Word up vocabulary instruction in the 21st century classroom

“The difference in the number of words known by students with poor vocabularies versus students with rich vocabularies is extensive, grows over time, and becomes apparent early.” Baker,

Word Up!

Vocabulary Instruction in the

by Hello Literacy

Where in the day could word learning occur?

Receptive Vocabulary (in)

&

Expressive Vocabulary (out)

“The difference in the number

of words known by students

with poor vocabularies versus students with rich vocabularies

is extensive, grows over time,

and becomes apparent early.”

(Baker, Simmons & Kameemui, Big IDEAS, University of Oregon)

“The extent of oral language is highly correlated with later

reading proficiency.”

(Bishop &Adams, 1990; Butler, Marsh, Sheppard & Sheppard, 1985; Pikulski & Tobin, 1989; Share, Jorm, MacLean & Matthews, 1984)

“Some children decode words

fluently and still have reading comprehension problems that seem to stem from language

comprehension problems.”

(Oakhill, Cain & Yuill, 1998; Yuill & Parkin, 1986)

“We use words to think; the

more words we know, the finer our understanding is about the world.”

(Stahl, 1999)

“Comprehension of a text

depends crucially on knowledge

of specific words that may not

be familiar to some students.”

(Nagy, 1998)

“Definitions, as an instructional device have substantial

weaknesses and limitations

Definitions do not teach you

how to use a new word and do not effectively convey concepts Think of it this way: Why isn’t

a glossary of biological terms

an adequate substitute for a

biology textbook?” (Nagy, 1989)

“…thus knowing a word cannot

be identified with knowing a

definition.” (Nagy & Scott,

2000)

steps

Marzano’s

• All these steps in 1 day

(5-10 minutes)

• Done IN a content area

notebook, mixed in with other content area notes

• 4 point rubric of

understanding

• These steps done over

several days

• Done outside the notebook

• In pairs, groups, at centers, etc

• 4 point rubric of

understanding

The Text-Talk Lesson

30 Minutes

Read-Aloud (15 minutes) Word Play (15 minutes)

A Demonstration Lesson

Create “student friendly” definitions

• Ask yourself “When do I use this word?”

• Use everyday language to explain the meaning

• Keep focused on the central meaning

• Try to include something, someone, or describes in your explanation to clarify how the word is used

Create and use instructional contexts

• Contextual meaning for the word that are from the

teacher, in a context other than the book

• Instructional contexts are used along with (not

• instead of) “student friendly.”

Active Engagement & Interaction

• It is essential that students begin using a new word

immediately, meaningfully, and in multiple contexts

• Examples are: Word Associations, Have You Ever…?,

Applause! Applause! , Idea Completions or Open-Ends like “When might…How might…Why might…”

Comparing Two Target Words

• The sidewalk: paved or amazing?

• Taking a walk to look for shells: amazing or exploring?

• Michael Phelps 25 gold medals: amazing or paved?

Using All Target Words Together

Criteria for Selecting Tier 2 Words:

Select words are most necessary for comprehension

Choose words that can be:

• Connected to what students know

• Explained with words students know

• Will be useful and interesting to students

UTAH FIRST

TEXT TALk

LESSONs

UTAH FIRST SUPPLEMENT

BUNDLE