The Children’s Learning Institute
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
Our Project
• Develop and implement a kindergarten and
first grade vocabulary curriculum.
• Three year grant federally funded by the
Institute of Education Sciences.
• Development and field testing took place in a
few Houston Independent School District
elementary schools.
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Why A Vocabulary Curriculum?
• Vocabulary is one of the five critical
components of effective reading instruction
identified by the National Reading Panel.
• When readers fail to grasp the meaning of the
individual words they read, their
comprehension of texts is compromised.
• The single best predictor of how well a reader
can understand text is that reader’s general
vocabulary (Anderson & Freebody, 1981).
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70 Percent Known
Once when I was a yoder, my tomly and I were mayle
in line to buy mott for the Blimblat. Finally, there was
only one plam between us and the mott munt. The
plam made a big ampler on me. There were eight
utzs, all probably ord the age of 12. You could tell
tures did not have a lot of willen. Their pard were
not yanker, but tures were clean. The utzs were wllmatter, all of them mayle in line, two-by-two zors
potent holding zibits. Tures were telly temering
about the plums, fonts, and other yoks tures would
wint that noster.
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80 Percent Known
Once when I was a yoder, my tomly and I were mayle
in line to buy mott for the Blimblat. Finally, there was
only one plam between us and the mott counter. The
plam made a big impression on me. There were
eight utzs, all probably under the age of 12. You
could tell meyle did not have a lot of willen. Their
pard were not yanker, but tures were clean. The utzs
were well-behaved, all of them mayle in line, two-bytwo behind their potent holding zibits. Tures were
excitedly temering about the plums, fonts, and other
acts tures would see that night.
Copyright © 2008 Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
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93 Percent Known
Once when I was a teenager, my tomly and I were
standing in line to buy mott for the circus. Finally,
there was only one plam between us and the mott
counter. The plam made a big impression on me.
There were eight utzs, all probably under the age of
12. You could tell they did not have a lot of money.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were
clean. The utzs were well-behaved, all of them mayle
in line, two-by-two behind their parents holding
hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the
clowns, fonts, and other acts tures would see that
night.
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Why A Vocabulary Curriculum? (con’t.)
• Knowledge about words is more a function
of experience than of direct teaching. But,
direct teaching can build vocabulary
knowledge.
• Vocabulary instruction should occur
frequently and over time, with teachers
continually revisiting and reinforcing the
meanings of words previously introduced.
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Vocabulary Instruction
….Readers who do not know 90% of the words
are not likely to comprehend the passage well,
and will now be further behind on two fronts:
they missed the opportunity to learn the
content of the text and the opportunity to
learn more words.
Hirsch, E. D., Jr. Reading Comprehension Requires Knowledge
of Words and the World. American Educator, page 16. Spring
2006.
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What Words Should Be Taught?
• Research has demonstrated that it matters not
only that vocabulary instruction is provided,
but that the right words are taught.
• This curriculum teaches words that fit two
basic criteria. We use words:
– That may be familiar to students, but that they
rarely use independently in speaking and writing.
– That students are likely to encounter in books they
read or hear in their first years at school (highly
useful words).
Copyright © 2010 Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
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Use word
parts
Efficient
dictionary
use
Teach with
discussions
Use context
clues
Teaching and
Modeling
Independent
Word Learning
Strategies
Contextual
information
Direct
Teaching of
Specific
Words
Variety of levels
Wide
Reading
Components
of Effective
Vocabulary
Instruction
Definitions
Active word
learning
Learn words
from context
Word games
Read and
discuss
Storytelling
High-Quality
Oral
Language
Word
Consciousness
Vocabulary journals
Read more
Provide
audio books
Puns & riddles
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Lessons on
Lesson Design
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About Daily Lessons
• Daily lessons are designed to take from 15 to 30
minutes to teach. Lesson length will vary from lesson
to lesson and from teacher to teacher.
