1. “A word is the skin of a living thing.”
Wordsalive A Vocabulary Acquisition Program for Middle Schools
Wordsalive was created by Virginia teachers who are passionate about vocabulary acquisition.
They have incorporated as many word learning strategies into the program as possible.
Each strategy is grounded in research.
“A word is the skin of a living thing.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes

2. LET’S BRAINSTORM
What are the problems your students have when you introduce new material?
What are the ways in which you introduce new words to your students?
How was vocabulary taught to you when you were a student?
Allow the participants to brainstorm their ideas and record these on chart paper for use later in the presentation.

3. SIMULATION # 1
Find a partner who teaches a different subject from the one you teach.
Using the methods you usually use with students, teach one word from your subject area to your partner.
Trade roles so that your partner teaches you one word from his or her discipline.
This is the first of many activities. Allow approximately 5 minutes.
Debrief by asking a volunteer to teach the new word he/she learned to the group.

4. How do we really learn new words and make them our own?
Martha Rapp Haggard tells us that adults have a three step process.
1. Search for the word’s meaning and pronunciation.
2. Practice the word in a low risk situation.
3. Use the word properly without effort.
“Vocabulary self-collection strategy: an active approach to word learning.” (1982). Journal of Reading, 26.3,
Haggard’s research was done with adults and applied to high school students. Her idea of practicing in a low risk situation is especially important for middle school students.

5. What are the characteristics of good vocabulary instruction?
Eileen Carr and Karen Wixson provide four guidelines for evaluating vocabulary instruction.
Students should:
relate new vocabulary to background knowledge;
develop elaborated word knowledge;
be actively involved in learning; and
develop strategies for acquiring vocabulary independently.
“Guidelines for evaluating vocabulary instruction.” (1986). Journal of Reading, 29.7,
All of the guidelines delineated on the slide were used to build the program.
Read the slide verbatim to the group.
Revisit this slide near the end of the presentation to decide if wordsalive does, indeed, meet all four criteria.

6. The purpose of the workshop is to provide the tools for all teachers to teach vocabulary meaningfully on a daily basis, via content area instruction, and in a way that extrapolates student learning.
Read the slide verbatim, with special inflection on the word extrapolates.
Pause to allow the participants to point it out as the word which needs more instruction, or at least is a bit out of place.
Before you move to the next slide, mention that extrapolates was chosen purposefully and then used as the first example for the wordsalive map.
Is there a word in the purpose statement which needs more instruction? Which one?

7. Wordsalive Map improves …to provide the tools…
to teach vocabulary…in a way that extrapolates student learning
Wordsalive Map
extrapolates
extend a curve or function beyond the range of known values using the values that have already been determined
enhance, enrich or go beyond what’s there
improves
extra-beyond pol-polish ate- to make verb/Latin
extends
confines
polish extra- curricular
Go slowly, read and explain each part:
The new word, extrapolates, is recorded on the brain.
The context, to provide the tools to teach vocabulary, only the essential parts, not the whole sentence is recorded in the speech bubble; this context comes from the purpose statement on the previous slide.
Three definitions are recorded on the ribbon: first a guess: improves-based on context, then a dictionary definition, and finally a definition in the learner’s own words: the example here is enhance, enrich or go beyond what’s there.
The circle contains a synonym: extends.
The prohibition symbol contains an antonym: confines.
The less than sign is also the dictionary symbol for etymology. It contains the word origins and part of speech: in this case extra means beyond, pol means polish and ate is a verb ending meaning to make. Extrapolates comes from Latin.
The house, for words related to the new word by morphology implies that words are all in the same family. The examples are polish and extracurricular.
The picture frame is provided for a sketch, the student’s personal response to the word. The example is downloaded from the web.
Finally, students write a caption, which replaces the ubiquitous sentence. No doubt, they will only be fooled for a few minutes. Captions must link the new word to the sketch and provide another opportunity for students to generate a personal response to the new word.
Sketch as a personal clue, association, or visualization
Escher’s designs extrapolate a variety of shapes.

8. Day and Night by M. C. Escher
This slide has been included for your enjoyment, but it also shows the of extrapolation of objects.
Day and Night by M. C. Escher

9. Wordsalive Map Caption using the new word
Parts of sentence(s) from the book which reveal the context
Wordsalive Map
WORD
Dictionary Definition
Paraphrased definition
Guessed definition
Antonym or non-example
Etymology and P.O.S.
Synonym
Related Words
This is the wordsalive map which can hang in the classroom to remind students what is to be recorded into each symbol.
During the workshop, each part will be explained separately and in depth.
Sketch as a personal clue, association, or visualization
Caption using the new word

10. Wordsalive Map
This is the student page, which can be made into a transparency.
It also appears as a blackline master in that file.

