Choosing and
Introducing Words for
Explicit Vocabulary
Instruction
Objectives
• Understand Prompts and Activities
for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
(Examples from Beck & McKeown Article)
• Integrate Vocabulary Instruction
into Text-Talks
– Reviewing Effective Practices
– Developing a Text-Talk Vocabulary
Lesson
Choosing and
Introducing Words for
Explicit Vocabulary
Instruction
What does it mean to
KNOW a word?
Four Levels of Word
Knowledge
• Unknown
• Initial word knowledge: seen or heard it
• Partial Word Knowledge: know one meaning
and can use in a sentence
• Full Word Knowledge: more than one
meaning and can use in several ways
portend
appropriation
tyranny
sycophant
Tompkins – Three Word
Learning Strategies
• Analyze word parts
• Checking a dictionary
• Using context clues
How do these ideas DIFFER from
Beck & McKeown’s ideas
about how to teach vocabulary?
Beck & McKeown argue…
Definitions are little help…
• Weak differentiation: Definition does not
differentiate how the word is different from
other words (e.g. conspicuous = “easily seen.” How
does that differentiate from visible?)
• Vague language (typical = “being a type”)
• More likely interpretation: Definition uses
familiar words in unfamiliar ways (e.g. devious =
“straying from the right course, not
straightforward.” Students could interpret as
walking.
• Multiple pieces of information: definition gives no
help in how to integrate pieces (e.g. exotic =
“foreign, strange, not native”)
Context cues CAN help,
but not always
• “Rebecca, come back and eat your
Cheerios, they’re getting soggy.”
• Rebecca inferred soggy meant sad and
lonely. And then, she later used it in
her own language…
• I don’t want to go to bed – I feel
soggy!”
–
When context clues do work, for every
100 words, only learn 3-15 of them.
Conditions (and problems) for
learning words from context
• READ WIDELY TO encounter lots of NEW
WORDS
– Many students who in need of
vocabulary development don’t read
widely, or they don’t read books that
include words with which they are
unfamiliar
• STUDENTS MUST HAVE SKILLS to infer
meanings of words from context
– Many students who in need of
vocabulary development are less able
to derive information from context
How helpful are
context clues? It depends…
• Directive contexts: likely to lead to
correct inference about meaning (86%)
– Nora grew smaller and smaller and finally
vanished. (disappeared)
• General contexts: enough clues to infer
general category of meaning (49%)
– Brian said morosely, “This miserable town
will be the death of us!” (bad, negatively –
but specifics are undefined)
How helpful are
context clues? It depends…
• Non-Directive contexts: (27%) little
assistance in helping to define meaning
– Freddy look at the team members. Each
looked more hapless than the next.
(Happy? Untrained? But descriptive…)
• Misdirective contexts: direct to
incorrect meaning of word (3%)
–
John was exhilarated after his first
experience mountain climbing.
The biggest challenge…
• There are too many words to teach!
– Students encounter so many new words
in reading, how could we teach them all?
• Not all words need attention
• Not all words should be treated equally
• According to Beck & McKeown, what
types of words need attention and
which can we “ignore”? (refer to
your reading guide)
Choosing words to teach
• Tier One words: Most basic words,
rarely require instruction (cake,
street, walk, jump)
• Tier Three words: Words that are
low frequency, or are domain specific
(isotope, woof, peninsula), probably
learned best when needed in content
Tier Two words
• High frequency words for mature language users
• Words that would be found across a variety of
domains
• Words that can be worked with in a variety of
ways so that students can build rich
representations of them and their connections to
other words and concepts
• Words for which students understand the general
concept, but would provide more precision in use
• e.g. astonished, coincidence, absurd, scrumptious
–
Mad: frustrated, angry, disturbed …
Words from Ruby the
Copycat
• Tier 1:
• Tier 2:
• Tier 3:
Identifying Tier Two Words
• Read through the text
• Choose words you think are likely to
appear in texts or in the talk of
mature language users
• Think about whether the students
already have ways to express the
concepts presented by the words
Identifying Tier Two Words
Johnny Harrington was a kind master who
treated his servants fairly. He was also a
successful wool merchant, and his business
required that he travel often. In his
absence, his servants would tend to the
fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of
his mansion. They performed their duties
happily, for they felt fortunate to have
such a benevolent and trusting master.
