Vocabulary’s CODE

The next core six strategy discussed in The Core Six:
Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the
Common Core is…….
……..

Vocabulary’s CODE is a strategic approach for direct vocabulary instruction that helps students master crucial concepts and retain new vocabulary terms.
Students work their way from initial exposure to indepth understanding through a series of progressive, systematic learning activities, which help students
“crack” Vocabulary’s CODE.
Vocabulary’s CODE provides teachers with a framework and set of instructional tools to build a four-phase learning sequence which deepens students’ understanding of key words.

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C onnecting with new words.
O rganizing new words into meaningful categories ensuring that students see relationships between words and how they make up a larger structure..
eep-processing of the most important concepts and terms using thinking strategies.
xercising the mind through strategic review and practice commits new words into longterm memory.

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Vocabulary is a foundation for improved literacy.
Academic vocabulary is at the core of the Core.
Vocabulary fuels learning.

Vocabulary’s CODE Tools Matrix
Matrix Word Document

Word Works: Cracking Vocabulary’s CODE Teacher
Planning & Implementation Guide
Word Works PDF

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What are the essential terms students need to learn? (Think Wiggins and McTighe’s: Nice-to-know words, Important words, and Core-content words)
What do you want to happen during each phase of Vocabulary’s CODE?
What types of tools from the Vocabulary’s
CODE Matrix will help you meet these goals?
How will you use these tools to conduct formative assessment of students’ growing understanding?

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Phase One: How will students CONNECT with the new terms?
Phase Two: How will students ORGANIZE the new words?
Phase Three: How will students DEEP-
PROCESS the words?
Phase Four: How will students EXERCISE their understanding of new words?

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Any writing assignment provides an opportunity for students to utilize new vocabulary terms in a meaningful way.
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We can improve students’ mastery of new terms and their power as writers by requiring them to use an appropriate number of vocabulary terms in their writing assignments.