11. SIMULATION # 2 Find a partner who teaches the same subject as you do.
Using the wordsalive map transparency, choose a familiar word from your subject area to map with your partner.
Take a short break.
Share and discuss.
This is the second activity.
Distribute dictionaries, transparencies and markers.
Allow the group to work for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Choose the best examples, or the ones that might spark discussion to show to the group after the break.

12. Why do we need to do all the parts of the Wordsalive Map?
Baumann and Kameenui discuss three levels of word knowledge that can be used to consider depth of understanding and related instructional procedures.
1. Association: with a single definition or context
2. Comprehension: broad understanding and ability to use, classify or identify the opposite
3. Generation: ability to produce a novel response
This is very important information and these three levels of word knowledge will be referred to throughout the presentation.
Teachers need to help students move from association, through comprehension and toward generation. It is a long process. Many teachers ask students to look up a word and use it in a sentence: moving directly from association to generation, bypassing the comprehension stage.
The wordsalive map provides a framework and also opportunity for students to gain comprehension before they are asked to generate a novel response.
The following slide provides an analogy to these three levels using making friends. It might be an appropriate analogy to use with students.
Revisit this slide later in the presentation and look at what Janis Harmon says about moving from comprehension to generation.
“Research on vocabulary instruction: Ode to Voltaire.” (1991). Handbook on Teaching the English Language Arts,

13. Association: shaking hands Comprehension: becoming friends
Baumann and Kameenui’s three levels of word knowledge: an analogy
Association: shaking hands
Comprehension: becoming friends
Generation: calling on a friend when in need
The analogy of learning a new word compared with making a new friend

14. Association wordsalive Copy the sentence Why?
Facilitates decoding and provides direct interaction with the word.
Focuses attention on the context clues and the content.
How?
Copy only as much of the context that supplies the essence of the meaning for the new word.
Use selection and deselection of information.
Include the sentence before or after the new word, if necessary.
wordsalive
This slide explains why we need to copy only the essential parts and not the whole sentence. Many teachers ask students to copy the whole sentence when the clues may not even be in that sentence and it is often an arduous process.
If copying the sentence is to help with using the context, then students must be instructed how to find only the essential words and write only those into the speech bubble. Students need enough context for grounding, but not the superfluous words.
The following slide gives participants a chance to find the essential context from material appropriate for adults.

15. Association wordsalive Copy the sentence
Copy only the essential context from the following sentences:
“If Immanuel Kant had stumbled across this luncheon after his noon Beverly Hills shrink appointment, he would have quickly discerned that Lisa is all phenomena and no noumena, and that Mirabelle is all noumena and no phenomena.” (p 32)
“Mirabelle is not sparkling tonight, because she works only in gears, and tonight she is in the wrong gear. Third gear is her scholarly, perspicacious, witty self; second gear is her happy, giddy, childish self; and first gear is her complaining, helpless, unmotivated self. Tonight she is somewhere midshift...” (p 63)
“But right now, he is using the hours with her as a portal to his own need for propinquity.” (p 77)
Martin, S. (2000). Shopgirl, Hyperion.
wordsalive
At least one of the words on the slide may be unknown to each participant.
Ask the participants to scan all three sentences for the underlined words.
Each participant should pick the word which is least familiar to him or her. In that way the activity can simulate what children feel when they are asked to use the context. It’s easy to find the clues when you already know the word. The trick is to learn to do it when the word is unknown.
Using the blackline master of the speech bubble (which can also be a transparency) have the participants write only the essential context for one of the words on the screen.
Debrief the activity by asking a volunteer (or two) to explain how he/she found the context. Ask what clues helped him or her.
The source of these vocabulary words is a novella by Steve Martin (yes, the comedian).

16. Association wordsalive
Record only the essential context into the speech bubble.
wordsalive
This is the blackline master and/or transparency to be used to practice recording the essential context.

