1. CMCSS Toolbox – Strategies and Techniques Part I: Teaching Vocabulary
Consulting Teachers
August, 2006

2. Why are we here? Strategic Plan/High School Literacy Support
Toolbox-Techniques and Strategies
High School Reform
Student Achievement/Reading Comprehension through Vocabulary Instruction

3. High School Literacy Support
Toolbox: Based on Reading Strategies
Reading in Content Area I
Reading in Content Area II
Language!
Students with
Severe
Needs

4. Outcomes:
Develop an understanding of the relationship between reading and vocabulary development.
Develop an understanding of the importance of before, during, and after reading instruction.
Learn the six step process for teaching essential academic vocabulary and practice application of the process.
Utilize graphic organizers in teaching vocabulary.

5. What do we know about students, reading comprehension, and vocabulary instruction?
The Matthew Effect
Good Reasons for Teaching Vocabulary
Some vocabulary must be taught through direct instruction

6. What is the Matthew Effect?
Refers to the idea that some kids come to school from less academically advanced environments than their peers when it comes to early reading skills. These less fortunate peers tend to get left behind. Like the line in Matthew’s Gospel, the rich students get richer, and the poor students get poorer. (Keith Stanovich).

7. Example of the Matthew Effect:
A student in the 10th percentile reads about 60,000 words in a year in 5th grade.
A student in the 50th percentile reads about 900,000 words a year in the 5th grade.
Average students engage in about 15 times as much practice in a year compared with low achieving students.
Percentile Rank
Minutes
Per Day
Minutes Per Day
Words Read Per Year
Books
Text 98
65.0
67,3
4,358,000
4,733,000 90
21.2
33.4
1,823,000
2,357,000 80
14.2
24.6
1,146,000
1,697,000 70
9.6
16.9
622,000
1,168,000 60
6.5
13.1
432,000
722,000 50
4.5
9.2
282,000
601,000 40
3.2
6,2
200,000
421,000 30
1.8
4.3
106,000
251,000 20
0.7
2.4
21,000
134,000 10
0.1
1.0
8,000
51,000 2
(Anderson, R.C., 1992)

8. WIDE READING – VOLUME READING
A student in the 20th percentile reads books ______ minutes a day.
This adds up to _________words read per year.
A student in the 80th percentile reads books ______ minutes a day.
This adds up to __________ words
read per year. .7
21,000
14.2
1,146,000

9. Some Good Reasons for Teaching Vocabulary…
The major factor in text difficulty is vocabulary (Klare, 1984)
Knowledge of vocabulary is highly correlated with reading comprehension (Nagy & Scott, 2000)
There is even a close correlation between vocabulary development at age 3 and reading comprehension in 11th grade (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997)
Vocabulary is implicated in the “4th grade slump” and the failure of beginning reading programs to ensure later success (Chall & Jacobs, 2003)

10. Direct Instruction of Vocabulary
Vocabulary Instruction is one of the essential elements of literacy development for students at risk (RAND Reading Study Group, 2002)
To learn a word requires between 6 to 10 exposures to the word in context (Jenkins, Stein, and Wysocki, 1984)
Chances of learning the word from context depends on student’s ability level, grade level, and background knowledge (Marzano & Pickering, 2004)

11. Impact of Direct Vocabulary Instruction
The direct vocabulary instruction was on words
related to content and the effect size is .97

12. Vocabulary Simulation: A Difficult Start
The bleet and the gelz are borat at their nonporteze of what is haldon in the narbrack.

13. Questions?
Any Questions?

14. A six step process adapted from Marzano and Pickering
Teaching Vocabulary
A six step process adapted from Marzano and Pickering

15. Process of Learning Vocabulary
The success of vocabulary mastery is most influenced by quality instruction from the teacher.
The six step process goes from general learning to specific learning
Establish set, the initial introduction/learning of the word (steps 1-3)
Provide multiple exposures (steps 4-6)

16. Step 1: The teacher will model and explain what the new word means
Ask what students know about the word
Use this information to confirm, clarify, and/or build on the word meaning

17. Ways to model, give a description, explanation, or example
Give direct experiences that will provide examples of the word
Tell a story that uses the word
Use video or computer images to aid in understanding
Divide students into small groups and ask students to present a student friendly description or explanation of the word

18. Ways to model, give a description, explanation, or example contd:
Relate the word to current events that are familiar to the student
Use your own mental pictures to describe the word
Use pictures as examples of the term

19. A Cautionary Note
Initial understanding of the word does not involve giving students a dictionary definition or asking them to look up the definition
The goal of step 1 is to have a general understanding of the word

20. Model and Practice Step 1
Model or explain what the word means.

21. Step 2: The student will define the term in his/her own words
Initial understanding of the word is still a work in progress
Students should not merely copy what you have said
Students’ work can be very simple at this stage of learning
Students record their work on a selected vocabulary graphic organizer

22. 3 Things to do if students struggle with Step 2:
Provide additional descriptions, explanations, or examples
Allow students to talk about the word with a partner or in a small group.
Move on to step 3 and ask students to create a picture, and then go back and restate their understanding using words

23. Students restate meaning contd.
Students use a graphic organizer to record initial description of the word
Teachers may consider keeping an academic notebook

24. Model and Practice Step 2:
Define the term in your own words.

25. Step 3: Ask students to illustrate the word by creating a picture, symbol or graphic of the word
Modeling is important in the beginning
Allow students to work together
Show examples of your work, as well as, other student work
Ask students to share stories of how pictures have helped them learn
If you or your students are having trouble with a word, go to the Internet and do a search
Students record work on a selected vocabulary graphic organizer

26. Model and Practice Step 3:
Illustrate the word

27. Step 4: Students expand word knowledge with activities (use graphic organizers)
Allow students to add to or revise initial word description within graphic organizer
Allow students to record new insights
Additional activities:
Highlight word part to aid students in remembering the meaning of the word
Identify synonyms or antonyms
List related words
Draw an additional picture or graphic
Write brief reminders or cautions of commonly confused words
ELL- translate the word into student’s native language

28. Model and Practice Step 4
Plan activities to deepen word knowledge

29. Step 5: Provide students with opportunities to share new word knowledge with peers
Discussions can be informal or structured
Structured Activity: Think-Pair-Share
Think: Give students “think time” to individually review their word and graphic organizer
Pair: Organize students into pairs and ask them to discuss their descriptions and pictures of the word with their partners; this would also include areas of confusion and seeking clarification
Share: Students are invited to share new thoughts or understandings they have discussed in their pairs; encourage students to share examples of confusions that have come up during discussions
Students are asked to make additions and revisions to their graphic organizer

30. Model and Practice Step 5
Discuss word with partner using Lansdown card

31. Questions?
Any Questions?

32. Step 6: The teacher will provide multiple interactions with the words
Listen for misconceptions and areas of confusion
Encourage students to work together to ensure that everyone is learning the word correctly
Draw Me
Talk a Mile a Minute
Name that Category
Vocabulary Charades
What is the Question
Exit games and questions

33. Model and Practice Step 6
Provide multiple interactions.

34. Managing Vocabulary Instruction
Use process with essential vocabulary
Keeping a vocabulary notebook is recommended
Principal expectation