Giving Students. Their Word’s Worth

In Three Parts Giving Students Their Word’s Worth What we know about vocabulary and vocabulary acquisition ‡ Principles of effective instruction ‡ Instructional strategies ‡ Effective Vocabulary Instruction 1 2 What We Know What We Know Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds enter school knowing fewer words (Stanovich, 1986). ‡ Schooling doesn’t narrow the achievement gap; students who enter kindergarten with limited vocabulary typically lose ground each year they are in school (Chall, et al. 1990). ‡ ‡ The average 3rd grader knows 10,000 words. ‡ The average 8th grader knows 25,000 words. ‡ The average high school graduate knows 50,000 words. ‡ Do they learn 40,000 words in 9 years via direct instruction? No way! 3 What We Know ‡ 4 What We Know Everyday speech uses only 5,0007,000 words (Klein, 1988). 95% of the texts we read consist of about 5,1000 words (Adams 1990). ‡ BUT the less common words carry most of the text content and are crucial for understanding that content, particularly in content area courses. ‡ 5 6 1 What We Know What We Know… ‡ Vocabulary knowledge is closely related to reading comprehension and academic achievement (Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin, 1990; Graves 2000). ‡ The ‡ Limited vocabulary is a major factor in the achievement gap (Biemiller, 1999, 2004; Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin, 1990; Hart & Risley, 1995). ‡ The number of words students need in their academic vocabulary skyrockets during secondary school. average secondary school student needs to know 88,500 words (Nagy & Anderson). 7 Vocabulary Used in Social Studies Vocabulary and Academic Language ‡ “So much of what we do outside of narrative is tied to vocabulary—a water table is different from a math table is different from tabling a motion.” „ D. 8 Type of Words Examples Content words pertaining to legend, city-state, democracy, social studies (concept words) golden age, empire, republic, balance of power Everyday vocabulary with special meanings in social studies ancient, concept, culture, decline, rivalry, ruler, territory, estates Difficult expressions for ELLs led to, in order to, touched off, dug in for; prepositions; and words that express logical relationships. Alvermann 9 Vocabulary Used in Science Type of Words Content words pertaining to science (concept words) Everyday vocabulary with special meanings in science Difficult expressions for ELLs 10 Vocabulary Used in Mathematics Examples Type of Words amphibian, abyssal plain, bacteria, invertebrate, asteroid belt, solar system, galaxy, atmosphere organ, tissue, adaptation, response, fruit, fertilize, seed, mimic Content words pertaining to mathematics (concept words) in steps, draw conclusions, molecules make a sandwich Difficult expressions for ELLs 11 Everyday vocabulary with special meanings in mathematics Examples monomial, denominator, quadratic, coefficient, polygon, equation, quadrilateral square, power, odd, even, equality, root, slope, plot, table sum/some, whole/hole, fourths/fours, divided into vs. divided by 12 2 Literature and Language Arts (Holt). 4th Course 2003 (Grade 10 standards) Vocabulary Used in English/LA Type of Words In English classes, we think about vocabulary ALL the time…but we don’t always think about the academic vocabulary in our discipline. ‡ None of the following examples came from the literature. ALL came from introductory material in the first 30 pages of the textbook! ‡ Examples Content words pertaining to English/Language Arts (concept words) narrative, plot, climax, exposition, foreshadowing, flashbacks, flash-forward, denouement, main idea Everyday vocabulary with special meanings in English/lLanguage Arts sequence, story, character, conflict, complications, resolved, suspense, resolution, main idea Difficult expressions for ELLs story hangs together, hook you, draw you into…,chain of events, the above steps, balancing work and family, plant hints, gets her an invitation, there is a catch 13 What We Know 14 What We Know Knowing a word CANNOT be equated with knowing a definition. ‡ ‡ Knowing a word means being able to do things with it: to recognize it in connected speech or in print, to access its meaning, to pronounce it, and to be able to do these things within a fraction of a second. (Stahl and Fairbanks, 1986) ACADEMIC LANGUAGE ACQUISTION is central to school success. Teaching academic terms in a consistently effective way to all students is one of the strongest actions a teacher can take to ensure that students have the academic background they need to understand the content they encounter in school (Marzano). 