17. All contexts are not created equal!
Copy the sentence
1. Misdirective contexts which mislead the reader.
2. Nondirective contexts which provide no assistance to the reader.
3. General contexts which provide only enough information for the reader to categorize the unknown word.
4. Directive contexts which lead the reader to the specific, correct meaning for a new word.
This and the four slides which follow demonstrate that all contexts are not equal or supportive. Teachers need to be aware of the density of the context students are expected to comprehend. The context needs to be supportive, and when it is not the teacher must step in to point out clues or add them verbally so that the student has something to ground him/her as he/she hunts for a definition.
Read the slide verbatim. Then show the next four, pausing for the participants to read and find the clues (or lack thereof).
Beck, McKeown, and McCaslin, “Vocabulary Development: All contexts are not created equal.” (1983). Elementary School Journal

18. All contexts are not created equal!
Misdirective Context
“Mr. Barry, ...this is just a courtesy call to do you the courtesy of interrupting your dinner so I can ask you a question. …I hang up. But of course this does not stop them. …they call again. That’s how courteous they are.”
Dave Barry, Richmond Times-Dispatch
November 12, 2000
Ask the participants to pretend that they do not know what the words courtesy or courteous mean .
Often humorous literature uses words in a misleading way and students without the background in satire, pun, or hyperbole miss the point. This is a rather silly example.

19. All contexts are not created equal!
Nondirective Context
“ There is a doggedness about [Charles] Wright’s treatment of these things that becomes, as the poems pile up, somehow both humble and heroic.”
Ron Smith, Richmond Times-Dispatch
November 12, 2000
As time permits, ask a participant to point out the clues.
It isn’t very obvious, but poems pile up is a hint at a context clue. Doggedness means marked by stubborn determination.

20. All contexts are not created equal!
General Context
“ ’Meat is contraband,’ the customs agent said as he confiscated the ham.’ ”
Jonathan Yardley, Richmond Times-Dispatch
November 12, 2000
“ In him [Arthur Miller] the American theater found, perhaps for the first time, an eloquence and an amplitude of feeling…”
Jere Real, Richmond Times-Dispatch
In the first example it is necessary to know at least one of the underlined words to glean any meaning from the sentence. If both are unknown it is impossible to comprehend or use context unless the reader had background knowledge of foreign travel or a grabby customs agent.
In the second example the context gives no help, but whatever hint there might be to the word’s meaning comes from the morphology of amplitude which means fullness. We will address morphology later in the presentation.

21. All contexts are not created equal!
Directive Context
“On the other hand, the windblown deposits of mineral-rich dust and silt called loess have benefited farmers in China, the American Midwest and other parts of the world.”
World Geography : Prentice Hall, page 51.
This example is typical of textbooks. Luckily our students learn many of their words from such sources.
However, loess may not be a very useful word outside of geography class. The selection of words to teach will be addressed later in the presentation.

22. Association We learn more when we are self-involved.
Guess, copy and paraphrase the definition
Why use the dictionary?
To link the word to the appropriate definition based on the context.
Why paraphrase?
To lead to the comprehen-sion level.
Why guess?
To activate background knowledge.
No vocabulary program would be complete without dictionaries, but they are not the first step to finding meaning. Guessing a definition based on the context (and morphology as we will discuss later) is a very important step for tapping into background knowledge and for moving students toward independence with vocabulary acquisition.
The dictionary usage almost speaks for itself, but many students must be helped to find the appropriate definition, the one which matches the context.
How many times have students copied a definition and not understood a word of it? The paraphrasing step will help to eliminate this problem as it leads students to comprehension and independence.
We learn more when we are self-involved.

23. Guess and paraphrase the definition
a covering of a plane without overlaps or gaps using combinations of congruent figures
tessellation
preponderant influence or authority especially of one nation over others
hegemony
This activity allows participants to practice guessing and paraphrasing a definition.
Ask the group to choose the one word with which they are least familiar.
Pause to give them time to guess before revealing in the definitions. If using transparencies, cover the definitions before showing the slide.
After they have absorbed and/or copied the definition, pause to allow enough time for the participants to paraphrase.
Debrief by asking volunteers to share their guessed and paraphrased definitions, as time permits.
A short break might be appropriate here.
subduction
the process of the edge of one crustal plate descending below the edge of another
The paraphrase begins the comprehension process.

24. Comprehension Comprehension
Synonym, antonym, etymology, and related words
Related Words
These four interactions with vocabulary help students gain information and comprehension. They also promote dictionary usage, etymology, morphology, and discussion. All four are powerful, but with some words and some students one activity is more powerful than others.
Teacher modeling is very important for all interactions.
Multiple opportunities for interaction with the new word will allow each student to find understanding in his unique way.

