1. Action Research: Vocabulary 2nd grade
Ashley Lyon
Action Research: Vocabulary
2nd grade

2. Research Question
What are the most effective strategies for broadening and deepening students knowledge of vocabulary?

3. Initial Meeting with Teacher
Mrs. Phieffer
Concentrate on higher more advanced students
Process of selecting students (four student)
Greatest need  vocabulary
Pull out during silent reading time
Challenge
Engage
Interest

4. Research Regarding Best Practice
1. Creating an interest in words (Beck, 2002)
A. Word Consciousness- enjoyment in words and discovering the power they hold.
- Wide reading and extensive writing
- Reading book call attention to authors use of words (Reutzel & Cooter, 2008)
B. Investigate words in conversation and during the day to day
C. Create a fascination with word relationships (Sweeny & Mason, 2011 )
2. Positives for expanding students vocabulary
A. “Great Predictor”
B. Fluency
C. Beneficial for all areas (Reutzel & Cooter, 2008)
D. Increased Comprehension (Beck, 2002)

5. Research Regarding Best Practice
Wisely selecting words
- Meaningful
- Content/domain related (DeCesear, 2014)
- Word walls (Sweeny & Mason, 2011)
- Listening, speaking, reading, and writing vocabulary (Reutzel & Cooter, 2008)
Introduce/ Preteach words
- Kid friendly definition
- Clear expectation of word knowledge
Instruction
- Multidimensional
- Intentional (Sweeny & Mason, 2011)
Expand definition
- Provide experiences
- Multitude of examples
- Non examples

6. Research Regarding Best Practice
Instruction
1. Indirect vs. Direct
- Direct explicitly
- Indirect conversations, everyday experiences, and reading (Reutzel & Cooter, 2008)
2. Presentation
- Lively & enthusiastic approach (Beck, 2002)
- Rote teaching will not cut it
Opportunities with words
- BINGO
- Drawing Pictures
- Semantic word map (Reutzel & Cooter, 2008)

7. Research Regarding Best Practice
Connections with vocabulary words
- Word Webs
- Discussion
- Semantic Maps
- Concept Maps
- Frayer Model (Reutzel & Cooter, 2008)
Non-linguistic examples
Self to text connections (Beck, 2002)

8. Research Regarding Best Practice
Catching at Risk Student
- Tier 1 instruction whole class and Tier 2 small group intervention over time improvement (Sweeny & Mason, 2011)
Screening assessment
- Knowledge based rating scale (Reutzel & Cooter, 2008)
Diagnostic assessments
- Flash cards

9. Progress Monitoring & Interest Inventory
Present
Participated
Learned

10. First Assessment Starting place
Used randomly selected 8 words from the list of expected second grade words.

11. Instructional Changes
Thoughts after knowledge rating scale
- Process of selecting words
- Narrow focus
- Starting place
- Assist where needed

12. Opening Assessment Separate by words known and unknown
Laid out all card and picked the 25 most frequent
Student J  2
Student C  4
Student M  3
Student D  8
2nd Grade Vocabulary Flash card- 139 words

13. Bingo Example Played multiple games
Experience manipulating and practice knowing words through engaging activity.

14. Word Webs Enemy one of the words they had the hardest time with
Time consuming
Beneficial

15. Midpoint Assessment
Student J  17 Student C  20 Student M  23 Student D  25

16. Cloze passage Vocabulary words in context
Experience their words in literature.
Using context

17. Final Assessment
Student J  23 Student C  25 Student M  24 Student D  25

18. Graph Results

19. Data Conclusions Largest improvement from opening to midpoint
Collectively students had above a 92% accuracy on the final assessment
Student J  Showed significant growth/ not complete mastery of all words
Student C  Made improvement showed mastery
Student M  Did not improve greatly from midpoint to final/ absent
Student D  Midpoint and final assessment student knew all words with complete accuracy

20. Reflection Conducting this research and study again I would…
- Include more literature
- Selecting words
Proven to improve students learning best practice  multidimensional and intentional (Sweeny & Mason, 2011)
Rewarding
Flexible
Vocabulary is not rote teaching
Ex: Light bulb
Students desire to learn
Advice for the future?

21. Work Cited
Beck, I., & McKeown, M. (2002). Rationale For Robust Vocab Instruction. In Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction (Second ed., pp. 1-19). New York: Guilford Press.
DeCesare, A. (Director) (2014, November 13). Rev up your Center Time Using Rigor & Relevance, Complex Literacy and Powerful Instruction. Alabama Reading Association. Lecture conducted from, Birmingham 
Reutzel, D., & Cooter, R. (2008). Increasing Reading Vocabulary. In Teaching children to read: The teacher makes the difference (6th ed., pp ). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Sweeny, S. & Mason, P. (2011). Prepared by the Studies & Research Committee of the Massachusetts Reading Association. In Research-based Practices in Vocabulary Instruction: An Analysis of What Works in Grades PreK-12(pp. 1-15).
Templeton, S., & Bear, D. (2009). Vocabulary Assessment and Organization. In Vocabulary their way: Word study with middle and secondary students (pp ). Allyn & Bacon.