Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Slide notes: Let’s review a few of the research based vocabulary activities that enable students to add new words to their vocabulary.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Instructional Strategies/Activities
Slide notes: Here are a few that we are going to discuss though many more are available for your review in this session. We will begin by discussing
what to consider when pre-teaching unfamilar vocabulary, then move to Semantic Maps, Semantic Impressions, Four Square Vocabulary Map and
end with the LINCS strategy.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Pre-teaching Unfamiliar Vocabulary has…
Slide notes: Pre-teaching selected vocabulary words is a widely used vocabulary development strategy.
As mentioned several times already, the National Reading Panel concluded that teaching vocabulary before reading has significant effects on
comprehension. At least it guarantees that there will be fewer unfamiliar concepts in the material to be read. It also helps in making the translation of
print to speech meaningful by trying to guarantee that the vocabulary items are in the oral language of the reader. Early reading skill is heavily based
on oral language, and a critical strategy for building vocabulary is through discussion that familiarizes students with concepts and words before they
encounter them in print.
The first challenge in using this strategy is in deciding which words need to be pre-taught.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
How to Pre-teach Unfamiliar Vocabulary
Slide notes: Under Supplemental Readings is a one page article on planning to pre-teach vocabulary. The next couple of slides review the process.
However, the one page article contains all of this information and can be downloaded. Before instruction, here are some general guidelines to follow
when selecting words to pre-teach.
• Preview the passage to identify vocabulary you think your students will find unfamiliar, even when using texts that have pre-selected vocabulary.
• Read the passage and ask yourself: “How difficult is this passage to understand?”
• Select words that are related to the main ideas and crucial to understanding of the text.
• List words that you predict will be challenging for your students.
• Select words that are most critical to understanding the text.
• Prioritize these words by their importance.
Remember, focus on three types of words: important words, useful words and difficult words.
Adapted from Planning for Vocabulary Instruction (Effective Instruction for Secondary Struggling Readers: Research-Based Practices, UT
system/TEA, 2002) which was used in the Special Education Institute 2005 professional development.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
How to Pre-teach Unfamiliar Vocabulary
Slide notes: Which words are critical? Consider these questions:
If the word is likely to be in the student’s prior knowledge, it may not require direct teaching. Words like this can be discussed as you activate and
build prior knowledge before reading or expanded after reading. For some struggling readers, artifacts, audio-visual materials, and hands-on
activities can be used to activate background knowledge related to new words.
If the word is defined within the body of the text, it may not need to be pre-taught. However, the students will most likely need some experience in
using context clues in order to be successful in getting at meaning.
Keep in mind: While students may have a basic understanding of many words, to build a more complete understanding of a word may require multiple
exposures through various experiences with the word and an understanding that many vocabulary words have layers of meaning.
Adapted from Planning for Vocabulary Instruction (Effective Instruction for Secondary Struggling Readers: Research-Based Practices, UT
system/TEA, 2002) which was used in the Special Education Institute 2005 professional development.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Semantic Mapping
Slide notes: Word maps are a type of graphic organizer. Semantic mapping, like a geographical map, is a way to visually illustrate relationships
between words.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Slide 7
Slide notes: This is an example of a word map. After identifying the concept to be taught, place the concept or “big idea” in the center circle (on
chalkboard, overhead transparency, or chart paper). Some groups decide how smaller “ideas” (e.g., physical characteristics, population control,
habitat, etc.) are related to or associated with the “big idea” (e.g., white tail deer). Many struggling readers may have difficulty getting to the
categorization level initially. They may begin to list more specific thoughts such as…long ears, white tail, hooves, etc…
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Semantic Impressions: Story Design
Slide notes: Another finding of the National Reading Panel is that repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary items are important. One way for
students to interact with words is through a strategy called Semantic Impressions. In this strategy, students have multiple opportunities to make
sense and meaning of words. Students compose their own stories by using a list of ordered words chosen by the teacher before they read the
published story. In this sense, the strategy serves as a pre-reading activity. However, it can also serve as a reading/writing connection.
Furthermore, if teachers select words from content-specific reading selections, it also serves as a content-reading strategy.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Semantic Impressions: Story Design
Slide notes: Depending on the ability of students, have them work first work through the activity as a whole group or in smaller groups. For students
who may need even more opportunities to interact with words, you may want to do both.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
Semantic Impressions: Story Design
Slide notes: As you write down the students’ contributions to the story, help them with the flow of the narrative so that it is cohesive. When the story
is complete, some students might choose to do the editing of the piece. The finished product can then be used as part of a fluency activity.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
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Slide 11
Slide notes: The four-square map is another graphic organizer used for semantic mapping. The four categories listed in black can vary based on your
purpose and the text you are using. This strategy requires students to relate this word to their environment by listing examples and non-examples of
the word.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
The LINCing Routine
Slide notes: This routine is one of the Content Enhancement Routines from the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. It was
developed by Ed Ellis (1995).
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
The LINCS Table
Slide notes: This example is from the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning (The Vocabulary LINCing Routine).
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Friday, February 12, 2016
What Does Effective Vocabulary Instruction Include?
Slide notes: As a review, here are some key ideas to consider when planning your weekly vocabulary instruction. In this session, you will find a list of
many other vocabulary activities to use in your classroom.
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Research Based Vocabulary Acquisition Activities
Bibliography
Slide notes: Here are the resources used in this presentation.
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Friday, February 12, 2016