25. Comprehension Find a synonym Why?
Synonyms can provide a new label for a known concept.
How?
Synonyms should be consistent in part of speech; however, teachers should recognize students’ developmental stages as they move toward that consistency.
Pull synonyms from the definition, context, prior knowledge, or etymology.
Do not just copy one from a thesaurus.
wordsalive
Synonyms are important, especially when the student already knows the concept underlying the new word. In that case, the new word is merely a new label for a concept already known.
Thesaurus usage is not recommended, as students more often find a misfit. Moreover, the thinking process is circumvented when the thesaurus is the source of a synonym.
When the students use the context and the definition combined with background knowledge, the synonym is a more powerful learning tool. Teachers need to model.
The part of speech of the synonym should match the part of speech of the new word, but students need to be taught this gradually. Lots of modeling may be necessary and the developmental stages of younger students should be taken into account.
When no synonym is available an example might be an adequate substitute, but it should be identified in the circle as an example.

26. Comprehension The Not Box Find an antonym
Why?
“Polarity is located at the deepest and most abstract level of the semantic network.” (Powell, 1986)
Definition by contrast
How?
Provide an opportunity to reinforce negative prefixes. (Hennings, 2000)
Many words do not have antonyms, but a non-example works well to establish polarity. (Frayer, 1969)
Find an antonym
wordsalive
Antonyms are trickier, because not all words have antonyms.
But antonyms provide the first opportunity on the map to tap into morphology with the manipulation of negative prefixes (non, an, dis, un…). The article by Hennings in the November 2000 issue of Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy has a great chart of negative prefixes which teachers could hang in their rooms to help students gain facility and independence. Modeling helps too.
Definition by contrast is a very powerful tool and turns the light bulb on for many students.
When antonyms are not evident, non-examples work well and may be even as powerful in the areas of math and science.

27. Three types of antonyms Mutually exclusive
Finding antonyms
The Not Box
Three types of antonyms
Mutually exclusive
singular/plural
husband/wife
Graduation
icy/scalding
emaciated/obese
Undo
buy/sell
wrap/unwrap
wordsalive
This information comes from Powell’s article on opposition. Teachers can help students become more flexible with antonyms if they are familiar with the three types delineated by Powell.
More examples and those appropriate to the grade level or content area could be posted in the classroom.
Powell, “Teaching vocabulary through opposition.” Journal of Reading

28. Comprehension cleave benign frolic arrange suitable destination
Create a synonym and antonym
cleave
benign
frolic
arrange
suitable
destination
nourishment
sufficient
often
prohibit
wordsalive
This is an activity for participants to practice finding both synonyms and antonyms for the same word, as students are expected to do on the map. A blackline master accompanies it.
Encourage group collaboration and dictionary usage.
Cleave is a trick question, as it is a contronym, a word which is its own antonym.

29. Comprehension Etymology and Morphology Related Words
Teachers seem to have a great deal of difficulty with etymology and morphology, but since the knowledge and manipulation of the parts of words is such a powerful learning tool, care must be taken to give teachers the background to teach both.
Perhaps it would be good to take a break here, and return to this challenging part of the presentation when the participants are more fresh and ready.

30. What is etymology?
Etymology is the study of the history and structure of words.
When we study etymology we learn the origins of words.
Read the slide, verbatim.
Allow the participants to absorb the definition of etymology.
Encourage questions or contributions.

31. Comprehension Why? Teach etymology
Nearly 70% of multisyllabic words in English come from Greek and Latin roots.
Roots and affixes link new words to background knowledge.
Suffixes reveal the part of speech.
How?
Provide an opportunity to discover prefixes, suffixes and roots.
Tell the stories of words.
Teach etymology
wordsalive
Stress that teachers do not need to become etymologists, but should become familiar with the origins of the words important to their disciplines. The Reading Teachers Book of Lists, and the article by Hennings (JAAL, Nov. 2000) are both easily accessible sources of information about words from Greek and Latin.
Ask for audience participation about the stories of words, or tell one yourself. The origin of serendipity is great, but you may know others.
The Hennings article also has a list of web sites which may help teachers and students learn more about etymology.

32. Etymology The Structure and History of Words
An inflection: internal or external change in a word form which signifies some addition to or change in a word to denote a modification in meaning.
A derivation: a tracing of the meaning and formation of a word to its origin.
wordsalive
These are some definitions for etymology.
The next slide shows an example of inflections and derivations from the work of Hennings.

