The Key Vocabulary Routine
Big Ideas PowerPoint
By Joan Sedita, M.Ed.
www.keystoliteracy.com
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.net
Big Idea #1
What is the Key Vocabulary Routine?
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What is
The Key Vocabulary Routine?
• Embedded in content instruction
• Research-based
• Foundational “routine” that provides
consistency from grade to grade, and
from class to class
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The Routine
1. Preview for difficult vocabulary
2. Use activities that connect vocabulary
to background knowledge and related
words
3. Select specific words to teach in-depth
4. Identify opportunities to teach word
learning strategies
5. Promote word consciousness
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Gradual Release of Responsibility
I
Teacher-focused, modeling,
direct/explicit instruction
Guided practice
We
Whole-group, small-group,
collaborative
Students move
through the stages at
different rates,
requiring
scaffolding and
Independent use by student
differentiated
instruction.
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You
Step 1:
Preview for difficult vocabulary
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Why Preview Vocabulary?
• Activate prior knowledge
• Clear up misconceptions about a word’s
meaning
• Clarify meaning of known words with
multiple meanings
• Provide some familiarity with unknown
words
Previewing is more of a comprehension
strategy than it is direct teaching of
specific words.
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Goal of Previewing
• Goal: to offer temporary, basic familiarity
with the meaning of the words in text to be
read
– Graves: “Introduce the word so that
students won’t stumble over it when they
see it in an upcoming passage.”
• It is more about attaching some meaning to
a new word than enabling deep learning of
words
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What to Preview
• Words or phrases critical to making
meaning from the text
• Words with multiple meanings - focus on
the meaning used in the text
• Figurative language
Consider having students
identify unfamiliar words to preview
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Ways to Preview
• Provide a list of preview words with user
friendly definitions or synonyms
• Photocopy the text and write in
synonyms or short definitions next to
unfamiliar words
• Provide a visual or illustration with labels
of unfamiliar vocabulary
• Have a quick class discussion about
some of the preview words – make links
to their background knowledge
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Student Knowledge Rating Checklists
Word
Know it well,
can explain
it, use it
Know
something
about it, can
relate it to a
situation
Have seen
or heard the
word
Do not
know the
word
Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002
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Step 2:
Use activities to connect vocabulary
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Why Teach Word Relationships?
• Schema: mental structure that
represents and organizes one’s
understanding of a particular topic
• Vocabulary words are used to represent
that knowledge
• Word learning is most efficient when a
connection to existing schema and words
can be made
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The Four Activities
• Construct links to existing information
and related words
Activity
Semantic mapping
When Used
Before, During, After
Categorizing
During, After
Semantic feature analysis
During, After
Synonyms, opposites, and scaling
Before, During, After
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Using the 4 Activities
• Make connections between new and
known words
• Make connections between background
knowledge and essential concept words
• Offer opportunities for rich discussion
about words
• Push students to go beyond memorizing
definitions
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1. Semantic Mapping
• When to use
• Benefits
• How it is done
• Variations
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©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
Semantic Mapping: Science
eagle
shark
consumers
fisherman
mouse
plants
eat
Food
Chain
fish
seeds
decomposers
fungus
grow
compost
mold
rot
producers
decay
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2. Categorizing
• When to use
• Benefits
• How it is done
• Variations
Be ready to share your categories.
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©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
Lines and Angles
Line segment
Ray
Point
Vertex
Vertical
Congruent
Adjacent
Complimentary
Supplementary
Parallel
Perpendicular
Intersecting
Bisect
Midpoint
Endpoint
Quadrilaterals
Parallelogram
Rectangle
Rhombus
Square
Trapezoid
Polygons
Triangle
Quadrilateral
Pentagon
Hexagon
Heptagon
Optagon
Nonagon
Decagon
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Circle
Chord
Radius
Diameter
Central angle
Center
Semicircle
Triangles
Acute
Obtuse
Right
Isosceles
Equilateral
Scalene
Outliers
Absolute value
Exponents
Expanded form
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3. Semantic Feature Analysis
•When to use
•Benefits
•How it is done
•Variations
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©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
4. Synonyms, Opposites and Scaling
• When to use
• Benefits
• How it is done
• Variations
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©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
Step 3:
Select specific words
to teach in-depth
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Why Teach Some Words In-Depth?