Identifying Tier Two Words
Johnny Harrington was a kind master who
treated his servants fairly. He was also a
successful wool merchant, and his business
required that he travel often. In his
absence, his servants would tend to the
fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of
his mansion. They performed their duties
happily, for they felt fortunate to have
such a benevolent and trusting master.
Tier Two Words
merchant
required
tend
performed
fortunate
Students’ likely
Explanation
Develop Student-Friendly
Explanations
Two Key Strategies
• Characterize the word and how it is
typically used
• Explain the meaning in everyday
language
Student-Friendly Definitions
Characterize the Word
• Explanation should be as particular as
possible (When do I use this word
particularly? Why do we have such a
word?)
– Tamper: Defined as, “to interfere in a secret
or incorrect way.” Could be construed as
meddling. Does not get at the idea of messing
something up in a sinister way.
– Student friendly explanation: “to change
something secretly so that it doesn’t work
properly or becomes harmful.”
Student-Friendly Definitions
Explain Meaning in an
Everyday Way
• Ally: Defined as, “one associated with
another”
– What is association?
• Student friendly explanation: “somebody who does
things with you”
• Does that characterize “ally”?
– Doesn’t get at main characteristic of helping in
a common cause
• Better student friendly explanation: “Someone who
helps you in what you are trying to do, especially
when there are other people who are against you.”
Student friendly definitions
in Ruby the Copycat?
• Coincidence – things that happen by
chance at the same time
• Loyal – always being there for
someone
• Bitter – the feeling you have when you
stay angry
• Murmured? Recited? Sensitive?
Now what??
• You have identified the Tier 2 word in
context, given a student-friendly
definition, used it in a new sentence, …
• Are you done with vocabulary
instruction? Why or why not?
Beck & McKeown
Teaching Vocabulary
• Start with instructional
materials/books – choose words that
are important for comprehension
– Multiple exposures
– Breadth of information
– Actively engage with word by thinking
and processing deeply
–
HOW DO WE DO THAT??
Turn and talk
• Each person: What are two ways that
you can actively engage students in
talking about, using, and applying the
new vocabulary words?
– The Beck & McKeown chapter and your
Ruby the Copycat lesson plan have ideas
Possible Sequence for Introducing
Vocabulary: (Watch the video)
• Contextualize the word for its role in the story (“The bears
were astonished when ….”)
• Ask the children to repeat the word to gain a phonological
representation (Say the word with me, “astonished.”)
• Explain the meaning of the word (“Astonished means you are
really surprised or shocked at something.”)
• Provide examples other than the one used in the story
(“Someone might be astonished to see a tree grow up to the
ceiling right in front of their eyes.”)
• Children provide their own examples. (“Tell me about
something that would astonish you. Try to use the word
when you tell about it. You could start by saying, “I would be
astonished____.”)
• Children say the word again to reinforce its phonological
representation (“What’s the word we’ve been talking
about?”)
Activities for Building
Vocabulary
Students interact with the words
Overheard Conversations
Unique
Monotone
Extraordinary
Peculiar
Example - Nonexample
Word Lines
How much energy does it take to…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Flex your little finger?
Thrust a heavy door shut?
Embrace a teddy bear?
Beckon to someone for five straight hours?
Seize a feather floating through the air
Least energy _____________ most energy
How would you rank these personally?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Applause, Applause!
• Students are asked to clap in order
to indicate how much they would like
(not at all, a little bit, a lot) to be
described by the target word. Why
do they feel that way?
• Ruby the Copycat
• Copycat, original, creative, independent, a
leader, a follower
Thinking Deeply About Words
Relating Words
• See whether there is anything about the
words that is related.
• Create an activity to relate the words.
– Reluctant, insisted, drowsy might be
demonstrated by facial expressions
– Create a sentence using all words: Would you
prefer to budge a sleeping lamb or a ferocious
lion? Why?
– Ask students to choose between two words: If
you get your clothes ready to wear to school
before you go to sleep, would that be sensible
or raucous?
What other techniques can
you find in the lesson?
• Student-Friendly Definitions
• Making Choices (example/nonexample)
• Idea Completion
• Have You Ever?
