Academic Vocabulary
Carol Redmond
My teacher said that the school has tough new standards
and I need to improve my vocabulary. What is vocabulary?
Agenda
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Definition
Tiered Approach
SWIT Approach
Intentional
Incidental
Examples
Assessment
Academic Vocabulary
•Words critical to understanding concepts taught in
kindergarten all the way through advanced
placement courses taught in high school
•Specialized words and words used by mature adults
in conversation as opposed to high frequency words
students learn through reading and writing.
Academic Vocabulary
• the language used in the classroom and
workplace
• the language of text
• the language assessments
• the language of academic success
• the language of power
www.ColorinColorado.org/webcasts
Why Focus on Vocabulary?
• Children who have been exposed to rich and
wonderful words enter school prepared with
the language skills necessary to become
readers
Collins, 2009;2010, Hirsch, 2006
• Meaningful differences exist: In both the
amount and the types of words children are
exposed to and this is tightly tied to relative
economic status
Beauchat, Blamey, & Walpole, 2009; Hart & Risley, 1995
Why Focus on Vocabulary?
Oral vocabulary at the end of first grade
is a significant predictor of
comprehension ten years later
Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; IRA & NAEYC, 1998
Tier 2 Will Help Students
Comprehend Informational Text
Two Methods for Choosing
Vocabulary:
1. Tiered Vocabulary by Beck and McKeown
2. SWIT Approach from The Reading
Teacher, Vol. 67, Issue 5, Words, Words,
Words.
How to Choose Words With
Tiered Approach
Beck & McKeown, 2001; 2007
How to Choose Words With
SWIT Approach
Selecting Words for Instruction From Text
Words, Words, Words, Graves et, al, 2014
Crucial for
Comprehending Text
(Tier 2 or 3)
General Utility in
Relation to Ability of
Student (Tier 2)
Higher Frequency
Words Needed for
Students With Limited
Vocabulary (Tier 1)
Connect or Enhance
Key Concepts but Not
in Text (Tier 2 or 3)
Choosing Words With SWIT
Word
Essential
ecosystem
X
mammal
swim
Imported Words: hydration
Valuable
Accessible
X
x
Intentional and Incidental
Academic vocabulary needs to be taught
both intentionally and incidentally.
Intentional Teaching
Students need 10-15 exposures to a new
word before is becomes established in their
vocabulary.
Blamey, K. & Beauchat, K. (2011) Word Walk: Vocabulary Instruction for
Young Children. The Reading Teacher 65(1) pp. 71–75.
Levels of Acquisition
• Unknown: The word is completely
unfamiliar and its meaning is unknown.
• Acquainted: The word is somewhat
familiar; the student has some idea of its
basic meaning.
• Established: The word is very familiar; the
student can immediately recognize its
meaning and use the word correctly.
Before Reading
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Word walk
Point out text features
Point out words in content
Guess what word the might mean
Predict With Word Clouds
Scrambled Words
Give Students a Theme or Focus
• ylavocuba
• itre wot
• ttelaoinnin
Anticipation Guide
Vocabulary
Never
Heard Of
Have
Can
Heard
Explain
of But
do Not
Underst
and
Graphic Organizers
Vocabulary
Before Reading
After Reading
During Reading
• Infer student friendly definition of word
• Look at word parts (roots and affixes)
• Connect to student schema
• Think of synonym or antonym for word
• Use in a different sentence
(Think, pair, and share)
Use Word Collectors for
Teaching Word Consciousness
After Reading
• Create a word rich environment (Word
walls even in secondary!)
• Promote word play
• Use graphic organizers
• Foster word consciousness through writing
• Model word use in when appropriate
Essential Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/40627_4.pdf
Print Rich Environment
Print Rich Environment
Print Rich Environment
Share With Content Teachers
Kindergarten Tiered Lesson for
SMART Board
Secondary Tier Lesson for
SMART Board
Greek and Latin Roots
Graphic Organizers
ecosystem
http://www.worksheetworks.com/miscell
anea/graphic-organizers/frayer.html
Foldables
ecosystem
Play With Words
http://www.appsusergroup.org/news/jeopardy-game
How Many Words?
• The average student learns about 3,000
words per year.
• If words are taught at a rate of eight to ten
per week, students will learn 300 to 500
words per year.
• Many words will be learned through wide,
independent reading.
Academic Vocabulary
Instruction Will Help Close the
Gap
Reading Research Quarterly (3) 1998.
Incidental Teaching of
Vocabulary
• Incidental vocabulary learning occurs all of
the time when we read. Based on the way
a word is used in a text we are able to
determine its meaning (wide reading).
• Model this sort of incidental vocabulary
learning for students to help them develop
their own word consciousness (read
alouds).
eps.schoolspecialty.com
Incidental Teaching of
Vocabulary
• Use read alouds of outstanding children’s
literature.
• Teach word consciousness during
independent reading and writing.
• Have a print-rich classroom environment
where the walls are plastered with
interesting words found by both teacher
and students.
• Students collect words in their reader’s
response notebook.
Play With Words
Play With Words
A pun is the use of a word or words that
either have multiple meanings or sound
like other words, the result of which is
humorous.
• Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
• Did you hear about the optometrist who
fell into a lens grinder and made a
spectacle of himself?
Play With Words
A Palindrome is a word spelled the same
backwards or forward.
• Eye
• Noon
• Level
• Radar
• Kayak
• Rotator
Play With Words
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Evil olive.
Stack cats.
Doom mood.
Rise to vote sir.
Step on no pets.
Never odd or even.
A nut for a jar of tuna.
No lemon, no melon.
Websites
• Websites for Fostering Vocabulary
Development
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http://www.worksheetworks.com/miscellanea/graphic-organizers/frayer.html
http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/vocabularyspellingcity?searched=true
http://learningtasks.weebly.com/vocabulary-strategies.html
http://www.vocabulary.co.il/vocabulary-words-html/
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/vocabulary_games.html
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/
http://www.vocabularycoach.com/default.aspx
http://www.funbrain.com/brain/ReadingBrain/ReadingBrain.html
Videos:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/english/middle/vocabulary/index.shtml#
Academic Word List:
http://www.hpcsd.org/district.cfm?subpage=29208
http://www.englishcompanion.com/pdfDocs/acvocabulary2.pdf
Review
• Name two methods for choosing
vocabulary.
• Explain the difference between intentional
and incidental teaching of vocabulary.
• Name two methods used after reading to
help establish vocabulary.
• Share one idea you will try next week.
Padlet for Formative
Assessment:
• Go to: http://padlet.com/wall/Tiertwo
• Add one academic vocabulary word based
on what you have learned today.
Thank you for joining me today. If you have
more questions, please email me at
redmondc@csp.edu or call my cell at 651231-2895