by Sara Aronin and Heather Haynes-Smith
A
s a group of teachers was eating lunch, the topic
of standardized test scores in science came up—
students at our school had not done as well as we
had hoped. We felt they understood the concepts and
concluded a contributing factor was insufficient knowledge of the scientific vocabulary used on the exam.
Our school has a large number of students with special
needs, as well as students who are learning English as
a second language. After further discussion and planning, we decided to address this issue school-wide,
integrating science vocabulary into our school culture
(see Figure 1 for suggestions for using the strategy described here in a single classroom for a chapter or unit).
Exploring science-vocabulary acquisition
The vocabulary in science texts poses unique, discipline-specific challenges due to a high prevalence of
technical words (Fang 2012). The difficulty in learning these technical words is often a result of the two
types of technical vocabulary: (1) technical vocabulary
unique to the discipline and not part of students’ everyday language (i.e., mitosis) and (2) technical vocabulary with multiple meanings used in everyday language, but with a different and more specific meaning
when used in science texts (i.e., energy). In textbook
reading and in hands-on experiments, technical vocabulary words from both categories are difficult to learn
(Quinn, Lee, and Valdés 2012). Further, Horn (2003)
suggests, “non-White, non-Asian students, as well as
students with special needs and English Language
Learners, are among the groups most deeply affected
by high-stakes testing” (p. 30). Children who are learning English as a second language, as well as those who
have reading disabilities, often decode words (using
knowledge of letter-sound relationships to correctly
pronounce the word) but can’t comprehend the text
because they don’t know the word’s meaning.
Effective vocabulary instructional practices
Vocabulary is acquired both implicitly and explicitly.
Implicit vocabulary learning occurs through exposure
to oral language as well as exposure to new words
through reading (Moats 2004). Beck, McKeown, and
Kucan (2002) explain that most children need at least
10–12 exposures to a word, in a variety of contexts,
before they learn the word. Children who have disabilities in reading or are learning English as a second
language require more exposures for implicit learning
(Quinn, Lee, and Valdés 2012). Explicit acquisition of
vocabulary occurs through direct instruction of new
terms.
One method for teaching vocabulary to students
whose first language is not English or students who
have learning disabilities is through the “mnemonic
keyword method,” in which students associate images of the vocabulary word with the meaning of the
word (Wyra, Lawson, and Hungi 2007). For example,
students using the mnemonic keyword strategy in sci-
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Increasing Science Vocabulary Using PowerPoint Flash Cards
Figure 1
1.
Steps for using the mnemonic
keyword strategy in a single
classroom
Figure 2
Using the mnemonic keyword
strategy to learn the word axis
Figure 3
Science vocabulary planning chart
Before introducing new content, identify
keywords that your students are most likely not
familiar with.
2. Give a pretest to determine if students know the
vocabulary words chosen.
3. Based on the results of the pretest, divide up
the vocabulary list among students in the class
and have them use the mnemonic keyword
strategy (see planning chart, Figure 3) to create
slides for their assigned words.
4. Have students turn in their slides and check
to make sure they have accurately defined
their words, that the picture is suitable for
most learners, and that they’ve used correct
grammar; students who did not achieve mastery
should resubmit their slides.
5. Assemble all of the slides into one slide show
that you then show to the class during passing
periods and downtime and send home with
students to practice.
6. Throughout the chapter or unit, continually do
formative assessment to see if students are
learning and understanding the vocabulary.
When an identified word comes up in class,
make sure to go over the definition.
ence to learn that the word axis means an imaginary
line on which an object rotates (Earth’s axis) would
first come up with a mnemonic that reminds them of
the word—John says he thinks of an ax when he thinks
of the word axis. Next, students incorporate the image
with the definition—Earth with its axis drawn by an ax
(see Figure 2).
The mnemonic keyword method is a successful tool
for teaching vocabulary words (Wyra, Lawson, and
Hungi 2007), as so many science vocabulary words
are unfamiliar and seldom used in students’ daily language (Shanahan 2012). When students are required
to create associations between new terms and words
with known vocabulary and images, they are applying
multiple linguistic levels of the brain, thereby enhancing the number of exposures to the new word. With the
mnemonic keyword method, students mentally create
an image with the word and the meaning of the word.
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Science vocabulary word ____________________
Grade ____
Definition _________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Is this word specific to science? q Yes q No
Does this word have multiple meanings but with a
more specialized meaning in science? q Yes q No Step 1: Type word on slide.
Step 2: Choose an image using the mnemonic
keyword method and insert it here. Apply animation
so the word arrives before the image (this assists in
recalling the definition).
Step 3: Insert another transition to the same slide
and with the appropriate definition.
After the images are constructed, students build an association between the images, activating multiple levels of cognition. Although the individual imaging of the
words is influential, students are able to take a peer’s
imaging and make it their own better than with traditional forms of learning vocabulary.
Implementing PowerPoint flash cards
Based upon the above research on effective instructional strategies, the relationship between vocabulary
and reading comprehension, and the effect of imagery
Increasing Science Vocabulary Using PowerPoint Flash Cards
in supporting vocabulary recall, we developed a schoolwide plan to use student-created digital flash cards created in PowerPoint and incorporating many elements
of the software, including font color, font size, animation, slide transition, and importing/creating images
(any presentation software that is able to do similar
functions will also work). Our team decided that every
vocabulary word from a state-issued vocabulary list
for Florida’s science standardized test would have one
slide with three elements utilizing transitions. First,
the word is presented on the slide. Next, an image that
uses the mnemonic keyword method to associate with
the word and definition is placed on the slide, applying
animation so the word arrives before the image. The
image’s function is to assist in the recall of the definition. Finally, there is another transition to the same
slide and the definition appears. Figure 3 is a planning
document that can be used by students or teachers to
create slides, and Figure 4 shows the three stages of
the PowerPoint slide for the word carnivore (a student
who said the word carnivore reminded her of the carnival chose a picture of a lion with a man’s head in its
mouth to represent both the carnival and that “the lion
eating a man is a carnivore”). Figure 5 is a PowerPoint
slide for the word vibration.
