1. October, 2013

2.  English is the largest language in the world – over one million words.  No one is a native speaker of academic English.  Understanding/comprehension is largely based on background knowledge and vocabulary which are both typically missing for ELL students.  When it comes to new content – all students are ELL.  Some students are able to pick up vocabulary meaning through incidental exposure to new words. ELL students can’t do this as effectively, and therefore require explicit instruction.

3.  CCSS will require: ◦ More complex texts ◦ Constructed responses that require students to use formal and content specific language both orally and in writing ◦ Students to engage in formal debate and discourse with their peers ◦ Students to be able to cite evidence from the text, analyze it, and provide written and oral responses using sophisticated language

4.  Not all words are of equal importance, so the challenge teachers face is knowing which words to teach.  Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel Beck  What I most appreciate about this book is its application to both EL and non-EL students.  Beck proposes that words are divided into three tiers.

5.  These are high-frequency, concrete, basic vocabulary words commonly used in everyday conversations and rarely taught (except to beginning ELs who require explicit instruction) – most students just pick them up over time.  Examples - spoon, bed, girl, sad, jump, dog, purple, school, pencil, lamp, woman, lid, zipper  These words can sometimes be deceptive because many of them have multiple meanings – i.e. table, chair, hand, eye, pen, bank, key, blue, run, drive, head, man, book.

6.  These are low-frequency, content-specific terms. Teachers generally spend most of their vocabulary instruction time teaching these words. They are the key to acquiring content area concepts.  Examples – plot, noun, photosynthesis, denominator, spike, cell, petal, Gold Rush, inch, angle, monarchy, verb

7.  These are more sophisticated, precise, academic vocabulary words which appear most often in written texts, as opposed to everyday oral language, so students don’t encounter them as often as Tier 1 words.  They are not content-specific, so they are not usually part of explicit vocabulary instruction, but they are critical to understanding the meaning of content area texts and assessments – they represent 90 to 95% of reading comprehension.  “Fancy Nancy” is great for Tier 2 words.  In order for students to understand and use Tier 2 words in their reading and writing, they must have opportunities to hear and use them in structured oral classroom activities.

8.  Assessment/Thinking Terms – analyze, describe, summarize, demonstrate, evaluate, solve, synthesize, apply  Precise/Sophisticated Terms – only, modify, devise, authorize, ultimate, establish, magnitude, summoned, faithful, coincidence, effective, continuation, underlying, coincide, crucial, solely, implicit  Transition/Text Structure Terms Demonstrating Relationships Between Ideas – however, but, therefore, because, nevertheless, since, on the other hand, although, if/then, same as, different from, similar, for example, such as, first, then, after that, finally, also, some, in fact  Idioms/Phrasal Terms – in the nick of time, once upon a time, no matter what, the rest of, wrap up, have to, in fact, by and large, for the most part, as a matter of fact

9. Johnny Harrington was a kind master who treated his servants fairly. He was also a successful wool merchant, and his business required that he travel often. In his absence, his servants would tend to the fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of his mansion. They performed their duties happily, for they felt fortunate to have such a benevolent and trusting master.

10.  Importance and Utility – is it a word you see frequently as a reader?  Instructional Potential – does it have a more general application than say a content word?  Conceptual Understanding – do the kids currently have another way to express the concept – i.e. required (have to); tend (take care of)

11. The servants would never comment on this strange occurrence, each servant hoping the other had tended to the chores. Never would they mention the loud noises they’d hear emerging from the kitchen in the middle of the night. Nor would they admit to pulling the covers under their chins as they listened to the sound of haunting laughter that drifted down the halls to their bedrooms each night. In reality, they knew there was a more sinister reason behind their good fortune.

13.  Plan to teach 2-7 words per lesson.  Read the word in context from the text.  Have them say the word with you.  Ask them if there are parts of the word they might recognize.  Give them a kid-friendly definition in a more familiar context.  Have the kids come up with examples of when they might use the word. Teaching “importance” (personal, academic, etc.) helps to provide relevance and motivation.  Keep a list on the board/wall to refer back to, and allow students to “nominate” words to add to the list as they are encountered – be sure you and the kids have opportunities to use them throughout the year.

14.  Help students refine their understanding of a word by giving examples of situations and asking students to indicate whether or not each situation illustrates the target word and to explain why or why not.  “If I say something that sounds absurd, say the word ‘absurd.’ If it is not absurd, don’t say anything.” o Walking to school if you live 5 miles away from the school. o Sharing your lunch with a friend who forgot theirs. o Teaching your dog to roll over. o Trying to read an entire novel the night before a test.  Ask students to come up with something that they associate with the target term, then explain the connection.  Extravagant - I spent all of my savings on an iPad.  Provide sentence frames for students to use to practice using Tier 2 vocabulary.  If you want to get good grades, it is crucial to _______.

15.  From the Application of Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners... “Vocabulary drill and practice are not the most effective instructional practices for learning vocabulary. Research has demonstrated that vocabulary learning occurs most successfully through instructional environments that are language-rich, actively involve students in using language, require that students both understand spoken or written words and also express that understanding orally and in writing, and require students to use words in multiple ways over extended periods of time.”