps in vocabulary

introduction.• Encourage risk taking and accept that we will

make mistakes while practicing.• Explore resources that are already out there for

you to use.

Before We Get Started

Let’s review our packet

Three Tiers of VocabularySteps of explicit, systematic introduction

7-UpWhat tier is this word?

What’s the number for?

Megatimer

LeMoyne Elementary• Early on we realized that with the

extended reading and math blocks we weren’t doing a thorough job in the content and writing areas.

• To add to this frustration, many students could not read grade level text books …

WHAT TO DO?

Once the blame game stopped, we began to put our heads together

• We started to examine the prospect of infusing differentiated content related literature into our reading block.

• Content teachers began to ask questions about explicit, systematic instruction – Meg Gregory will add to what I have said.

Let’s at some of the research related

to vocabulary development

• Reading comprehension = Knowledge of Words + Knowledge of the World

• Sadly,

socioeconomic status has the

most significant factor effect on a child’s vocabulary

knowledge.

Differences in exposure to Differences in exposure to words over one yearwords over one year

Children in Professional Families -- Children in Professional Families -- 11 million11 millionChildren in Working-Class Families -- Children in Working-Class Families -- 6 million6 million

Children in families who receive govChildren in families who receive gov’’t t assistance -- 3 millionassistance -- 3 million

Children Caught in the Vocabulary Gap!

What is the Matthew Effect?

• This is referred to as the Matthew Effect where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

What can teachers do to solve this problem?

Teachers must make effective vocabulary instruction a high priority in the educational system.

According to research, teachers must make vocabulary instruction vigorous, strong, and powerful to be effective.

Components of a Vocabulary Program

• High-quality Classroom language • Reading Aloud to Students • Explicit Vocabulary Instruction• Word-Learning Strategies• Wide Independent Reading

“We learn words up to 4 times faster in a familiar context than

an unfamiliar one.”

• Consider “topic immersion” as a good way to induce fast vocabulary gains for young children – staying on a subject long enough for the topic to become familiar

• Treat read alouds and the challenging conversation they generate as fundamental to building knowledge.

What makes successful vocabulary instruction?

A successful approach to vocabulary instruction involves directly explaining the meanings of words along with thought-provoking, playful and interactive follow-up.

Bringing Bringing Words to LifeWords to Life

Isabel BeckIsabel Beck

M. McKeownM. McKeown

L. KucanL. Kucan

Guilford PressGuilford Press

“Making Words Stick”

• How do I introduce and teach words so that they “stick”?

• Use the research-based analytical steps for teaching vocabulary

“Let’s Practice...”• “She’s just too much of a distraction and I’ve been getting calls from the

other parents. They’re afraid those stripes may be contagious.”

Sequenced Vocabulary Instruction

• First, contextualize the word for its use in the story that you are reading.

– “She’s just too much of a distraction and I’ve been getting calls from the other parents. They’re afraid those stripes may be contagious.”

• Next, ask the children to repeat the word so that they can create a phonological representation of the word.

– “Say contagious with me.” (clap it out)

• Next, explain the student friendly meaning of the word.

– “Contagious means an illness that can spread to other people.”

• Provide examples in contexts other than the one used in the story.

– “The surgeon scrubbed his hands to prevent the spread of contagious germs.”

• Have students interact with the word…• “Could you be contagious if you went to work with strep throat?

– If I say something about which you would be “contagious”, say “contagious”…

• Going on vacation

• Pink eye

• Riding a bike

• Head lice

• MRSA

• Mowing the lawn

• Complete this sentence…“I would be contagious if I …”

Conclude with having students see the word and say the word…

• What’s our word that means “an illness that can be spread to other people?’

– contagious

Three Tiers of

Vocabulary Words

Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

Description Basic words that most children know before entering school

Words that appear frequently in texts and for which students already have conceptual understanding

Uncommon words that are typically associated with a specific domain

Examples clock, baby, happy

sinister, fortunate, adapt

isotope, peninsula, bucolic

(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)

Selection Criteriafor Instructional Vocabulary

How do I determine that a word is TIER 2?Word Is this a

generally useful word?

Does the word relate to other words and ideas that students know or have been learning?

Is the word useful in helping students understand text?

If you answer yes to all three questions, it is a tier 2 word. If not, it is probably a tier 3 word.

Let’s practice identifying Tier 2 words – coaches and specialists please support

groups• TASK: On your table, you will find a variety of social studies

and science related literature.

• With an elbow partner, choose a book that is interesting to you. Identify (4 )Tier 2 words. Use the selection criteria to help guide you through this process.

• Once you have selected the words, each partner should choose one word each. Then take turns in going through the systematic steps in vocabulary instruction. Refer to the yellow SEQUENCED VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION to write down the steps. Your elbow partner will listen and then you will switch.

• THIS TAKES PRACTICE and TIME

Let’s Try

contagiousdistractionremediesvanishedaltered

perplexed

ProblemSolution

What are the things that you noticed?

Let’s EXPLORE!!!!

• Good NEWS! There are many, many resources available for you to use

• http://www.fcrr.org

• http://www.vocabularya-z.com

• www.edc.org/CCT/PMA

In Closing

Research shows that average students learn approximately 7 words per day (Miller, 1978).

At-risk students are learning less than 1-2 words per day or none at all.

But there are too many words in the English language to teach!

Not all words call for attention (Beck, 2001)

More Research Findings…

• Third grade students with restricted vocabularies have declining comprehension scores

• The gap continues to widen during the elementary years.

• By the end of second grade, students in the

highest vocabulary quartile know 4000 more root words than students in the lowest vocabulary quartile.

• Intensive students can learn new words at the same rate as benchmark students

• However, it is not enough to enable them to catch up to their peers.

By fifth grade, intensive students only achieve the vocabulary knowledge of the average second grader.

Reflect…

• Do I provide activities that include more than repetitive practice?

• Do I vary the ways I teach new words?

• Do I assume that, once taught, a word is learned?

• Who does the talking about new words?