VOCABULARY
WHY WORDS MATTER
K-6
BERNADETTE BOERCKEL
WE KNOW THAT…
• A child at or below the poverty line typically hears 600-700
words per hour at 12-18 months old at home
• =5000 words by kindergarten
• A child from a middle class typically hears 1200-1300
words per hour at 12-18 months old at home
• =9000 words by kindergarten
• A child from an upper income family hears 2900-3100
words per hour at 12-18 months old at home
• =15,000-20,000 words by kindergarten
-National Inst. Of Health 1999
WE KNOW THAT
• Students must know 95% of the words they hear and read
for successful comprehension
• Memorizing new words doesn’t help students
learn…especially the lower-income set
• They have no context / background knowledge
• We must BUILD context and connections
• Comprehension is greatly enhanced when students can
identify examples or applications as well as non-examples.
• Elaboration!
• Non-verbals
WE ALSO KNOW…
• Previewing helps comprehension
later and provides…
• The MULTIPLE EXPOSURES that
help to solidify vocabulary
acquisition
STEPS FOR PLANNING
VOCAB INSTRUCTION
1) Provide a description, explanation, or example of the new
term
2) Ask students to restate the description, explanation or
example in their own words (spoken or written)
3) Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic
representing the new term
4) Engage students periodically in activities that help them
add to their knowledge of the terms in their notebooks
5) Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one
another
6) Involve students periodically in games that allow them to
play with terms
-Building Academic Vocabulary, Alexandria, VA: ASCD
LET’S EXPERIENCE
THIS
It is hard to define words when you don’t have words.
PLAY TABOO
I STRUGGLE WITH
THE VISUAL
We know that non-verbals work…but they are so hard!
One partner face the screen, the other the back wall. Ready
for some Pictionary?
From the words shown, choose whichever you want. If your
partner gets it, move to another word.
Ready…..
PICTIONARY
laser
diagonal
comfy
biscuit
hydrogen
macaroni
Rubber darkness
vegetarian
exercise
shrew
chestnut
ditch wobble
glitter
neighborhood
dizzy
fireside retail
drawback
fabric
barber
mirror
migrate drought
logo
jazz
REVIEW OF BEST PRACTICES:
PREVIEWING
• Choose the MOST ESSENTIAL words to preview
• No names
• No places
• Content words
• Process words
• Comprehension words
THEN…
• Discover or build background knowledge
ACTIVATING AND PREVIEWING
STRATEGIES
Do I Know What These Words Mean? (pg 59)
Word
opine
exacerbate
chasm
stereoscope
Not at
all
Have
Seen
Think I know
(example)
Know and Can Use
(Description)
VOCABULARY
ACTIVITIES
Word Knowledge (pg 62)
Word
sobriquet
lamster
avuncular
brachiate
Prior Knowledge
New Knowledge
VOCABULARY
ACTIVITIES
Word Maps and Charts (pg 64-68)
-What the word is
-what the word is like
-examples of the word
brainstorm
Word Splash
metacognition
confidence
Word Sorts / Picture Sorts (pg 79)
• Students fold a piece of paper forming eight boxes
• Tear on folds
• Give students a topic (government)
• Ask them to write six words (one per paper) and save two
• In groups of four, combine words and sort them into categories
• Use the blanks to label categories (Open Sort)
• If the teacher gives categories (Close Sort)
• Can be used with pictures for non-readers
Lingo
1. Pass out or fold paper into 9 squares.
2. Call on 9 students to choose a word from the word wall.
3. As a student chooses a word, everyone writes the word
somewhere on their grid.
4. When everyone has filled up all 9 spaces, you are ready
to play.
5. The teacher (who has written the 9 words down, too) calls
off one at a time.
