Literacy
Vocabulary Instruction
Resource
of the
WEEK!
Are you looking for some new and interesting ways to
teach vocabulary (Harcourt or content area)?
Research shows that:

Vocabulary is the principle contributor to comprehension, fluency and
achievement. Word meanings make up as much as 70-80% of comprehension.

English is huge collection of words- ¾ are foreign born.

Teaching students prefixes/roots/suffixes can unlock the meanings of many
words.

Introduce kids to complex vocabulary by reading aloud at a text level that is
higher than they could read independently.
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Words will be remembered when linked to existing knowledge.
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70% of the most frequently used words have multiple meanings. You need to
teach students to use context clues.

Meanings of 60% of multisyllabic words can be inferred by analyzing word
parts.

Teaching fewer words well is better than teaching several words with no
depth.
(Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, April 2007)
***If you have any questions about vocabulary instruction or would like me to
model a lesson on vocabulary, please let me know!
Vocabulary Ideas
*Studies show a student needs to have 8-10 encounters with new words
to make connections with them!
*The person who says the word, owns the word!
Introducing New Vocabulary:
*Stand up/ Sit down/ Surf- when introducing a new list, show the word to the
student and ask them to stand up if they are positive they know the word, sit down
if they have no idea and surf (standing halfway with arms out) if they have an idea.
You can then say the word out loud and do the same activity. Did it help to hear
the word?
*Have students create a column chart- show them the words and have them place
them in the appropriate column. Then say the word, can you move any now that you
have heard the word? Give the students a sentence with the word. Can you move
any now that you have heard it in a sentence?
I know the word
I think I know the word
I don’t know the word
*Read the vocabulary story that comes before the story in the Harcourt basal.
Have students create a definition for each word based on the clues that the story
gave.
*Put up a sentence for each word. Cover the word with a post-it, paper, etc. Have
students work in groups to create words that would make sense in the blank. Show
the first letter of the correct word. Have students go back to their list and come
up with more words and cross out words that do not work now. Show the correct
word.
*If the list has words that have parts (compound words, prefixes/roots/suffixes)
have students look for parts of the words that they know. Use their knowledge of
word parts to make predictions of the meanings of the words.
*Possible sentences- Write all vocab words on the board. Students create
sentences that use at least 2 words in them. After introducing the meanings, have
students go back to their sentences and rework them if they were incorrect.
Working with Vocabulary
*Once students have been introduced to robust vocabulary, read the vocab story
that accompanies the whole class story from the basal. Have students preview the
story from the basal and make predictions using the vocabulary words.
*Students create a visual representation of words.
*Use a Venn diagram to compare similar words.
*Use the Harcourt Leveled readers to buddy read or listen on CD. They can use a
post-it or white board to mark when they encounter a robust vocab word.
*Have students complete an open or closed sort with the words. Open sort means
you let the students group the words based on their own ideas. Closed sort means
you give them categories and they sort the words into them.
*Play vocab bingo. The words are on a bingo card. Someone calls out a definition
and the students mark the spot on the card.
*Play 20 questions with vocab words. “I’m thinking of a word……”
*Play “swat.” All of the vocab words are listed on the board or chart paper. Give
two students a fly swatter. Someone reads a definition and the student tries to
be the first to “swat” the word.
*Write the words on an index card. Each student gets a word taped on their back.
(they do not know what the word is). They must ask other student’s questions to
get clues. For example, is my word a noun? They try to get guess the word in 3
guesses.
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Have students act out their vocabulary words or create poems/jingles to
help them remember the meanings of the words. You can use what they
create to remind them of the meanings. Learning is meaningful because the
students are making the connections for themselves.
“I Have, Who Has?” vocabulary review game-Write one vocabulary word
and one definition on each 3x5 card (The definition should not match the
word on the card). One student starts by saying, “who has….?” and reads
the definition on his/her card. Whoever has the matching word, says, “I
have…” reads the word and then reads his/her definition, and the game
continues. If the students are correct, the person who starts the game
should be the same person who ends the game.
Have students keep a Vocabulary Journal where they write student-friendly
definitions of the words. The students can refer to their notebooks as they
work on activities throughout the week. Plus, they have a record of all of
their vocabulary words for each theme
Robust Vocabulary-On a chart, list the lesson’s robust vocabulary. Place a
tally mark next to each word as you hear the students using them in class.
At the end of the lesson, see which word is the winner.
 Have students play Memory to practice their vocabulary words and meanings
at the end of a lesson or theme.
 Sponge activity to reinforce Robust Vocabulary words-Write each robust
vocabulary word on a note card. Have a box with a slot at the top. When you are
having students line up or if you have a couple of minutes at the end of the day, pull
a card from your stack, say the word and ask for a definition. Or ask the students
to use the word in a sentence, act out the word, etc. Whoever gives the correct
answer puts the word in the box.