The Importance of Explicitly Teaching
Academic Vocabulary
by
Dr. Jeanne A. Iman
A Harvey Scholarship Recipient, 2009
University of La Verne
“Vocabulary knowledge is a significant
and constant predictor of overall
reading comprehension irrespective of
grade level”
Yonanoff, Duesberry, Alonzeo &
Tindal, 2005
Objectives for Presentation
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Why Teach Academic Vocabulary in the
Oceanside Unified School District?
Research of Academic Vocabulary and Reading
Comprehension
The Academic Vocabulary Program in the
Oceanside Unified School District
Protocols to ensure accountability
Last minute thoughts….
Why Teach Academic Vocabulary in
OUSD?
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OUSD has 16 elementary schools, 4 middle
schools, 2 comprehensive high schools, and one
alternative high school
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OUSD is a Program Improvement (PI) School
District – 3rd year – 10 schools in PI
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PI status means the district is not meeting
adequate yearly progress in either LA or Math
within one or more subgroups of students, in
one or more schools in the district
Why Teach Academic Vocabulary in
OUSD?
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An outside agency determined we were
consistently inconsistent in our approach to
teaching language arts across schools
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The outside agency determined we were
consistently demonstrating poor test scores in
reading comprehension
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What attributes to high reading comprehension?
Research of Academic Vocabulary and
Reading Comprehension
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“Vocabulary knowledge is a significant and constant
predictor of overall reading comprehension irrespective of
grade level” Yonanoff, et al, 2005.
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“An abundance of research supports the connections
between vocabulary, particularly academic vocabulary and
reading comprehension”- Iman, 2009.
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“If children are not reading fluently at grade level by the
4th grade, odds are they never will” Sebastian, 2003.
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“There are 39 research proven strategies to teach
vocabulary effectively in grades K-12” – Iman, 2009.
The First Steps to Implement
Vocabulary in OUSD
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OUSD selected a few, most accessible strategies
for teachers to explicitly teach vocabulary
Taken from Dr. Kate Kinsella
Say and pronounce the word
 Explain the meaning of the word
 Provide multiple examples of the word
 Use a sentence stem or sentence starter to
emphasize the meaning
 Assess the meaning of the word
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The First Steps to Implement
Academic Vocabulary in OUSD
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Staff development on the First Five Steps
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Posters in every classroom (Five Steps)
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Formal walk-throughs in every school, in every
classroom, three times a year, using protocols
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Action Plan/Revisions/Discussions with the
Outside Agency, District Administrators, and
Teachers
Continued Development of the
OUSD Vocabulary Program
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Schools were beginning to develop their own
lists, their own interpretation of academic
vocabulary… “Consistently, inconsistent?”
Schools were beginning to ask for assistance
with sentence stems, sentence starters, proper
word meanings, etc.
Task of OUSD- Develop a K-10 Vocabulary
Program for all schools
The OUSD Vocabulary
Program/Protocol
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Summer of 2009- Without the outside agency
Input from teachers across the district
Research- Expand the strategies
Longman Dictionaries
Time, energy, and diligence
In-House Staff Development for Administrators in
August 2009
In-House Staff Development for all teachers in
August 2009
The OUSD Vocabulary
Program/Protocol
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20 – 24 words per grade level
Pronunciation
Syllabication
Part of Speech
Synonyms, Antonyms
Morphology- Prefix, Suffix, Root word
Definition
Examples
Oral Practice
Written Practice
The OUSD Vocabulary Program/ProtocolAn Example in Kindergarten
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Word – Agree
Pronunciation – egri
Syllabication – a.gree
Part of speech – verb
Definition – To have the same opinion as
someone else
Synonym – concur
Antonym - disagree
The OUSD Vocabulary Program/Protocol- An
Example in Kindergarten
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Example- If you agree with someone, you think
what they say is right. Mary and I agree the answer
is ten.
Oral Practice- We all agree there are 15 children in
our class today. My mom agrees with me, that I
have a wonderful teacher.
Written Practice – We all agree there are_____
children in our class today. My mom agrees with
me, that I am_______________.
Morphology- agrees, agreeable, agreed,
agreement, etc.
Protocols for Accountability
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Protocols are used during formal walk-throughs,
three times a year with a team of teachers,
administrators, and an outside agency member
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In-between walk-throughs with the Principal
and a Director from OUSD for coaching
opportunities
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Increasing explicit teacher instruction and
student engagement
Results…
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5% increase in State test scores in Language Arts
in all student populations
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Increased awareness and staff development of
vocabulary instruction
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A refined, more specific, and targeted program
for all students in OUSD
Last Minute Thoughts
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Learn and implement best practices for vocabulary
development
Take time to collaborate and incorporate best
strategies within the school day
Make connections to word meanings through
every day life activities
Rich vocabulary creates rich readers
Teaching vocabulary as early as Kindergarten
ensures a more competent reader sooner than later
Be purposeful in your explicit instruction of
academic vocabulary!
Questions?
Thank you for your time!!
Jeanne