1. Building Academic Vocabulary
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2. Systematic Approach
“Teaching specific terms in a specific way is probably the strongest action a teacher can take to ensure that students have the academic background knowledge they need to understand the content they will encounter in school.”
― Marzano and Pickering

3. Systematic Approach
“When all teachers in a school focus on the same academic vocabulary and teach in the same way, the school has a powerful comprehensive approach.”
“When all teachers in a district embrace and use the same comprehensive approach, it becomes even more powerful.”
― Marzano and Pickering

4. Research Findings
A student in the 50th percentile in terms of ability to comprehend the subject matter taught in school, with no direct vocabulary instruction, remains at the 50th percentile.
The same student after specific content-area terms have been taught in a specific way, increases to the 83rd percentile.

5. Background Knowledge
Instruction in specific content-area terms builds a student’s background knowledge in the content area.
Students who understand content in the new state math standards document regarding fractions have an understanding of terms such as numerator, denominator, part, whole, equivalent and so on.

6. Do the Math
Reading 14 minutes a day means reading over 1,000,000 words a year.
Preschool or children’s books expose us to more challenging vocabulary than do prime- time adult TV shows.
Math vocabulary can be learned through reading, talking, and playing games.

7. Teaching New Terms 6-step process
First three steps: Introduce and develop initial understanding
Next three steps: Multiple exposure to shape and sharpen understanding

8. Step 1 Provide a description, explanation, or example of the new term.
Strategies:
Direct experiences
Tell a story
Use a video
Individual or small group does investigation and presents to class
Current events
Mental pictures
Find or create pictures
Give student some initial understanding
Have students share what they already know or think they know (prior knowledge)
Listen for misconceptions to clarify
Build on their understanding

9. Step 2
Students restate description, explanation, or example in their own words.
Strategies:
Academic Notebook
Math Term
Math Vocabulary (Frayer Model)
Students should not simply copy teacher work
They should construct their own descriptions, explanations, or examples
Teacher should ensure no major errors and clear up any confusion
Initial understanding will be rudimentary
Marzano suggests students keep a journal called the Academic Notebook.

10. Step 3
Students construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representing the term.
Strategies:
Create math stories using pictures
Model, model, model
Use space in Academic Notebook for pictures (non-linguistic representations)
Search internet for representations
Steps 1 – 3 follow a related instructional sequence: Teacher presents new term along with description; students create their own linguistic description of term, then students create a nonlinguistic representation of it.
Discuss the difference between sketching and drawing.
Allow students to work together.

11. Step 4
Engage students periodically in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the terms.
Strategies:
Explicit focused review
Add to and revise Academic Notebook
Find examples and non-examples
List related words
Discuss common confusions/errors
Translate into another language
Discuss words with multiple meanings
Understanding deepens over time. Common sense and research tells us students need opportunities for explicit focused review.
Multiple meaning words such as
Quarter
Divide

12. Step 5
Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.
Strategies:
Think-Pair-Share
Think time to review term in Academic Notebook
Pair to discuss and explain to each other
Share with whole class “aha’s”
Monitor student discussions “listen to children’s voices”
Compare activities
“Compare 3” and “Similarities and Differences”
Do acute right obtuse for “compare 3,” and vertical and horizontal for similarities and differences.

13. Step 6 Involve students in games that allow them to play with terms.
Strategies:
Vocabulary Charades
Use arms, legs, and bodies to show the meaning of terms like radius, diameter, circumference (individual or in teams)
Talk a Mile a Minute
“Talker” given list of words in a category such as shapes. Gets team to say each word by quickly describing them.
Draw Me
Patterned after Pictionary
Name that Category
Patterned after $100,000 Pyramid
Pyramid - Write a category in each cell. Clue giver can see categories. Other students determine the category.
If using game board on overhead put sticky notes on categories

14. “Given the relationship between academic background knowledge and academic achievement, one can make the case that it should be at the top of any list of intervention intended to enhance student achievement.” ― Marzano and Pickering