• Teachers may choose to take longer with some lessons
than others. Some days teachers may choose not to
teach certain parts of that day’s lesson.
• Try to teach vocabulary lessons during the same period
each day and avoid skipping lessons.
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Where to teach
• BVER vocabulary lessons are designed to be
taught with students gathered on a comfortable
carpet on the floor around the teacher.
• The teacher needs a pocket chart or stand to
hold materials, and chart paper or a whiteboard
or blackboard to work with for some lessons.
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Promote Active Word Learning
•Students remember more when they relate
words to something they know.
•Have discussions where students put meanings
in their own words.
•Make classroom graphic organizers.
•Talk about words!!!
Copyright © 2010 Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Our Guiding Principles for Lesson
Development
• High quality children’s literature (read aloud to
the class) provides words to be taught. One
book is used per week.
• Teach 3 or 4 words a day, for a total of 15
words a week.
• Lessons should be quick (about 20-30
minutes a day).
• Word meanings are taught explicitly.
Copyright © 2010 Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
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Guiding Principles for Lesson
Development (con’t.)
• Lessons are guided by a wide range of
instructional strategies appropriate for each
grade level.
• Use of new vocabulary in student writing is
encouraged and lessons frequently include a
student writing component.
• Learning is active, with students repeatedly using
the words in different contexts and ways.
• Lessons are highly interactive and fun.
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Guiding Principles for Development of
Materials
• Materials must:
– Be easy and intuitive for teachers to use.
– Support explicit instruction and a range of types of
active learning and interaction.
– Be visually engaging and aesthetically appealing.
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LESSON
REVIEW
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Authentic Literature
Kindergarten Books
First Grade Books
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Consistent Daily Lesson Format
•
Daily lessons consist of all or most of the following
components.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Vocabulary Review
Chip’s Journal
Introduce / Review Book
Introduce New Vocabulary
Read Book Aloud
Teach New Vocabulary
Closing Activity
Lesson-at-a-Glance
Cards for convenient
delivery of the first five
components
Word Logs and
Closing Cards for
the remainder of
lesson.
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Quick Vocabulary Review
• Most days of instruction in the BVER program include a
Vocabulary Review section early in the lesson. Words
reviewed during lesson 1 are from the previous week.
Words reviewed during lessons 2-5 are from the previous
lesson.
• The teacher determines which words need most review
and re-teaching. The time the teacher chooses to take
with vocabulary review can significantly impact the total
length of the lesson.
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Our hook - Chip’s Journal
• Gives students another
experience with the words from
the previous day.
• Chronicles Chip’s
thoughts and adventures
throughout the school
year.
• Serves as a model for the
kinds of writing students
can do in their journals.
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Introduce New Vocabulary
• Prior to the read aloud for a lesson, students quickly learn
the new vocabulary words being taught that day.
• They learn and repeat both the words and their
definitions and are reminded to listen for these words in
the read aloud.
• A standard procedure for introducing words is provided
for use with each new word.
• This procedure should be used for each new word each
day.
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Introducing New Vocabulary
1. This word is _________. Can you say _______ with
me?
2. Students repeat the word with you.
3. Good job! ____________ means (insert definition
from the word log). Let’s say the definition together.
4. Students repeat the definition with you.
5. Good job! ____________ means (insert definition
from the word log). Now, say our word with me one
more time.
6. Students repeat the word with you.
7. Good job!
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Thoughts about Read Alouds
• During lesson 1 the teacher reads the entire
book. During lessons 2-5 a few pages are
normally read which include the words for
that lesson.
• The teacher asks short questions to insure
students understand and are engaged with
the story and to provide additional
opportunities for use of the week’s
vocabulary words.
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Teaching New Vocabulary
• For each word a review of the meaning of the
word is provided, along with a brief activity to
teach students the meaning of the word.
• The definition students learn and repeat is
usually simpler than the deeper meaning
conveyed while teaching the word.
• Each word is taught using a “Word Log.”
