Teaching Vocabulary: It's Worth the Effort!
Ann Masur
Marilyn Zion
Understanding the Problem
Dyslexic students have unique challenges
that impede their ability to learn vocabulary:
 Decoding
 Fluency
 Poor ability to use context clues
 Difficulty learning sequences
Our capacity to learn new words:
 5th graders learn from 1,000 to 5,000
new word meanings per year
 Average H.S. student knows 40,000
distinct words
 Readers in the top 90th percentile read
1.8 million words per year
 Readers in the 50th percentile read
300,000 words per year
 Readers in the 10th percentile read
8,000 words per year
For most students, reading improves
vocabulary:
 The more students read, the richer their
vocabulary
 Dyslexic students read less, more
slowly, and usually less challenging
material
 Dyslexic students need "rich instruction"
to learn vocabulary
Effective Vocabulary Instruction
FEWER WORDS, MORE DEPTH
1. Careful word selection
 Fewer than 10 words per week
 Useful words
 Words that students will meet again
2. Provide exposure to different definitions
3. Integrate new information with prior
knowledge
4. Provide illustrations in natural contexts,
not just texts
5. Build a conceptual foundation and
semantic relations
6. Plan activities for multiple re-exposure
to words
7. Provide opportunities for meaningful use
of words, orally and in writing.
8. Teach ways to remember word
meanings
9. Builds links among members of word
families
10. Teach students how to derive meaning
from context
Adapted from J.F. Carlisle, “Selecting
Approaches to Vocabulary Instruction for the
Reading Disabled” in Learning Disabilities
Research & Practice, 8(2), 97-105.)
Rich Instruction (Beck, McKeown,
Omanson)
 Associates words with definitions but
moves beyond by having students
manipulate words in rich and varied
ways
o Describing how words relate to
other words
o Relating words to their own familiar
experiences
o Unusual contexts
o Associating new words with
consequences
 How to choose words (Tiers 1-3)
o Tier 1 words are most basic words
(e.g., clock, happy, walk)
o Tier 2 words are high frequency
words for mature language users
found in many subjects (e.g.,
coincidence, absurd, fortunate,
solitary)
o Tier 3 words are low frequency
words limited to specific subjects
(e.g., isotope, lathe, astrolabe)
 Semantic groups
Moods: jovial, indignant, enthusiastic,
blissful, melancholy, fatigued, meek
 Webs
un happ y
so rrowful
me lanchol y
gl oomy
sa d


Words should be encountered
frequently (at least 10 times in a week's
time)
Examples:
o Idea completion
A sleuth helped the police by _____.
The skiing teacher said Maria was a
novice on the ski slopes because ____.
(continued next page)




o Unusual context
When her father heard that Lisa had
ripped up the letter from Steve, he
commended her for it.
o Words and their consequences
fatigued (Karen flew all night to Europe.
She found it difficult to sleep on the
plane. How do you think she felt the
next day?)
o Relationship between words
Would a blissful winner of the lottery feel
melancholy?
Would you berate someone who
inspired you?
o Questions, reasons and examples
If you were walking around a dark room,
you need to do it cautiously. Why?
What are some other things that need to
be done cautiously?
o Choices
If you get your clothes ready to wear to
school before you go to sleep, would
that be sensible or raucous?
Applause, applause!
o Students clapped their hands loudly
or softly to show how much they
would like to be described as: vain,
raucous, benevolent, generous
Word wizard (extension of word use
beyond classroom)
Examples and non-examples
o tropical (examples: jungle, Hawaii,
Florida; non-examples: Alaska,
desert, autumn)
Word walls
Isabel Beck et al, Bringing Words to Life:
Robust Vocabulary Instruction
o
herm it - some one wh o li ve s al l al one
The herm it l ived
by hi msel f in a
little hut on the
edg e of a forest.
o

Have the child write the word and
definition on the back of the card.
Then the child thinks up his own
sentence, writes it on the card and
draws a picture. These cards are
stored in his box for frequent review.
(Ideas borrowed from Lindamood,
Vanilla Vocabulary).
Story Game
o Materials: Student’s vocabulary box
with current vocabulary words
o
Visualization and Vocabulary (Nanci Bell)
 If you can't picture something, you can't
understand it
dog
To help child figure out the meaning
of the word, use it in a sentence.
See if the child can figure out the
meaning of the word by context. If
not, offer another sentence. If child
cannot figure out the meaning after
the second sentence, tell him the
meaning.
soutache
zealo us
mortal
scuttl e
reto rt
reveal
para lyze
Set out 4 - 9 cards on a table. The
teacher and student take turns using
the words in sentences to make up
a story. The words can be used in
any order. Encourage the student
to use different forms of the same
word (e.g., fascinate, fascination,
fascinating, etc.)
Visual Organizers and Visual Homonyms

Vocabulary Boxes
o Materials: index card box, index
cards
o Write the word on the front of the
card:
Antonyms
VOCABULARY
WORD
herm it
People Who
Do This or
Who Are This
from
inspiration.
com
(continued next page)
Synonyms
Part to Whole
Fluency and Vocabulary
 Word Family (am, cam, ram, dam, ham,
yam, jam, scram, telegram)
 Multiple meaning of “jam”
 Word web
ba rk
no ise of a
do g