• Previewing vocabulary is different from
directly teaching specific words
• Essential content words must be taught
in-depth
• Children with weak vocabularies
especially benefit from in-depth
instruction for some words
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
Selecting Words
• Factors to consider:
– Words essential to understanding major
concepts of the content topic
– Words that are practical to know
– Words that students are likely to encounter
again as they learn more about the content
topic
• Different selections for different groups
of students
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Suggestions from
The Key Vocabulary Routine
• Words essential to instructional goal
• Concept words to build schema
• Words frequently encountered in other
content
• Words unlikely to be learned
independently through context or word
parts
• Words that provide opportunities to
practice use of context and word parts
• Words that are unique and increase
student curiosity
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3-Tier Model: McKeown & Beck
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Teach Everything About A Word
• Include:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
spelling and phonemes
syllables
opposite/antonyms
synonyms
category/related words
examples/non-examples
multiple meanings
illustration
use in sentence or context
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Templates for Teaching a Word In-Depth
• Graphic Organizers:
–Frayer/four square
(Frayer et al. 1969)
–Concept Definition Map
–Two-column notes
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(Schwartz, 1988)
(Sedita, 1989)
Frayer/Four Square
Concept Word: ___________________
Define the word, include picture if possible
List key characteristics and attributes
Example
Non-example
Frayer, D.A., Frederick, W.D., & Klausmeier, H.J. (1969). A schema for testing the level of
concept mastery (Technical Report No. 16). Madison: University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Center
for Education Research.
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Concept Definition Map
What is it?
(category, comparisons)
What is it like?
Word
What are some examples?
Adapted from: Schwartz, R.M. (1988). Learning to learn vocabulary in content area textbooks.
Journal of Reading, 32, 108-118.
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.net
Two-Column Notes
Lexicon
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Definition: a language user’s knowledge of
words
Part of speech: noun
Synonym: dictionary
Antonym: NA
Category/related words: vocabulary; words;
definitions
Example: Glossary in a textbook
Non-example: Multiplication tables; numbers
Multiple Meanings: inventory or record;
wordbook
Sentence: Because the boy read every night,
he developed a large lexicon and knew more
words than most of his friends.
Illustration:
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Dictionary Definitions
• Conventional definitions are difficult to
understand
• Asking students to look up definitions and write
them in sentences is NOT effective (Scott & Nagy,
1997; Miller & Gildea (1987)
• What to teach about dictionary definitions
– How to look up words
– How to use different parts of an entry
– The need to select appropriate meaning for the
context
• Alternative dictionaries
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Re-Writing a Definition in the
Students’ Own Words
• A good definition should have:
1. A linking verb
2. A superordinate or category for the word
3. Relative clauses that contain a critical
attribute
A ___ is (a) ___ that (is, does) ___.
(Moats, 2005)
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Examples
• An eagle is a large bird that soars in the sky,
catches small prey, and has been named as
the symbol of the United States.
• To yell is to make a loud sound by using one’s
voice, such as a scream.
• To be wealthy is to have a lot of material
possessions such as money or valuables.
• Something magical is mysterious and related
to supernatural forces, charms, or spells.
• To do something curtly is to do it in a rude and
abrupt way.