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Another hook - Word Logs
• The Word Log serves as both a learning tool for students
and a teaching tool for teachers.
• The front of the log shows the word, and the inside
shows the word and its brief definition.
roar
roar
Front of Word Log
growl loudly
Inside of Word Log
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Using the Word Logs (cont.)
• The back of the Word Log provides teachers with
instructions for reviewing and teaching the meaning of
the word.
DAY 2 - WORD 3
Week 3: The Loudest Roar
Our last word today is roar. Roar means growl loudly. In the book it says, “Even
though he was small, he knew he was the fiercest, most roaringest tiger in the whole
world.” Roaringest isn’t a real word, but it means the same thing as roar. Have you
heard a tiger roar? Where did you hear a tiger? (TV, zoo.) Can you show me what it
sounded like? Students practice roaring like a tiger. Lions and tigers and other big cats
are the animals that roar. We are going to look at some pictures and think about
whether they show animals that roar.
Activity: Examples and Non-Examples
Show pictures of animals that roar and animals that don’t roar. If the animal can roar,
students “roar.”
Back of Word Log
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Vary Activity Types
• A variety of types of activities are used for teaching words.
Specific procedures for the activity vary depending on the word.
Detailed instructions are always provided.
• Some activity types include:
•Examples From Our Lives
•Multiple Meanings
•Examples and Non-Examples
•Practice Using the Word
•Make Connections
•Experience the Word
•Act Out the Word
•Word Forms
•Synonyms and Antonyms
•Graphic Organizers
•Word Associations
•Homonyms
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Using Picture Cards
• Pictures help teach
some words.
• Provided in the
lesson jacket with
the book.
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Using Discussion
•Students who don’t understand can learn
by listening to classmates.
•Discussion can clarify misunderstandings.
•Students rehearse what they will say if
called upon.
Copyright © 2010 Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Using Contextual Information
•Create sentences that contain new word.
•Use more than one new word in a
sentence.
•Discuss meaning of same word in different
sentences.
•Create a scenario.
Copyright © 2010 Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Redirection and Re-teaching
• Teachers should provide correction, redirection
and additional practice using their best
professional judgment based on their assessment
of student understanding and needs.
• Spend more time with challenging words, and less
time with words students grasp easily.
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Closing Activity – Making it personal
• Each lesson concludes with a summative or
extension activity.
• The closing activity gives students additional
experiences with the vocabulary words and
provides another context for them to extend and
refine their understanding of each word.
• Usually this activity involves either shared or
independent writing.
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Student Writing Journal Page
• Individual student
journals.
• Prompt related to
word or idea from
book.
• Space for writing
and drawing.
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Reaching out to our homes
• Experience outside of school with new vocabulary
words facilitates student learning.
• A Home Connection Book is provided each week to
bring the BVER vocabulary words to life outside of
the classroom.
• Each book informs families of the words students are
learning that week, and provides a story using these
words.
• Students are encouraged to keep the Home
Connection Books at home for repeated readings
with their families.
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Home Connection Stories
• Each page of the story includes some text the
student may read, and discussion questions are
provided.
• Simple games and activities are included.
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Encouraging Regular Use of
Vocabulary Words: Chip’s Pond
• Children build their vocabularies through
repeated exposure to new words, and by using
new vocabulary in their speech and writing.
• Chip’s Pond will support awareness and use of the
vocabulary words. It is part of a system to
recognize students when they use the words that
have been taught.
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Chip’s Pond (cont.)
• Chip’s Pond may be introduced any time after the
routines for daily lessons are well established.
• Students help Chip fill his pond by adding a stone
to it each time they hear or use one of “Chip’s
Words.”
Copyright © 2010 Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
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Closing
• Dennis Ciancio, Principal Investigator of BVER project:
Dennis.Ciancio@uth.tmc.edu
• Keith Millner, Manager of BVER project
Keith.Millner@uth.tmc.edu
• Marguerite Held
Marguerite.A.Held@uth.tmc.edu
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