1. Vocabulary: A Powerful Connection to Comprehension
Tamara Konrade

2. 4 Types of Vocabulary
Listening: words we understand when others talk to us
Speaking: words we use when we talk to others
Reading: words we know when we see them in print
Writing: words we use when we write

4. Why Vocabulary is Important…

5. The Vocabulary Gap
Grade
Average Student
(2.4 root words per day)
Bottom 25%
(1.6 root words per day)
End of Pre-K
3,440
2,440
End of K
4,300
3,016
End of Grade 1
5,160
3,592
End of Grade 2
6,020
4,168
*Anglin 1993; Biemiller and Slonim 2001; Biemiller 2005

6. 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.

7. How Vocabulary is Learned
Indirectly: Children learn the meanings of most words through everyday experiences:
having conversations with adults and peers
hearing stories
reading extensively
Directly: Children learn vocabulary when they are explicitly taught both individual words and word-learning strategies:
morphemic analysis
contextual analysis

8. Variation in Amount of Independent Reading
Anderson, R. C.
(1992)

9. Common and Uncommon Words
FREQUENT WORDS
RARE WORDS
Adults talking to children
95.6
9.9
Adults talking to adults
93.9
17.3
Prime-time TV: adult
94.0
22.7
Children’s Books
92.3
30.9
Comic Books
88.6
53.5
Books-Adult
88.4
52.7
Popular Magazines
85.0
65.7
Newspapers
84.3
68.3
Abstracts of Scientific Papers
70.3
128.2
Frequent words = percentage of text from most frequent 1,000 words
Rare words = number of rare words (not in most common 10,000) per 1,000 tokens
Source: Hayes and Ahrens 1988

10. Selecting Words Target vocabulary should include:
Words that are important for understanding the text or content (and that are not explained within the text).
Words that students will encounter often, functionally important words.
Kindergarten
(Read Aloud)
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 2-8
(Independent Text)
3-4 words per book at 1-2 books per week.
4-5 words per book at 1-2 books per week.
5-6 words per book at 1-2 books per week.
3-10 words per selection at one selection per week.
~Based on Beck et al. 2002

11. Selecting Words to Teach
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
Isabel Beckand her colleagues have developed a systematic three-tier method for selecting vocabulary to teach. It is a system for selecting the words in a text best suited for direct explanation and focused instruction.
Not an exact science…but a helpful guide in selecting words to teach.
(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)

13. Demands of Text Narrative Expository
Unnecessary to know all the word--gist of the story.
Learning new words often involves learning a new term for a known concept.
Words are usually unrelated to each other.
Expository
Word meanings are closely tied to major topic.
New vocabulary is rarely associated with familiar concepts.
Words are often related to each other (e.g., metamorphosis, pupa, and larvae).

14. B3: Vocabulary Tested Indicators
▲Context Clues (3-HS)
definitions, restatements, examples, descriptions, comparison-contrast, clue words, cause-effect
▲Structural Analysis (3-HS)
roots, prefixes, suffixes
▲Figurative Language (6-HS)
similes, metaphors, analogies, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification, idioms, imagery, and symbolism

15. B3: Vocabulary Tested Indicators
▲Context Clues (3-HS)
definitions, restatements, examples, descriptions, comparison-contrast, clue words, cause-effect
▲Structural Analysis (3-HS)
roots, prefixes, suffixes
▲Figurative Language (6-HS)
similes, metaphors, analogies, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification, idioms, imagery, and symbolism

16. Contextual Analysis
“Clue instruction appears to be more effective than other instruction types or just practice.”
Analysis by Fukkink and de Glopper (1998)

17. Context Clues

18. Contextual Analysis Strategy
Look for Context Clues in the words, phrases, and sentences surrounding the unfamiliar word. Determine:
Signal Words or Punctuation
Type of Context Clue
Highlight different context clues you find in the article.

19. B3: Vocabulary Tested Indicators
▲Context Clues (3-HS)
definitions, restatements, examples, descriptions, comparison-contrast, clue words, cause-effect
▲Structural Analysis (3-HS)
roots, prefixes, suffixes
▲Figurative Language (6-HS)
similes, metaphors, analogies, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification, idioms, imagery, and symbolism

20. Facts about Prefixes
Twenty prefixes account for 97 percent of the prefixed words in school reading materials.
Four prefixes (un-, re-, in-, and dis-) account for 58 percent of all prefixed words.

21. Structural Analysis
Highlight your grade level prefixes and suffixes.

22. Structural Analysis Strategy
Look for the Root Word. What does it mean?
Look for a Prefix. What does it mean?
Look for a Suffix. What does it mean?
Put the Meanings of the Word Parts Together. What is the meaning of the whole word?

23. B3: Vocabulary Tested Indicators
▲Context Clues (3-HS)
definitions, restatements, examples, descriptions, comparison-contrast, clue words, cause-effect
▲Structural Analysis (3-HS)
roots, prefixes, suffixes
▲Figurative Language (6-HS)
similes, metaphors, analogies, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification, idioms, imagery, and symbolism

25. Vocabulary Activities
Kansas Parent Information Resource Center:

26. Attributes: Roll the Dice
Start with the stack of reading standards vocabulary cards.
Choose a vocabulary card and roll the dice.
Give attributes or something you’ve learned for each vocabulary word you draw (roll a 3 = 3 attributes).

27. Alphaboxes
At your table, write one word that relates to the state reading assessment.

28. Sort the words relating to reading standards into categories.
Word Sorts
Sort the words relating to reading standards into categories.

29. Graphic Organizers

30. Pictures / Objects / Videos

31. A Checklist for Instruction
Reflect on the checklist on page ??
Write one goal that you have in regard to vocabulary instruction.