6. Students chant the spelling of each and cover the word.
7. The first student to complete a row wins.
WORD WALL
Oak
Maple
Sumac
Apple
Pear
Cherry
Bush
Shrub
Plant
analyze
categorize
classify
compare
contrast
discover
divide
examine
inspect
simplify
survey
take part in
test for
distinguish
list
distinction
theme
relationships
function
motive
inference
assumption
conclusion
dissect
5-3-1 (with Pair Square) (pg 85)
•
Write down 5 words (on your own) about the reading or topic
•
Pair to choose the 3 BEST words
•
Square (4) and as a group, decide on the 1 best word to explain
the meaning of the content and explain why the word was chosen
to the class.
Is this a Vocabulary or a Summarizing Activity?
BOTH
VIDEO
How does the video you just
saw and 5-3-1 relate to the
solid vocabulary practices?
Try it using the content
of the video.
Charades
You know how it works….but did you know it is at the top of
Bloom?
Create: Dramatize: Role-play!
Let’s try it.
Charades
-------------------------------------------------------Relay / Telephone Charades
• Split the class in half
• Have each half form a line facing away from one another.
Sit down.
• The first person in line taps the next and acts out a word.
When the person thinks they have it, they clap twice. The
actor sits and the new person acts out what they
“thought” the word was to the next person.
• The last person runs to the front and writes the word
down.
Quick Talk (Talk As Fast As You Can) (pg 105)
(Like Taboo, but with no restrictions)
• Use this to reinforce words learned already
• Put words up on the board
• Class is in partners with one partner facing words
• Describe the words as fast as they can
• First team to get them all jumps up and cheers for a reward
Ready to try?
Get partner in the right place.
-Rules: can’t say any part of the word!
-Can skip and come back to
Shout when finished!
WORDS IN
EDUCATION
1. Differentiate
6. Lecture
2. Accelerate
7. Adaptation
3. Instruct
8. Final exam
4. Overhead
Projector
9. Blue book
5. Chalk dust
10. Seminar
I Have…Who Has… (pg 104)
• Create cards in advance and pass out to students:
• Examples:
• I have a polygon. Who has a 3-sided figure with a right
angle?
• I have a triangle. Who has a 4-sided figure where all four
sides are equal?
• I have a square. Who has….
Graffiti / Carousel Summarization
• Prompts, key terms, or concepts are strategically placed
around the classroom.
• Teams of students rotate from prompt to prompt, adding
information to the chart or responses at each station.
Each group’s response must differ from those who wrote
previously.
• (Carousel: Groups stay, paper is passed on cue)
• Let’s try it!
Concentration (pg 145)
• Fold paper into 8 sections.
• Write down 4 words and 4 definitions to those words
• (i.e. Snow …..frozen rain, Rain…..liquid precipitation)
• Rip up, mix up with partner, all face down in rows
• Play concentration. Keep your matches.
Connect 3
Vocab Word
• Write sentences to
connect the words in
any order around
the triangle
• Could
pictures be
used?
Vocab Word
Vocab Word
lamster
1930s
sobriquet
Give One, Get One (pg 137)
• Students create lists of words that relate to a topic for 2
minutes.
• Students walk around the room giving and getting new
words, one per person.
• Time this until students have between 5-10 new words
• Students now work in pairs to divide their list into 2
categories, discarding words that do not fit. (May use
resources here)
• Students now can create posters displaying words from
one category using pictures as well to define the meaning
• These can be posted as visual vocabulary guidance.
Review your notes / slides from the beginning on Vocabulary
Research. (2 minutes)
List as many words you can that relate to these
concepts…stretch (2 minutes)
Give one, get one (4 minutes)
Back and categorize – create poster with one key concept,
vocabulary, and image(s)
Post and share
PRIMARY WORD
WALL ACTIVITIES
See pages 189 – 197
INTERMEDIATE WORD
WALL ACTIVITIES
See pages 199-203
EXPLORING THE
BOOK
With a partner, read through each activity.
Imagine a word wall that you have or use a lesson plan in
front of you to work one of these activities in.
Be prepared to share what you used and how it will look in
the classroom.