Krysta Purcell
RE 4620-101
Text boxes for “Overlapping Vocabulary and Comprehension: Context Clues Complement
Semantic Gradients” by Greenwood and Flanigan
The literacy strategy I chose to use for the Greenwood and Flanigan article actually came out of
the Topping and McManus article, “Chapter 2: Demystifying Reading: Helping Every Reader
Tackle Texts” from the beginning of the unit. It is the text boxes strategy, and I simply
summarized each section in the article, then formed an overall summary and included my
reaction and thinking questions.
Opening paragraph
Although vocabulary is considered important in the classroom by teachers and by researchers,
students never seem to be getting the full benefits possible from the practice. Luckily, a
combination of context clues and semantic gradients has been found to help them.
“Context Clues”
Students learn new vocabulary through context clues all the time, which means this highly
effective strategy should be taught in the classroom (with the proper thickness of clues) to
help students learn to recognize and utilize these clues.
“Semantic Gradients”
Semantic gradients are scales of words with similar denotations placed by severity or
intensity, and they can help students understand “nuances” in definitions.
Figures 1-4
Students can learn semantic gradients effectively through first filling in the words on a scale
from a text box, then by filling in some blanks on a gradient, then by practicing using the
gradients with sufficient context clues to discern the proper word to use in a given situation.
Overlapping Context Clues and Semantic Gradients and “Examples of Manipulated Contexts
That Match Gradients”
When semantic gradients and sufficient context clues are provided in combination, students
can learn vocabulary in a much more relevant, realistic, and long-lasting fashion than just
memorizing ten words and definitions each week and then immediately forgetting them.
Overall Summary
Combining sufficient context clues and semantic gradients can help students learn vocabulary
in a much more realistic and long-lasting way than most classroom vocabulary strategies. It
helps skew the odds of understanding in the student’s direction.
Reaction
I really enjoyed this article! I feel like I learned something new here. I had never even heard
of semantic gradients, and I had underestimated the power of context clues in vocabulary thus
far. This is a simple solution to an age-old education problem, and it seems sound, so I will be
using it in my classroom. Additionally, vocabulary is definitely something I will start to take
more seriously as I move forward in teaching, as it can make or break students’ success,
shown in this strategy.
Thinking Questions
1. What about learning words in context sticks so much more with students than rote
memorization? Background knowledge?
2. When were semantic gradients established as a teaching tool? Was there some sort of
equivalent when I was in school? Will there be a different version in ten years?
3. Are there any other methods that could be combined with these two to make learning even
easier and more effective for students?
Works Cited
Greenwood, S.C. and Flanigan, K. (2007). “Overlapping Vocabulary and Comprehension:
Context Clues Complement Semantic Gradients.” The Reading Teacher, 61 (3), pp. 249254.
Topping, D., & McManus, R. (2010). “Chapter 2: Demystifying Reading: Helping Every Reader
Tackle Texts.” Stuck in the Middle: Helping Adolescents Read and Write in the Content
Areas (2010 ed., pp. 10-47). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.