Integrating science vocabulary as a schoolwide, universal support
We divided up the state-issued vocabulary lists for
sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade science words
among seventh- and eighth-grade students. Each student then created approximately three vocabularyword slides using the mnemonic keyword method.
We had students make these slides in a computer lab
while in science class during the first month of class.
The seventh graders did the sixth-grade words as a review, the eighth graders did the seventh-grade words
as a review, and the honors class worked closely with
the teacher to complete the eighth-grade words. Each
student could choose the colors, animation, and picture used for the assigned vocabulary words. Students
were also instructed to think about images that represented the definition not only to themselves, but that
would also assist others in remembering the definition
of the term. In other words, students were explicitly
told not to make the pictures something only the creator would understand. Only minimal accommodations, which were already in place (such as a rollerball mouse and enlarged keyboard), were needed for
students with disabilities to complete the assigned
vocabulary-word slides due to the built-in supports of
PowerPoint.
Figure 4
PowerPoint flash-card slide
for carnivore
Individual students’ PowerPoints were turned in to
the student’s science teacher, who checked them for
accuracy and assigned a grade. Students were responsible for fixing and resubmitting slides that the teacher
identified as having inaccurate information, a picture
that would not be understood by most students, or a
sentence that was not grammatically correct. Students
needed to achieve mastery on the slides in order to receive credit for the assignment, even if that took several sets of revisions.
These student-generated slides were then assembled by the science teachers into several PowerPoints
of 25 to 30 words each with the words in random order
from all three grade-level lists. One of the PowerPoints
was run on the schools’ televisions before morning
announcements and during passing periods, and on a
large screen during lunch. If your school does not have
such systems, they could be run off of individual teachers’ computers in individual classrooms during these
same time frames, since the slide shows are set to run
on automatic with the slides changing after 10 seconds
per slide.
Students were excited to identify the slides that they
had made and look for those of friends. In order for the
words to show up with some frequency, sets of words
(25–30) were chosen to run for a week at a time. For
some students, the words were a review. For other students, these slide shows were the first time they were
exposed to the words.
This system allowed students to have multiple exposures to and reviews of the science vocabulary words.
In the month prior to the state test, we used a different
set of words each day (they had all been shown previously for a week at a time). We found this to be ex-
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Increasing Science Vocabulary Using PowerPoint Flash Cards
Figure 5
PowerPoint flash-card slide
for vibration
Other ideas
Although we did not do it, utilizing interactive whiteboards with the PowerPoint slides could add other
kinesthetic and audio/visual components to learning
the vocabulary. Having the weekly words on a word
wall, whether in individual classrooms or in a prominent place in the school, would also allow for additional
exposure to the words. One final idea is to have the
week’s science vocabulary words in an online flashcard program such as StudyStack, with a link on the
school’s website. n
References
tremely helpful with reviewing terms that were used in
sixth- and seventh-grade science classes in preparation
for the standardized test at the end of eighth grade that
covers the entire middle school science curriculum.
We also found that students in all grades were familiar
with more vocabulary terms prior to instruction as a
result of being introduced to the words on the slides,
even though they had not yet been taught the material.
Individual teachers could use this strategy to review
words from past units or years, with students in the
class working together to create the final PowerPoint
presentation (see Figure 1 for instructions on using the
mnemonic keyword method to teach new vocabulary
in a single classroom).
The PowerPoint presentation was also used as a
game. Our vice principal would go to the cafeteria to ask
vocabulary questions of students in line to buy lunch.
He would pick words from previous weeks’ slides to add
an additional layer of review as well as to check for understanding of the words. Students who answered correctly were allowed to advance to the front of the lunch
line. An unexpected outcome was that students became
very competitive trying to say the definition before the
transition showing it came on the screen, demonstrating
that students were in fact learning from the slides.
The principal supported the initiative during walkthroughs, trying to “catch” teachers (not just science
teachers) and staff using the week’s vocabulary and
would reward them with gift certificates provided by
the PTA. Everyone in the school used the vocabulary,
including the cafeteria workers, who talked about conduction and convection taking place in the kitchen!
36
Beck, I.L., M.G. McKeown, and L. Kucan. 2002. Bringing
words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York:
Guilford.
Fang, Z. 2012. The challenges of reading disciplinary
texts. In Adolescent literacy in the academic disciplines:
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Jetton and C. Shanahan, 34–68. New York: Guilford.
Horn, C. 2003. High-stakes testing and students: Stopping
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Moats, L.C. 2004. Language essentials for teachers of
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Quinn, H., O. Lee, and G. Valdés. 2012. Language
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learners: What teachers need to know. Stanford, CA:
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Shanahan, C. 2012. Learning with text in science. In
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360–71.
Sara Aronin (sara.aronin@mail.wvu.edu) is an
assistant professor in the Department of Special
Education at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Heather Haynes-Smith
is an assistant professor in the Department of
Teacher Education at Texas Woman’s University
in Denton, Texas.