Academic
Vocabulary
Program at
Wood Oaks
November 12, 2013
Goals
• Learn about the school-wide vocabulary initiative at
Wood Oaks
• Explain Tier 2 Academic Vocabulary
• Share the District 27 model for explicit vocabulary
instruction
• Develop department vocabulary words to be used in
the school-wide vocabulary program
It’s all about the vocabulary?
• Good Math Vocabulary, Xtra Normal
School wide vocabulary program
Share Word of the Week on the announcements
Introduce Word Wall in the Library Hallway
Provide Vocabulary Bookmarks for students
Guess the mystery words around the school
Share various vocabulary games and activities
Highlight teacher vocabulary activities
Why the focus on Academic Vocabulary
• CCSS focuses on Academic Vocabulary.
• Vocabulary is a relative weakness in the District.
• We want to make Wood Oaks a vocabulary rich
school.
• We need to explicitly teach vocabulary to students
not merely through a vocabulary program but in all
contents.
What is Academic Vocabulary?
Academic vocabulary is the vocabulary that is critical to
understanding the concepts taught in school.
The strongest action a teacher can take to ensure that
students have the academic background knowledge to
understand the content is to provide direct vocabulary
instruction.
Academic Vocabulary: Three Tiers of Words
Tier 1: Basic vocabulary words: baby, book, sad, run
Tier 2: General academic words: High frequency;
multiple meanings; occur in many contents; commonly
found in texts: precise, industrious, measure, democracy
 Tier 3: Content-specific words: Specific to a particular domain
or field of study: isotope, trapezoid, peninsula, personification
Vocabulary Makes a Difference
• The size of a student’s vocabulary is directly related to achievement.
• Data shows there is a 4,500 – 6,000 vocabulary word difference
between 25th and 50th percentile students on standardized
assessments
• Takes the average learner 12 times hearing and using the word
before it becomes part of their natural speech.
• For students to comprehend, they should be able to read with 90%
accuracy and encounter only 1 word in 20 that is unfamiliar.
What makes successful vocabulary
instruction?
A successful approach to vocabulary
instruction involves directly explaining the
meanings of words along with thoughtprovoking, playful and interactive follow-up.
Common Misconceptions
1. Definitions do the trick.
2. Weekly lists are effective.
3. Teachers should teach all the hard words,
especially the words in bold or italics.
4. Word learning is not enjoyable.
5. Merely mentioning word meanings assumes
that you have therefore taught them.
Instructional routine for introducing
vocabulary: Anita Archer method
1. Introduce the word
2. Give the meaning of the word
3. Illustrate with examples
4. Check students understanding
Instructional Routine for Vocabulary; adapted
from Anita Archer
Step 1. Introduce the word humiliate
Display the word.
• Read the word and have the students repeat the
word.
• If the word is difficult to pronounce or
unfamiliar have the students repeat the word a
number of times.
“ The word is humiliate. What is the word?”
Students repeat the word.
Humiliate is an action word, a verb.
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Instructional Routine for Vocabulary (continued)
Step 2. Teacher introduces the meaning of the word.
Provide a student-friendly definition.
When someone says or does something to make you
feel embarrassed or stupid, he humiliates you.
or
Provide the dictionary definition.
To lower the pride, dignity, or self-respect
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Instructional Routine for Vocabulary
Step 3. Illustrate the word with examples.
• Fans shouted very mean things to Jackie
Robinson.
• They humiliated him.
• Fans threw food on Jackie's uniform to
embarrass him. They humiliated him.
• For an athlete, it was an unprecedented
humiliation.
Instructional Routine for Vocabulary
Step 4. Check students’ understanding: orally or in
writing
Criteria for identifying Tier 2 words
• Is the word critical for understanding?
• Does the word appear frequently in texts?
• Is the word used in multiple contents?
• Does the word relate to other words students
know or are learning?
Tier 2 words often have multiple meanings.
Department Tasks
• Brainstorm with your department and determine 6-8
Academic Vocabulary words that are important to your
content which meet the criteria for Tier 2 Academic
Vocabulary.
• On the strips provided, write 6-8 words, one on each
strip, to be used for the Word Wall or for other Wood
Oaks school-wide vocabulary activities.
• Create a simple activity or direct instruction technique
to share with the group for one of the Tier 2 words
important in your content.
• What can your department or the school do to promote
vocabulary?