33. Etymology The Structure and History of Words
Inflections: secede, secession, succeed, success, intercede, intercession, precede, preceding, recede, receding, receded, exceed, proceed, procedure, precession, process, concede, concession...
All of the cede words originated from the same Latin root meaning to go or to yield.
wordsalive
Hennings shows some excellent examples of inflections in her article.
She uses the Latin root cede to show how it can be inflected with prefixes and suffixes: secede, secession, succeed, success, intercede, intercession, precede, preceding, recede, receding, receded, exceed, proceed, procedure, concede, concession, procession, process, ...
All these words, she points out, were derived from the Latin root cede, meaning to yield or to go.

34. Etymology The Vocabulary Etymology - etymos: true, actual, real
logos: word, speech
Inflections - flectare: to bend, turn
Derivation - riva: stream
Language - lingua: tongue, language
wordsalive
This slide shows the origins of some of the words associated with etymology.
Etymos and logos come from Greek.
Flectare, riva and lingua were Latin.

35. Etymology wordsalive Composition and Derivation of English Words
Four Divisions:
1. Primitive/Primary Words: words that cannot be resolved into simpler elements (man, horse, run)
2. Derivative Words: words which consist of significant parts which exist either separately or in other combinations (man-ly, man-hood)
3. Compound Words: words consisting of two or more parts, each a significant word in itself (apple-tree, tea-spoon)
4. Hybrid Words: words with elements from different languages (gentleman, footsteps)
wordsalive
These are basic divisions of words which teachers may not have thought about, but use everyday.

36. Etymology The Vocabulary: Affixes:
Prefixes: intensify or negate enlarge, commingle, redo, misquote
Suffixes - show part of speech or number
dog/dogs
internal/internally/intern/internist/
internalize/ internalization
wordsalive
Affixes are important for students to manipulate and this slide gives some basic understanding of the way prefixes and suffixes operate.
The four examples for prefix usage are all words which can stand alone without the prefix: the prefix either intensifies or negates. Prefixes will also serve these functions for word parts which cannot stand alone.
The examples for suffixes show plurals and the use of suffixes to change the part of speech and inflection. The adjective internal becomes an adverb, two nouns, a verb, and a noun again just by changing the suffix.

37. Etymology The Stories of Words wordsalive
Do you know where the word italics comes from?
We use italics frequently, but do we know its origin?
The name for the slanted form of type comes from Aldus Manutius, an Italian printer who published the first book with this kind of type in The book, a work by Virgil, was dedicated “To Italy” and subsequently, other printers, publishers, and writers began referring to the unique type as “Italian” and eventually in English, “italics.”
wordsalive
The stories of words are memorable. This example comes from The Word Origin Calendar and is about a very familiar word with an interesting origin.
When we share stories like these with our students, they will remember the words. They may even get interested in etymology.
As time permits, ask for volunteers to share the stories of words that they know: serendipity, tantalize, and quixotic are all good ones and come from a variety of cultures.
The Word Origin Calendar, (2000, October 5) Accord Publishing.

38. Etymology Recent Journal Article wordsalive
“Learning clusters of words that share a common origin helps students understand content area material.”
Dorothy Grant Hennings
“Contextually relevant word study: Adolescent vocabulary development across the curriculum”
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 44:3 November pages
wordsalive
Not only is this quote important, but participants might want to find and read this article.

39. Etymology wordsalive Date: Fri Jan 21 00:04:25 EST 2000
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--enormity
Address:
Enormity (I-NOR-mi-tee) noun
1. The quality of passing all moral bounds; excessive wickedness or outrageousness.
2. A monstrous offense or evil; an outrage.
3. (Usage Problem) Great size; immensity.
wordsalive
This is just an example from a word of the day web site. Hennings article lists several more. Many are free.
The slide shows that enormity has changed in meaning over time, as have many words. Ask the participants for examples of words which have changed in meaning.
Another good example of a word changing meanings and having an interesting origin is the word flu. Flu is the shortened form of influenza, or influentia in Italian, which came to mean epidemic. Originally it was thought that epidemics were “propelled by the evil influences of the stars.” (Word Origin Calendar, 2001)

40. What is Morphology?
Morphology is the study of the building blocks of words.
A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning into which a word can be broken.
Here are some definitions important to understanding morphology.
Many teachers do use morphology, but many refer to it as structural analysis of words.
Wordsalive incorporates the study of morphology because if students manipulate the building blocks of words they become more independent with vocabulary acquisition.