• Word Associations
• Relating words
• Using words in one context
• Classifying words
Student-Friendly Explanations
Two Key Strategies
• Characterize the word and how it is
typically used
• Explain the meaning in everyday
language
“Interacting with Words”:
Making Choices
• If any of the things I say might be examples of
people clutching something, say “clutching.” If
not, don’t say anything.
– Holding tight to a purse
– Holding a fisful of money
– Softly petting a cat’s fur
• If any of the things I say would make some one
radiant, say, “You’d be radiant.” If not, don’t say
anything.
– Winning a million dollars
– Getting a hug from a favorite movie star
– Walking to the post office
Thinking Deeply About Words
Idea Completions
• Provide students with stem that
requires them to integrate a word’s
meaning into a context in order to
explain a situation
– The audience asked the virtuoso to play
another piece of music because…
– The skiing teacher said Maria was a
novice on the ski slopes because …
Interacting with Words:
Questions, Reasons, Examples
• If you are walking around a dark room, would you
do it cautiously? Why? What are some other
things that need to be done cautiously?
• What is something you could do to impress your
teacher? Why? What is something that might
impress your mother?
• Which of these things would be extraordinary?
Why or why not?
– A shirt that was comfortable or a shirt that washed
itself?
– A person who has a library card, or a person who has
read all the books in the library?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Have You Ever …?
• Helps students associate new words
with contexts and activities from
their own experiences
– Describe a time when you might urge
someone?
– Describe a time when you might banter
with someone?
– What would make you gleeful?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Word associations
• Associate a new word when
presented with a word or phrase:
– Words = accomplice, virtuoso,
philanthropist, novice
– Which word goes with crook?
– Which word goes with “gift to build a
new hospital”?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Using the Words in One Context
• What would an immense plate of
spaghetti look like?
• Would you feel miserable after you
ate all that spaghetti? Why or why
not?
• What would it look like to eat the
spaghetti in a leisurely way?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Use the Same Format for
Words
• If you satisfy your curiosity, do you need
to find out more or have you found out all
you need? Why?
• If a dog was menacing, would you want to
pet it or move away? Why?
• If you wanted to see something exquisite,
would you go to a museum or a grocery
store? Why?
Thinking Deeply About Words
Classifying
• Mammals
–
–
–
–
–
–
People
Cats
Dogs
Lions
Mice
Whales
• Reptiles
–
–
–
–
Snakes
Alligators
Dinosaurs
Lizards
Thinking Deeply About Words
Classifying
• What makes
something a
mammal?
– Hair
– Warm-blooded
– Milk to young
• What makes
something a
reptile?
– Skin?
– Cold-blooded
– Shape of head
Teaching words in
semantic groups
Bad People
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Villain
Malefactor
Burglar
Embezzler
Miscreant
Cad
Rogue
Scoundrel
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Red
Crimson
Scarlet
Pink
Blush
Ruby
Sanguine
Carmine
Semantic Feature
Analysis
So, how are you at developing
these types of prompts?
• Student-Friendly Definitions
• Making Choices (example/nonexample)
• Idea Completion
• Have You Ever?
• Word Associations
• Relating words
• Using words in one context
• Classifying words
Try It Out With
Your Lesson Template:
The Scarecrow’s Hat
Tier 2 words in
The Scarecrow’s Hat?
Tier 2 words in
The Scarecrow’s Hat?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
swapped
grateful
relief
delighted
ledge
replied
battered
lookout
streams
Explicitly Teaching
Word Meanings
(see your handouts)
1-3. Select target word; find & discuss in
context.
4. Give student-friendly definition.
5. Making Choices: Examples/Non-examples
6. Engage students with word (several
activities to choose from)
7. Say word again.
8. Select activity for further engagement
beyond that day’s lesson.
Word Study
Demonstration Lessons
• Brief summary with “student” voice to your
peers (See handout for categories) – 1
minute
• Teacher Voice (Don’t read your
handout – teach)
– Explain/Model (3 mins)
– Provide guided practice (3 mins)
– Provide independent practice (3 mins)
Homework
• TUESDAY:– please come prepared
– Read Tompkins, Ch. 3 (few pages on
assessment)
– Running Records Website
– Short Video on Miscue Analysis (Use of
Three Cueing Systems)
• THURSDAY:
– Read Brown (2003) What Do I Say
When They Get Stuck on A Word? (on
wiki)
– Read Teacher Knowledge Matters
(Reading Rockets online article)