Hilary Forkner
EDRD 6529
Paper #1
Teaching Tip:
Word Walk: Vocabulary Instruction for Young Children by Katrin L. Blamey and
Katherine A. Beauchat
When discussing vocabulary instruction I think it is important to verify the type of
intended vocabulary. Academic vocabulary includes content specific words such as
‘addition’ and ‘beginning’. Social and behavioral vocabulary may include words such as
“frustrated” that students encounter on a daily basis. I find that these are words I can
teach my students to replace their overgeneralizations; these words that help them
understand and explain the world around them. For example, words such as ‘frustrated’
give more specific meaning to previously used words such as ‘sad’. I believe that all
types of vocabulary deserve some direct instruction, especially in the primary grades. In
Word Walk: Vocabulary Instruction for Young Children, authors Blamey and Beauchat
provide an excellent method for vocabulary instruction called Word Walk.
Blamey and Beauchat begin by asking the reader to stop and think about how new
words are currently taught in their classroom. It is important to think about this question
under the lens of vocabulary instruction as opposed to phonics or sight words; words in
this sense refer to unfamiliar nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on. In my own classroom, I
have tried to implement some of the strategies outlined in Robert J. Marzano’s Building
Academic Vocabulary text. In the beginning of the school year, our grade level teams
analyzed each of our academic subjects and the vocabulary words that students would
need to know in order to make progress. Through Guided Language Acquisition
Development strategies I create time within content lessons to intentionally address these
vocabulary words. In reading Word Walk, I realized that although I am working on
systematically teaching vocabulary, I have not utilized my read aloud time to its best
extent.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998) states that
“reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for building several
literacy skills, including vocabulary and language” (p.71). This lead me to think about the
intentions I have for my own read aloud each day and the planning that goes into it. I find
that although my read aloud integrates unit themes, seasons, and/or holidays I do not take
advantage of the rich vocabulary inside each book but rather the general content of the
book. Blamey and Beauchat go on to outline how the Word Walk method “calls
children’s attention to specific vocabulary words before, during, and after reading”
(Blamey & Beauchat, 2011, p.72). The Word Walk method is based on the Text Talk
strategy that involves sequenced of direct instruction of vocabulary within storybooks;
this strategy has been adapted to meet the needs of younger children in preschool and
kindergarten.
Figure 1 and Figure 2 outline the teacher and student behaviors, for Day 1 and
Day 2 of the Word Walk method. Each day is sequenced into before reading, during
reading, and after reading actions. I found each of these sections to be realistic and easy
to implement in daily read aloud lessons. Relative to the importance of vocabulary
exposure and instruction I think this is a strategy that would require intentional, but not
laborious, planning.
Day 1 Before Reading
 Teacher introduces specific word written on a card with an accompanying
picture, prop, or acting activity > Teacher says word and asks children to
repeat word > Teacher provides a child-friendly definition > Teacher asks
children to listen for the word in the book
Day 1 During Reading
 Teacher pauses while reading when encounters word in the book and alerts
children to encountered word > Teacher provides a quick child-friendly
definition of the word
Day 1 After Reading
 Teacher reintroduces the word using the picture, prop, or activity > Teacher
asks the children to repeat the word > Teacher provides a child-friendly
definition > Teacher physically goes back into the pages of the book to talk
about how the word was used in the context of the story > Teacher provides
examples of using the word outside of context of the story > Teacher asks
children to say the word they have been learning
The Word Walk method is based on very intentional teaching; I will need to plan
ahead by finding children’s books with “rich vocabulary, vivid illustrations, and an
interesting story line” (Blamey & Beauchat, 2011, p.74). Choosing books based on this
criteria will ensure that I am finding quality vocabulary words and students remain
engaged which will ultimately increase the likelihood of continuing the routine during
read aloud. Although the break down of each day appears lengthy with many arrows and
steps, when the routine is practiced I can see it coming very naturally to both teachers and
students and taking little time. Fisher & Frey (2007), Frey, Lapp, & Fisher (2009), and
Taylor, Pearson, Peterson, and Rodriguez (2003) suggest that “rather than attempt to
script every lesson and demand that teachers use those lessons…focusing on intentional
instruction creates lasting changes, both in terms of teachers’ repertoire and student
achievement” (p.359). Ideally, I could have two books chosen for each week with props
and/or pictures and child-friendly definitions ready at hand.
Again, as there are different types of vocabulary to consider I would have
appreciated more specifics in this Teaching Tip when it came to choosing the books. I
found myself wondering if the intention is to choose a storybook and then identify
vocabulary words within it or rather to identify vocabulary words that the children need
to know and then seek out books that include them. I would imagine that the former
would be less time consuming however I can see the need to do it both ways. I suppose it
would depend on the level of content integration you are working for; you may have a
math content word in mind but choose to teach it in isolation as opposed to within the
context of a storybook. This reminds me of a few years ago when I was teaching about
what the equal sign means during math instruction. Later that day, during read aloud, I
read a story about Martin Luther King Jr. that explained his fight for equal rights. The
story gave many examples of the inequalities of that time and frequently used the word
‘equal’. In the midst of the story one student called out to say “Hey! That’s not equal, like
in math!” This is an example of how academic vocabulary may be incorporated into the
Word Walk method but not necessarily each time.
I really liked that the targeted vocabulary words are worked on again the
following day in the context of a new storybook. This makes for connected, meaningful
lessons within the week with a day at the end to review. The method for Day 2 is very
similar to that of Day 1 “however, on Day 2 of the cycle the teacher asks the children to
play a more active role in discussing the words” (Blamey & Beauchat, 2011, p.74). If I
chose 2 words per book for 2 books each week I could potentially provide direct
instruction for nearly 160 words. In Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience
of Young American Children, Newman & Dwyer (2009) found that “children who scored
highest in reading and math at age 10 were reported to have heard 45 million words from
birth to age 3, or about 30,000 words per day, compared with those children who scored
lowest, at 13 million words” (p.1). When teachers commit to vocabulary instruction they
are truly preparing for their student’s future successes.
Because of its explicit nature, the Word Walk method communicates even to
young children that learning about words is an important part of reading. Teachers of
even the youngest students can share that the purpose of these activities is to learn more
about words, what they mean, and how they connect in our brains. With students coming
from increasingly diverse homes, we cannot assume that children are being spoken to
with rich vocabulary and immersed in frequent conversation, as we would hope. With a
scaffolded approach such as Word Walk, students are given daily opportunities to
construct meaning for new words.
References
Blamey, K. L., & Beauchat, K. A. (2011). Word Walk: Vocabulary Instruction for
Young Children. The Reading Teacher, 65(1), 71-75.
Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (2005). Building academic vocabulary: teacher's
manual. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Neuman, S. B., & Dwyer, J. (2009). Missing in Action: Vocabulary Instruction in
Pre-K. The Reading Teacher, 62(5), 384-392.
Samuels, S. J., & Farstrup, A. E. (2011). What Research Says About Intentional
Instruction. What research has to say about reading instruction (4th ed., pp.359-378).
Newark, Del.: IRA.