TODAY’S OBJECTIVES
At the end of the day, can you…
• Describe characteristics of effective direct vocabulary
instruction.
• Select Tier 3 vocabulary for direct instruction in their
classes.
• Explain/implement the 6-Step Process for direct
vocabulary instruction.
ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
K-W-L
• What do you know about effective
vocabulary instruction?
• What do you want/need to know?
EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE DIRECT
VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION
1. Does not rely on definitions
2. Students represent their knowledge in both linguistic and
nonlinguistic ways
3. Multiple exposures
4. Teaches word parts
5. Different types of words require different types of instruction
6. Students should discuss the terms they are learning
7. Students should play with the words
8. Instruction should focus on terms that have a high probability of
academic success
Building Academic Vocabulary, Teacher’s Manual by Robert J Marzano & Debra J. Pickering
MONITOR AND ADJUST
• Turn to a Partner
• Discuss effective characteristics that currently can be
observed in your classroom.
• Discuss characteristics that you are most likely to
add.
• Can You…
• Complete Objective 1 on the ISS sheet
THREE TIERS OF VOCABULARY
TIER 1
Every day words
TIER 2
Words for sophistication
TIER 3
Words specific to each content area
THREE TIERS OF VOCABULARY
Hold ‘em Up
• I will project a word.
• Hold up a 1, 2, or 3 to show to which Tier the word
belongs.
Maintain
Metamorphic
See
Revolutionary
War
Benevolent
From
Pica
Flabbergasted
THREE TIERS OF VOCABULARY
YOUR TURN
• Make a list of Tier 3 vocabulary
words/terms that you are currently
teaching or will explicitly teach
within the next two weeks.
• List them in the “Prove It” box from
Objective 2 on your ISS sheet.
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
Step One – DESCRIBE
• Provide students with a description, explanation, or
example (NOT a definition) using common language.
• Tell a story that integrates the term
• Use current events to help make the term applicable
to something familiar to them
• Describe your own mental pictures of the term
• Find or create pictures that exemplify the term
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
Step Two – RESTATE
• Students restate the description, explanation, or
example IN THEIR OWN WORDS
• These steps may need to be monitored carefully for
accuracy. It may take several conversations and
some coaching before students are ready to
permanently record their descriptions
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
Step Three – SHOW/REPRESENT/PICTURE
• Students represent the term non-linguistically
• Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or
graphic representation of the term or phrase
• When possible, embed the word within the picture
(cartoon bubbles)
• Modeling this skill for students is important. Some
feel they can’t draw and some want to over-draw.
• Allow students to work together – less threatening
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
Step Four – ENGAGING ACTIVITIES
• Engage students periodically in activities that add to
their knowledge of the terms.
• Examples of Activities (Think Thinking Maps)
• Comparing terms
• Classifying terms
• Solving analogy problems
• Creating metaphors
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
Step Five – DISCUSS
• Periodically ask students to discuss terms with each other
• Provide a few minutes of think time to allow students,
individually, to review their own descriptions and images
• Model for students, through think-alouds, how you would like
them to be thinking about these terms
• After students have had time to think about the terms, organize
them into pairs and ask them to discuss their descriptions and
images with a partner by comparing/contrasting and identifying
areas of argument or in need of clarification
• Ask students to share any new findings/clarifications with the
whole class
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
Step Six – GAMES
• Play games with the terms
• Types of Games
• Charades
• Word Wall Sorts/Identification
• What is the Question?
• Word Association
MONITOR AND ADJUST
• In the “Prove It” Section for Objective 3,
list the action steps to the 6-Step
Vocabulary Process.
• Find a partner and assign a Phineas and
a Ferb.
• A-B Partner Teach
• Rate your partner on his/her ISS Sheet
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
1.Describe
2.Restate
3.Show
4.Activities
5.Discussion
6.Games
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
MODEL
• Anatomy of a Lesson Vocabulary
• Activate Prior Knowledge
• Teacher Input
• Student Active Participation
• Identify Student Success
• Monitor and Adjust
SIMPLE VOCABULARY GAMES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Flashcards – Partner Quiz
Flashcards - Hold ‘em Up
Word Wall BINGO
Kinesthetic Vocabulary
What’s the Question?
I’m Thinking of a Word
Talk a Mile a Minute
6-STEP PROCESS FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
YOUR TURN
• Choose a set of vocabulary from
a unit and write a plan to
implement the 6-Step Process
• Write the plan outline in the
“Prove It”/”Ideas…” section of
your ISS sheet