Selecting the Words
 Let’s divide the corpus of the
language into three parts.
Tier One: the most basic words
Tier Two: high-frequency words
for skilled language users.
Tier Three: specific words with
low frequency of general use.
Beck, I., McKeown, M., &
Kucan, L. (2002)
Choosing words based on Tiers
Tier 3: Low-frequency words, usually specific to
an academic domain & best learned in the related
content area, such as isotope, photosynthesis &
psychologist.

Tier 2: High-frequency words that are important
for capable language learners to have in their
vocabulary, such as remorse, capricious,
distinguished, & devious.
Tier 1: Basic words that rarely need to be taught,
such as hair, always, dress, & laugh.
Beck, I., McKeown, M., & Kucan, L. (2002)
Opportunistic Classroom Vocabulary

yearning
Instead of saying: “I know you really wanted
to go outside for recess, but it is raining and
we cannot.
Try… “I know that all of you were yearning to
go outside and play during recess today.
However, the rain will prohibit us from doing
that today.
4
Give Positive Examples:

Yearning can be a good thing too.
Sometimes when we yearn for things it
makes us work harder to get them. If you
are yearning for a brand new bike, you might
work on saving your allowance to get one.
Someone might yearn to be a better football
player. He might practice more often and
work harder to reach the goal that he is
yearning for.
5
Explain appropriateness of
context:

Would someone who is yearning be likely to:
Throw a temper tantrum when they do not
get what they want?
Wish on a star?
Daydream about what they yearn for?
Give up pursuing what they yearn for?
6
Using Student Friendly Definitions
(Student Friendly or ESL Dictionary)








resent – to express anger or annoyance toward
someone or something
futile –to do something that will never give you the
result that you want; useless
pout – to show irritation using your expression
insult – to offend someone; to treat rudely
groan – to moan because you are angry or annoyed
courteous – to have manners and be considerate
intensity – to be strong or powerful
7
Let’s look at a simple word…

Cinnamon
cin·na·mon


/ˈsɪnəmən/ [sin-uh-muhn]
 –noun 1. the aromatic inner bark of any of several East Indian trees
belonging to the genus Cinnamonum, of the laurel family,
especially the bark of C. zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon), used as a
spice, or that of C. loureirii (Saigon cinnamon), used in medicine as
a cordial and carminative.
 2. a tree yielding such bark.
 3. any allied or similar tree.
 4. cassia( def. 1 ) .
 5. a yellowish or reddish brown.
 6.–adjective . (of food) containing or flavored with cinnamon.
 7. reddish-brown or yellowish-brown.
Sentence Frame

Cinnamon is a
____________ that
____________ in order
to________________.
10
Using imagery and a
non-definitional approach . . .


resent – to express anger or annoyance
toward someone or something
 when a sibling is more successful at something
 when someone else was picked for a team
 futile –to do something that will never give
you the result that you want; useless
 Studying for a subject area which you find to be
extremely difficult
 learning to play the violin
11
Relationships Among Words

Would you be courteous to
someone who insulted you?
Would you groan if something
was futile?
Would hiding your feelings be an
example of pouting?
12
Using Word Associations

Which word goes with
kindness? (courteous)
Which word goes with
pointless? (futile)
Which words go with bully?
(resent, pout, insult, groan)
13
Making Choices
 If your parents made you permanently give

your bedroom to a relative would you . . .
 resent them?
 feel that the situation was futile?
 pout for a week?
 insult them behind their backs?
 groan noisily when they told you?
 act courteous and smile?
 say terrible things?
 show them an encouraging expression?
14
Using Cagey Questions

Cagey questions contain one or more
vocabulary words.
They facilitate thinking about meanings of
words as well as meanings of sentences
(build comprehension.)
There are not right or wrong answers to
cagey questions. However, they require the
student to justify their position in response to
the questions.
They provide further experience dealing with
the vocabulary in a wide variety of contexts.
15
Some examples . . .


How might yearning for something cause
someone to have hope?
 How might a person with integrity be
defiant?
 Which of these situations would be more likely
to be considered ominous: a walk alone
through a dark alley or a walk through the
library during a quiet study hall?
 Which person is more likely to feel remorse: a
cunning boy who gets caught cheating on a
math quiz or a boy whose mother finds him
sneaking a brownie before dinner?
16
Let’s try a few . . .

 Write a cagey question using each of these word pairs or
groups:
serene and gaze
anticipate and ordinary
anxious, obsess, and sinister
(try using two or all three!)
17
Implications for Teachers

Model the importance of vocabulary by
allocating daily time for instruction.
Teach vocabulary skills as well as
vocabulary meanings.
Consider contextual factors
Multiple meaning words
Opportunities to utilize vocabulary across
multiple contexts