Janet Allen, Words, Words, Words
Roots and Affixes
Ject
This root means ______________________
Questions for discussion:
1. Would a square apple be a reject?
2. Might you feel dejection if you were about
to have an injection?
3. When could a meatball be a projectile
and have a trajectory?
4. What is something that you would not like
to be subjected to?
5. Do you have any objection to the
projection of having school start at 4 A.M.?
6. Why might a teacher eject a student from
class?
7. Can an interjection be rude?
th e ou tsid e
of a tree
to spe ak in
an ang ry wa y
Sentences
"The dog barked at the stranger."
"The birch tree had white bark."
"The teacher barked at the students who
arrived late."
Riddles
"What is an animal that rhymes with
jam?"
Teaching Context Clues
“I could see that Rainie was paralyzed with
fright. His mouth and eyes were wide open,
and his face was white as chalk.”
 Key idea: use more than one sentence
“The Eskimo children of the more
prosperous families were sent to the
mainland for further schooling, something
which Aunt Martha could not afford.”
 Key idea: contrast
“Wol would scoot around to the front of the
house and raise such a ruckus that is
sounded like two dogfights and a cat fight all
happening at once.
 Key idea: comparison
References:
Books and articles:
1. Allen, Janet (1999). Words, words, words: Teaching vocabulary in grades 4-12. York, ME:
Stenhouse Publishers.
2. Beck, I., Mckeown, M. & Kucan, I. (2002). Bringing words to life. New York: Guilford
3. Press.
4. Bell, N. (1986). Visualizing/Verbalizing for language comprehension and thinking.
5. Paso Robles, CA: Academy of Reading Publications.
6. Bell, N. & Lindamood, P. (1993). Vanilla vocabulary. Paso Robles, CA: Academy of Reading
Publications.
7. Bender, W. & Larkin, M. (2003). Reading difficulties for elementary students with learning
difficulties. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
8. Bryant, D. P., Ugel, N. & Thompson, S. (1999). Instructional strategies for content-area
reading instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic 34 (5), 293-302.
9. Carlisle, J.F. (1993). Selecting approaches to vocabulary instruction for the reading disabled.
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 8 (2), 97-105.
10. Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary. (1987). London: Collins.
11. Cross, T. E. (1990). Essential roots word book. Lincoln, NE: Educational Tutorial
Consortium. http://tiawe.forest.net
12. Dedrick, S. and Lattyak, J. (1987). Multiple meanings (several levels). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
13. Gwynne, F. (1970). The king who rained. NY: Simon & Schuster.
14. Gwynne, F. (1976). A chocolate moose for dinner. NY: Simon & Schuster.
15. Johnson, M.R. & Johnson, W.T. (1988). Spelling patterns: Structure—sight—sound.
Cambridge, MA: Educators Publishing Service.
16. Kessler, J. (1999). An alternative approach to teaching biological terminology. American
Biology Teacher 61 (9), 688-690.
17. King, D. H. (2000). English isn’t crazy: The elements of our language and how to teach them.
Baltimore, MD: York Press.
18. Lundquist, J. (1989). English from the roots up. Medina, WA: Literacy Unlimited Publications.
www.literacyunlimited.com
19. McCarr, D. (1995). Multiple meanings for the young adult. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
20. McKeown, M.G. & Curtis, M.E. (1987). The nature of vocabulary acquisition. Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
21. Monroe, E. E., Panchyshyn, R. (1995). Vocabulary considerations for teaching mathematics.
Childhood Education 72 (2), 80-83.
22. Morgan, K. (2001). Dynamic Roots. Albuquerque, NM: Morgan Dynamic Phonics, Inc.
www.dynamicphonics.com
23. Robb, Laura. (1999). Easy mini-lessons for building vocabulary: Practical strategies that
boost word knowledge and reading comprehension. NY: Scholastic Books.
24. Stahl, S. (1999). Vocabulary development. Newton Upper Falls, MA: Brookline.
25. Stevenson, N. (1978). Stevenson language skills program: Beginning I, teacher-student
manual. Attleboro, MA: Stevenson Learning Skills, Inc.
26. Vurnakes, C. (1998). Words on the vine: 36 vocabulary units on root words. Grand Rapids,
MI: Instructional Fair.
Games:
Rummy roots (card game) (1992) Eternal Hearts.
Available through Greenleaf Press, www.greenleafpress.com
3761 Highway 109N, Unit D
Lebanon, TN 37087
Semantically Speaking (game) available from ProEd www.proedinc.com or 1-800-897-3202
Websites:
Lesson plans:
www.knownet.net/users/Ackley/lessons
www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/bks/lhome (by grade level)
Word Study and Games:
A Word a Day: www.wordsmith.org/awad/
Wordly Wise Word Games: www.in.on.ca/~hoad/
Wordsmyth: wysiwyg://126/http://wordsmyth.net/
Word Puzzler’s Corner: wwwniagara.com/~wrdpuzlr/default.html
Verbivore: pw1.netcom/~rlederer/index.htm
Vocabulary.com: www.vocabulary.com