Building Academic Vocabulary: Word Work
Teacher Prep
1. Select 5-8 academic words/expressions embedded in the text.
2. Find illustrations, artifacts, visuals to scaffold the words
3. Think of the “everyday” (tier 1) word for the academic (tier 2 or 3) word
4. Play around with the changes in imagery by reading the sentence without the
academic word and with it
Student Activities
Build from the Base
If the text includes a Tier 2 word such as “dazzling”, using the everyday word as the base
for the discussion and comparison, talk about how “dazzling” is similar to but different
than its Tier 1 counterpart, “shiny”. While discussing the differences and shades of
meaning, give examples using pictures, scenarios, etc. Students can then offer other
examples, scenarios from their own prior knowledge.
Illustrations/Word Art

everyday  academic
Using the everyday word as a base, first draw/illustrate the everyday word with one
color.
Without changing the base drawing, transform the illustration with another color to
the imagery needed for the academic word. For example, if the everyday word is
mean, draw with one color a stick figure to represent a mean face. Without making a
new illustration, use another color to add and embellish the original illustration to
depict the additional layers of meaning found in the word “savage”.

Pictowords
Students draw a physical representation of the word.
ESCA
Example one:
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Building Academic Vocabulary: Word Work
Example two:
Hidden
plain
unimportant
unknown PROMINENT subtle
Unnoticeable
insignificant
Example three:
Total Physical Response (TPR)
Act out word meanings with gestures and facial and body movements. Students benefit
from physical demonstration of new academic words encountered.

Act out!
Using the everyday word as a base, act out the word. For example, if the word is
“scour”, act out the word, “look for”.
Then, act out “scour” emphasizing the intensity of this word as compared to the
everyday word. Ask students to discuss the differences and shades of meaning
embedded in the words.

Tableau/Silent Body Art
Create a tableau with body art.
For continued practice, assign one academic word to each group.
Group talks about the word, its concept, associated activities
Group decides what the “tableau” (silent painting) will look like
Group practices the tableau formation 1, 2, 3 freeze-frame.
Students will guess what word is being depicted in the tableau.
Students can write up a description of the tableau and the rationale for the
depiction chosen.
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Building Academic Vocabulary: Word Work
Lexical Arrays:
Using the everyday word as base, continue to stretch the word and its word form from the
least charged to the most charged, the least intense to the most intense. For example:
Hurt-injured-wounded-stricken-incapacitated
Notice changes in imagery. Talk about the differences. See how the sentence changes by
substituting other words from the lexical array into the sentence. Talk about the changes
in meaning, imagery, ideas, concepts.
Students can make individual cards of all words in lexical array. Students can then sort
the words as a group and talk about placement and rationale about where these words are
placed along the continuum of meanings. Paint swatches can also be used to record the
lexical arrays in order of intensity.
Generative Words/Word Families/Word forms
Using each vocabulary word, design a generative word tree to extend the root, prefixes,
suffixes, etc. Talk about how the prefix, suffix and/or root works. Since many Tier 3
vocabulary words use prefixes and suffixes, this is a wonderful vehicle for both Tier 2
and Tier 3 vocabulary. For example:
Deforest
Defrost
Debug
Decompose
Derail
Detox
Deconstruct
Dehydrate
Migrate
Migration
Emigrant
Immigrant
Immigration
Migratory
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Building Academic Vocabulary: Word Work
Denote/Connote Matrix:
After developing a lexical array of words that all denote or refer to similar meanings,
discuss the various connotations, nuances, tones and moods created by the various array
of words. As outlined in Keith Folse’s Vocabulary Myths, chart tones/moods on the
matrix as you explore different imagery evoked when hearing or reading these words in
context.
Word Arrays
Refers to
Positive
bold
Negative
Neutral
X
brazen
X
fierce
X
aggressive
X
outspoken
X
assertive
X
brash
X
Personalize

“I Feel” or “I am”
Have students connect to the word by asking them to be or “feel” the word.
For example:
I am prominent when I __________________________________ because
I feel prominent when I __________________________________ because
I escalate when I __________________________________because
I feel escalation when I _________________________________ because
Students must EXPLAIN the “because” using the proper definition of the word.
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