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Step 4:
Identify opportunities to teach
word learning strategies
•Use of context to determine word meaning
•Use of word parts to determine
word meaning
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Teaching Use of Context
• Provide direct instruction in how to use
the context
• Provide many examples from reading
• Teach students that the context does not
always work
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How to Teach Context
• Graves’ 4 steps
• Types of context clues
–
–
–
–
–
–
Definition
Description
Synonym
Comparison
Contrast
Example
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Teach Word Parts
• Large percentage of words learned after
grade 3 are derived from Greek or Latin
roots (Carlisle, 2007)
• 60% of unfamiliar words in middle
school books are derived words that can
be figured out by word parts and context
(Nagy & Anderson, 1984)
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.net
Word Parts
BASE/ROOT WORDS + SUFFIXES/PREFIXES
Undeniable (un - deny - able)
Morphemes: the smallest units of language that
convey or modulate meaning
Bound morphemes:
cannot stand alone (s, ed, ment)
Free morphemes:
can stand alone (cat, walk, govern)
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Word Family: port (L. to carry)
portability
portable
portableness
portably
portage
portapack
portative
ported
porter
porterage
porting
support
supportable
supportably
supporter
supporting
supportive
deport
deportable
deportation
deported
deportee
deporting
deportment
export
exportable
exportation
exported
exporter
exporting
portfolio
import
importable
importability
importance
important
importantly
importation
imported
importer
Importing
report
reportable
reportage
reported
reportedly
reporter
reporting
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transport
transportable
transportability
transportation
transporter
transporting
transportive
What to Teach
• Prefixes: directly teach 20 most used
• Roots: teach how roots are used, but not
a specific list
• Suffixes: teach how suffixes work, but
not a specific list
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
Most Common Prefixes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
un26%
re14%
in-, im-, il-, ir- 11%
dis7%
en-, em4%
non4%
in-, im- (in)
3%
over3%
mis3%
sub3%
pre3%
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
interforedetranssupersemiantimidunderALL OTHERS
p. 96-97
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
3%
3%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
3%
Numerical Prefixes
Meaning
Greek
Latin
one
mono
uni
two
three
four
di
tri
tetra
bi, du, duo
tri
quad (quart)
five
six
penta
hexa
quint
sext
eight
ten
octo
deca
octo
deci
hundred
thousand
kilo
cent
mille
part, half
many
hemi
poly
semi
multi
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
Ebbers, 2006
Step 5:
Identify opportunities
to promote word consciousness
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Developing an Interest in Words
“Teachers should encourage
children to become WORD
COLLECTORS, people who
notice new words and scoop
them up for their personal
collections when they hear,
see or read them.”
National Center on Education and the Economy, 2001
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
WordConscious
Schools
• Principal’s “word
of the week”
• “New Words”
boxes or jars in
classrooms
• Conscious use of
specific words
for multiple
exposures
©Joan Sedita, www.keystoliteracy.com
Please use
these words
in our
classroom:
_________
_________
_________
Word Play
“Words and phrases can simultaneously
feel good on the tongue, sound good to
the ear, and incite a riot of laughter in
the belly. Verbal phenomena such as
homophones and homographs; idioms,
clichés, and puns; and onomastics (the
story of names) offer myriad
opportunities for investigating
language.” (Graves, 2006)
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Word Play
 Homophones and homographs
 Word puns, jokes and riddles
 Word games (Scattergories, Outburst,
Pictionary, Charades, Password, Scrabble,
Boggle)
 Word manipulations (anagrams,
palindromes)
 Word expressions (idioms, proverbs, slang)
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Vocabulary Word Walls
• Choose words from content
• Update frequently
• Refer to them on a regular basis
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Classroom Reading Materials
• Wide reading: a lot of reading and a lot
of topics
• Word conscious classrooms need a wide
variety of books and material to read
• Provide opportunities for students to
take home books
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Coach: An Essential Component
Training Components
Initial
training
Admin
Training
Guided
Practice
Follow
up
Small
Group
Sharing
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On-site
coaches
Observe
Coteach
Professional development topics and
instructional materials available:
•
•
•
•
•
The Key Comprehension Routine
The Key Vocabulary Routine
The ANSWER Key to Open Response
Writing Keys to Learning
Literacy Planning K-12
www.keystoliteracy.com
978-948-8511
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