1. Chapter 8 READ 4251 DeVrie text Dr. Elaine Roberts
Vocabulary Building
Chapter 8 READ 4251
DeVrie text
Dr. Elaine Roberts

2. What Teachers Need to Know about Building Vocabulary
How proficient readers enrich their vocabulary
How to assess vocabulary
How to build struggling reader’s vocabulary

3. Factors Influencing a Child’s Vocabulary
Life experiences
Vicarious experiences (videos, TV, movies, CD-ROMs, Internet, books, etc.)
Direct instruction

4. Five Ingredients for Direct Instruction of Vocabulary
Words must be learned in context
Words must be related to previous knowledge
Words must be fully understood so students can use them in new situations
Students need to use, hear, and see the words repeatedly
Teachers need to enjoy learning new words

5. Assessment of Vocabulary
Informal assessment
Cloze tests
Maze tests
Zip tests
Formal assessment
Standardized achievement tests
Group diagnostic tests
Individual diagnostic reading tests

6. Lucy Calkins Twist on Vocabulary from her books, The Art of Reading and The Art of Writing
Students profit from read alouds, book talks, book introductions with geared towards rehearsing and talking about words and concepts in a book
Pronounce unknown word and replace it with a synonym that works in the same sentence (build webs of words that are synonyms)
Hang onto meaning and take a “stab” at the meaning from context through life experience related discussions
Students benefit more from extensive reading with vocabulary discussions related to author’s style rather than “kill and drill”
The dictionary is for use after students try the above

7. Graphic Organizer Demonstrating a Hierarchy of Word Relationships

8. What Does This Checklist Reveal about Students’ Vocabulary?

9. Language Experience Approach (LEA) for Vocabulary Instruction
Reading, writing, and the other language arts are treated as interrelated
Children’s experiences are used as the basis for the material used in reading and writing
Share an experience with students
Discuss what they have experienced
Use technical terms during this discussion
Serve as a scribe for students as they create webs about the experience
Have the students dictate sentences about the experience
Write the text in the exact way the students dictate it
Have the students read the passage
Discuss sentences that are awkward and change them
For vocabulary instruction, have the students dictate a passage that includes new words and then read it

10. Variations of the LEA Wordless books Science experiments
Listening walk
Schoolyard safari
Cloud formations
Object descriptions

11. Strategies for Vocabulary Building
Categorizing
Possible Sentences
Analogies
Exploring word origins
Crossword puzzles
Synonym/Definition Concentration
Wordo
Concept of a Definition

12. Strategies for Vocabulary Building (cont.)
Scattergory
Multiple Meaning Race Track
Hink pinks
Dictionary guide words
Locating the correct dictionary definition
Anticipation Guides (Voc and Comprehension)
Personal Clue Cards

13. Possible Sentences Based on New Vocabulary

14. Literature Circles Enhance Vocabulary and Comprehension
Heterogeneous groups read a book of interest and make connections, debate and challenge each other, and ask open ended questions – student centered
Teacher is the floating facilitator and is usually not a member of any group
First, model and practice the literature circle roles with emphasis on grand conversations for a week with student “tryouts”
Daniel’s six roles (role sheets are online):
1. Artful Artist
2. Word Wizard (Word Id and Vocabulary)
3. Discussion Leader (themes, style, etc.)
4. Dramatic Reenactor (quotes, favorite parts)
5. Story Elements Correspondent (characters, place, plot, etc.)
6. Personal Connector

15. Activity for the Literature Circle Strategy
Select members for the Literature Circles
Assign roles for the members of each circle
Assign reading to be completed by the circles inside or outside of class
Select circle meeting dates
Help students prepare for their roles in their circle
Act as a facilitator