41. Comprehension
Related words/ Word Families
Why?
“For every word a child learns … there are an average of one to three additional words…”(Baumann and Kameenui, 1991)
Links new words to students’ background knowledge.
Facilitates decoding through chunking.
How?
Find the root or the affix and use it in another word from the students’ repertoires.
wordsalive
Baumann and Kameenui may be underestimating how many more words a child can learn when he uses morphology.
If the students begin to build a lexicon of morphemes and know the meanings of those morphemes, their vocabularies will grow. During reading they should stop less often to go to the dictionary for clarification of words which contain the morphemes they can manipulate.
As mentioned earlier in the presentation, morphology will also help students guess definitions before they look up words.
The activities and charts in the article by Hennings could help students gain independence.

42. Comprehension polygon Etymology and Morphology poly - many gon - angle
Greek noun
This is a simple example of the use of morphology.
After students study polygons in math class, they should be more independent learners of polytheism (provided the Greek root theo is known) when they come across it in social studies. And if subsequently they read about polyphony in a music text, they might not need any instruction.
polytheism
polyphony

43. Related words Word families onym antonym synonym anonymous synonymous
eponym
homonym
contronym
anonymity
This is an activity which demonstrates to participants that they do know a lot about morphology already.
This slide is the example of the word family tree and the following slides are for the participants to create a word family tree.
Onym was chosen because it is the Greek root which means word.
Contronym was mentioned previously as it was in the synonym/antonym activity. A contronym is its own antonym. Sanguine is a good example of a contronym as it means both bloody and cheerful.
Eponym comes from Greek and is the person for whom something seems to be named. Lou Gehrig’s disease is an example of an eponym. Lothario, although he is fictitious, is another.
Eight is not a magic number, it is just the number which fit nicely into the tree. Any number will do and the more inflections and derivations a participant can come up with the better.
onym

44. Build your own family of words. Related words Word families
This is the participant’s page and it also appears in the blackline master file.
This activity could be done with students, especially when they are about to study a unit in which the words were related by morphology and etymology.

45. Related Words - Word Families
Build your own family of words.
aud bi bio
chron dict duce
graph ject phone
photo plex poly
port scribe sect
therm vis,vid voc
wordsalive
These are some roots and prefixes to use with the word family tree activity. But participants may choose a root or an affix which is not on the list.
Remind participants that some roots might change spelling and still be related morphologically. For example scribe can also be script.
Debrief by asking volunteers to share their trees, either orally or on a transparency.
A short break might be a good idea at this time, as the next activity is very challenging.

46. 99 syllables
From Brain Food: games that make kids think by Paul Fleisher
1. Display a list of 99 syllables which have been generated ahead of time from a group of interesting words.
2. Allow participants 15 minutes to reassemble the words into the original list.
3. Read aloud in alphabetical order the original words with the number of syllables, and assign one point for each syllable reassembled correctly.
4. For an easier variation of the game, use a smaller number of syllables.
Paul Fleisher included 99 syllables in his book Brain Food, although he credits his brother with inventing it. He gave permission to adapt it for this presentation to focus on morphemes instead of syllables. Either game is great to play with students. However, Paul’s scoring rules indicate that in order to be awarded points, the words must be identical to the original list. That may not be necessary to get across to teachers and students the value of manipulation of word parts. Encourage participants to invent their own scoring rules if they want to award points to students.
The slide which follows has 45 morphemes for the participants to reassemble into 16 words. All the words are from this presentation. Fifteen minutes is not sufficient so allow participants between 20 and 30 minutes to complete the work. It is also preferable to work with partners of small groups for this activity.
Consider taking a break before debriefing, if one wasn’t taken prior to the activity.
Debrief by hearing a list of words from one or several groups. Then show the answers which follow.

47. 45 morphemes
a morphology game adapted from 99 syllables in Brain Food: games that make kids think by Paul Fleisher
alpha cogn gener ize pol
ant com hens lab pol
ar con ic logy pre
ate de ing morph re
ation di intro multi rect
ary duce ion non s
bet eme ity onym syl
bul etymo ive para text
cod extra ize phrase voca
wordsalive
These are the 45 morphemes which can become 16 words from the presentation if reassembled properly.
There is a blackline master in the file.