15 16 What We Know What We Know Vocabulary Knowledge Academic language acquisition requires EXPLICIT instruction. Topic Knowledge Reading Comprehension 17 18 3 Principles of Effective Instruction Effective Vocabulary Instruction The old way: ‡ Explicit instruction of necessary words ‡ Memorization of word lists ‡ Effective teachers use a battery of approaches to foster learning. ‡ Learning vocabulary entails elaboration and discussion of word meaning and opportunities to use the words. Beck and McKeown, 1991; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986. BUT… ‡ Isolated instruction of individual words is ineffective. 19 Principles of Effective Instruction: Choose Words Wisely That is to say… ‡ Students have to USE new language in order to learn it. „ „ „ „ „ „ 20 Word games Puzzles Reading Writing Conversation Awareness of environmental print ‡ Concept words=words for big ideas (e.g. utopia, biodiversity, republic, novel) ‡ Labels=words for details and specifics (e.g. tunic, supper) „ ACADEMIC VOCABULARY = concept words 21 Four Components of Effective Vocabulary Programs Principles of Effective Vocabulary Instruction Fostering word consciousness. Teaching word-learning strategies. ‡ Teaching individual words. ‡ Wide reading. ‡ Different types of words require different types of instruction. ‡ „ „ 22 Students should discuss the terms they are learning. Proficient readers read 3 times as many words per week as less proficient students. Add 25 minutes of reading per day = students learn an extra 1,000 words per year. Vocabulary acquisition is an ACTIVE process. 23 24 4 Six Steps to Effective Vocabulary Instruction 1. 2. 3. Six Steps to Effective Vocabulary Instruction The teacher provides a description, explanation, or example of the new term. Students restate the explanation of the new term in their own words. Students create a nonlinguistic representation of the term. 4. 5. 6. Students do activities that help them add to their knowledge of vocabulary terms. Students are asked to discuss the terms with one another. Students are involved in games that allow them to play with the terms. 25 Instructional Strategies ‡ Instructional Strategy: Word Walls Foster Word Consciousness „ „ „ „ 26 DO the wall: develop regular instruction around particular sets of words. ‡ Develop word games using the wall. ‡ Once words are taught, it is most effective if the words remain in the same location. ‡ Word Walls should develop organically as students encounter or need to learn particular vocabulary. ‡ Word Walls Word Games Vocabulary Visuals Vocabulary Stories Teach Structural Word Analysis ‡ Teach TYPES of Context Clues ‡ Graphic Organizers ‡ 27 28 Instructional Strategy: Word Walls Instructional Strategy: Word Walls High frequency words ‡ Words related to a particular unit of study ‡ 29 30 5 Instructional Strategy: Word Play Instructional Strategy: Word Games Crossword Puzzles Students should play with words. •http://puzzlemaker.school.disc overy.com/ •http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr067.shtml •http://www.powerprep.com/cro ssword/crossword.html 32 31 Instructional Strategy: Word Games Vocabulary Hot Potato ‡ The teacher tosses a word ring to a student who has to define the top word and use it in a sentence before tossing the ring to a classmate. 33 Instructional Strategy: Vocabulary Visuals 34 Instructional Strategy: Vocabulary Visuals Effective vocabulary instruction does NOT rely on definitions. Students must represent their knowledge of words in linguistic and non-linguistic ways. 35 36 6 Instructional Strategy: Vocabulary Visuals Instructional Strategy: Vocabulary Visuals 37 Instructional Strategy: Vocabulary Competitions 38 Instructional Strategy: Develop Structural Word Analysis Teaching word parts enhances students’ understanding of terms. Vocabulary Treasure Hunt 39 40 Instructional Strategy: Develop Structural Word Analysis Instructional Strategy: Develop Structural Word Analysis Teach root words and affixes. ‡ Understanding the morphological basis of affixes is critical to word knowledge. ‡ Re-, dis-, un-, and im- account for over half of all words with prefixes ‡ -s/-es, -ed, and –ing account for 65% of all words with suffixes (Cunningham 2002) ‡ Root words are morphemes (units of meaning) ‡ Begin with free morphemes like port because their meaning is accessible. ‡ Move to extensions (porter, airport, import). 41 42 7 Teach Students HOW to Guess Word Meaning from Context Instructional Strategy: Teach TYPES of Context Clues The following examples are from Reader's Choice Baudoin, et al., 1977, 1988 University of Michigan CAUSE AND EFFECT Look for cue words (because, so) then make a guess. Because we lingered too long at the restaurant, we missed the beginning of the movie. 43 The door was ajar, so the dog got out of the house. 44 Instructional Strategy: Teach TYPES of Context Clues Instructional Strategy: Teach TYPES of Context Clues OPPOSITE/CONTRAST Underline the two words or phrases in contrast to one another, then make a guess. SYNONYMS OR PARAPHRASES (found elsewhere in the sentence or paragraph) Even though I studied for hours, I flunked the test. My last apartment was really small, but my new one is quite spacious. Samuel was deaf, but he didn't let his handicap get in the way of his success. Sally's flower garden included dozens of marigolds, which she tended with great care. 45 46 Instructional Strategy: Teach TYPES of Context Clues Instructional Strategy: Teach TYPES of Context Clues EXAMPLES IN THE TEXT RECOGNIZING DEFINITIONS (common in college textbooks, newspaper & magazine articles) The baboon, like other apes, is a very social animal. 47 Many children of normal intelligence have great difficulty learning how to read, write, or work with numbers. Often thought of as "underachievers," such children are said to have a learning disability, a disorder that interferes in some way with school achievement. 48 8 Instructional Strategy: Use Graphic Organizers Instructional Strategy: Use Graphic Organizers Effective vocabulary instruction involves the gradual shaping of word meanings through multiple exposures. Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart 49 Instructional Strategy: Use Graphic Organizers 50 Instructional Strategy: Use Comics Focus instruction on terms that have a high probability of enhancing academic success. 51 Instructional Strategy: Use Comics •GLOBAL WARMING •ADVOCATE 52 Instructional Strategy: Use Comics Focus instruction on terms that have a high probability of enhancing academic success. •DECISIVE •COMPLEXITIES •ULTIMATELY •INEVITABLY •MAINSTREAM 53 Focus instruction on terms that have a high probability of enhancing academic success. SCRUTINY 54 9 Instructional Strategy: Use SAT Word Lists ‡ ‡ Instructional Strategy: Use Specialized Word Lists For Example: “Said” is Dead http://www.takesat.com/wordlist.php added advised allowed barked babbled begged cajoled complained http://www.soundkeepers.com/SAT/ demanded droned gasped howled interjected jeered moaned mumbled objected protested quipped reported scolded stuttered wailed whimpered 55 Instructional Strategy: Multiple Meanings 56 Instructional Strategy: Multiple Meaning Words Don’t neglect “simple” words. ‡ “RUN” has 69 meanings as defined by New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language ‡ These small words often interfere with reading comprehension ‡ ESL students rely more heavily on direct instruction than do native speakers. 57 Instructional Strategy: Multiple Meaning Words ‡ Analyze words like hand, table, bill, change and book as multiple-meaning words. ‡ Challenge students to bring in ten other multiple-meaning words and present a lesson to the class on how the words can be used in a variety of contexts. 58 Instructional Strategy: Teach Shades of Meaning ‡ ‡ 59 Attach a paint chip card to notebook paper in order to illustrate a string of synonyms. Definitions are written to the right of the paint chip card on which the word has been written. 60 10 Example Remember: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug!” --Mark Twain 1890 61 62 11