48. 45 morphemes
A morphology game adapted from 99 syllables in Brain Food: games that make kids think by Paul Fleisher
Answers alphabetize introduce
antonym morpheme
comprehension multisyllabic
contexts nondirective
decoding paraphrase
etymology polarity
extrapolate recognize
generation vocabulary
wordsalive
These are the answers.
If participants have different words, it may be fine. For instance, the s could be added to antonym just as easily as it could be to context.

49. Decoding: Unlocking the pronunciation
Insurmountability
Steps by chunking:
1. Start with the suffix(es).
2. Proceed to the prefix(es).
3. Tackle the root.
4. Slide it all together.
Insurmountability may not be a real word, which is all the better so that nobody in the audience will know exactly how to pronounce it.
Although wordsalive is not a remedial program, there are students in middle schools who have trouble with decoding multisyllabic words. Included is this one slide to facilitate decoding.
Chunking helps, but it helps more if students begin at the end of the word. Many weak decoders never reach the suffix when they try to break apart a word. They get frustrated and quit before they get past the middle.
Slide in each part with a click of the mouse; if using transparencies uncover the parts one at a time.
Start with the suffix and pronounce it several times.
Add on any other suffixes and slide them together: ity, ity, ity, abil, abil, ability, ability: kids know lots of words which end in ability and some suffixes are even easier: ly, ing, ment...
Pronounce the first prefix and then add the others, using the same combining stategy as was used with the suffixes.
Notice that what is left is a one syllable word which most students would know. That is often the case, although frequently it is not a stand alone word.
Sliding the whole word together is the most difficult part for weak decoders and some may need lots of help, especially with getting the accent mark in the right place. Teacher modeling and patience is very helpful. The goal is student confidence and independence not pronunciation perfection. In
sur
mount
abil
ity

50. Will the Wordsalive Map move students to the deepest level of word knowledge ?
Baumann and Kameenui’s three levels of word knowledge
1. Association: with a single definition or context
2. Comprehension: broad understanding and ability to use, classify or identify the opposite
3. Generation: ability to produce a novel response
According to Janis Harmon, moving from comprehension to generation takes time, effort, discussion, classification and usage. Help students pause and reflect before generating novel responses. Postpone the last steps of the map until comprehension can develop.
Revisit this slide which was used at the beginning of the presentation. Janis Harmon of the University of Texas at San Antonio, who did the scholarly review for wordsalive, stresses that the movement into the generation stage takes time and effort. Her preservice and inservice teachers tend to jump from dictionary to generating a sentence too fast so she slows them down with activities and discussion. She wants the youngsters that her students will teach to gain knowledge and control of new words. Comprehension is a slow process which needs to be nurtured.
Harmon recommends that students pause and reflect, even until the next day, before generating a sketch and a caption. Discussion with peers and teachers, although not on the map, is very important too.

51. Generation Why? A picture is worth a thousand words.
Draw a picture?
Why?
A picture is worth a thousand words.
A personal clue helps the student internalize a new word.
How?
Anything goes.
Most kids love this part.
As teachers we must make sure that it is meaningful, personal, and will help the student understand and remember the word.
We learn more when we are self-involved.

52. Generation Why? How? Create the caption
Writing an original sentence helps the student internalize a new word.
How?
Use the word in any of its forms.
The caption takes the place of the ubiquitous “put the new word into your own sentence.”
Captions need not be full sentences, but most teachers prefer that they are.
The new word, in one of its forms, must be used in context and must illuminate the sketch.
We learn more when we are self-involved.

53. How do we select the vocabulary to teach to students?
Michael Graves asks four important questions:
1. Is understanding the word important to understanding the selection in which it appears?
2. Are students able to use the context or structural analysis to discover the word’s meaning?
3. Can working with this word be useful in furthering student’s context, structural analysis, or dictionary skills?
4. How useful is this word outside of the reading selection being taught?
Teachers often ask how many and which words should they teach.
A few words well taught are better than lots of words learned superficially.
Michael Graves gives guidelines in the form of questions for teachers to use when selecting words to teach.
1. If the students are going to have trouble understanding a passage because of a word, by all means, preteach it.
2. If the students will be able to figure out a word’s meaning from context or morphology, we do them a disservice by preteaching it. We want their skills to grow.
3. Students need to learn to use context clues, dictionaries, and morphology so sometimes we must include words which build these skills.
4. We need to choose words to teach and test which will be useful in real life, not just in school.
“A Vocabulary Program to Complement and Bolster a Middle-Grade Comprehension Program.” (2000). Reading for Meaning

54. Does Wordsalive include all the characteristics of good vocabulary instruction?
Eileen Carr and Karen Wixson provide four guidelines for evaluating vocabulary instruction.
Students should:
relate new vocabulary to background knowledge.
develop elaborated word knowledge.
be actively involved in learning.
develop strategies for acquiring vocabulary independently.
Guidelines for evaluating vocabulary instruction (1986) Journal of Reading, 29.7,
Revisit this slide from the beginning of the presentation and ask the participants if wordsalive includes all of the characteristics of good vocabulary instruction.
Ask them also if it will fit with the existing programs and curricula in their divisions.

55. Alternate Wordsalive Map
Parts of sentences(s) from the book which reveal the context
WORD
Definitions Dictionary
Paraphrased
Guessed
Synonym
Antonym
Etymology P.O.S.
Related words
This is a map which is less busy for the teacher or student who thinks the wordmap is distracting. It has all the same parts and it, too, appears in the set of blackline masters
Caption
Sketch

56. Alternate Wordsalive Map
Student map without all the symbols is also available as a blackline master.

57. Alternate Wordsalive Map
…into the deafening, paralyzing, horrifying dive…suddenly right back in the middle of the buffeting layer of cacophonous flak...
Cacophonous
harsh, discordant sounds
noise
pain
caco - harsh phone-sound ous - lots of Greek, adj.
cacophony phonics
discordant
harmonious
Here is an example of a word mapped on the alternative form.
Cacophonous was discovered by a Virginia high school sophomore, while reading Catch 22 by Joseph Heller for his world history class’s unit on war. The sentence was almost an entire paragraph long. The word flak was a strong context clue for him. He knew the words discordant and harmonious as well as the Greek root phone. The pictures are clip art and the sentence comes from his personal experience.
The band room was full of cacophonous sounds as the members warmed up before the director arrived.

58. Linear Wordsalive Map Caption _____ ____________
Sentence__________________________________________________________________
Guessed definition ________________________________________________________
Dictionary definition ______________________________________________________
Paraphrased definition ____________________________________________________
Synonym _______________ Antonym or non-example_________________________
Etymology and P.O.S. ____________________________
Related words _________________________________
Caption _____
____________
A linear word map is included here and in the blackline master file for those who like to write on lines instead of in symbols or boxes. It, too, has all the components necessary for deep understanding of new words.

59. Let’s Revisit the Brainstorm
Will the wordsalive map help your students learn new material?
Will the wordsalive map complement your existing vocabulary methods?
Is the wordsalive map an improvement over vocabulary instruction when you were a student?
Revisit the list generated by participants at the outset of the presentation.
Discuss the questions on this slide as well.

60. How will we measure success?
Pre and post vocabulary tests
Teachers’ anecdotal records
Samples of student maps
When this presentation is given in divisions, a measurement plan should be in place before hand.
At the pilot site a pretest of technology terms which were taught in the first month of school was used. The same test was used for the post test.
Add results:

61. Vocabulary development is every teacher’s responsibility
Wordsalive A Vocabulary Acquisition Program for Middle Schools
Vocabulary development is every teacher’s responsibility
The presentation, the blackline masters, and some supporting information the will be posted on the web site.
Encourage teachers to use the maps.

62. Implementation Plan
Each school or division should adopt its own implementation plan.
Principal support is very important to the success of the program.
Peer coaching and modeling is also recommended.

63. SIMULATION #3 Find a new partner.
Using a wordsalive map, choose a word from the list to map with your partner.
Take a short break.
Share, discuss, and ask questions.
This is the final activity.
Context for this activity is provided, as a Word document.
Debrief by sharing competed maps as time permits.

64. Word list for mapping civilization convert beneficial
computation digest conscious
emancipation erode incredible
hypothesis insulate prominent
inclusion prediction unconstitutional
polytheism reproduce static
vernacular satisfy villainous
Context for these words is in a Word file.

65. Rebecca Count-Kahilla Montgomery County Public Schools
Created by
Rebecca Count-Kahilla Montgomery County Public Schools
Joyce Johnston Tazewell County Public Schools
Catherine Rosenbaum Virginia Department of Education
Dennis Wimer Henrico Distant Learning Network
Scholarly review by
Janis Harmon University of Texas at San Antonio
Piloted by the faculty at
Spratley Middle School in Hampton, Virginia