TIERED WORDS
I really have to try hard
while climbing this big
mountain!
I really have to be
persistent while
climbing this enormous
mountain!
“That pizza
looks
hideous!”
“Mom, I’ve been thinking
all day of a perfect word
that describes President
Bush…..”
“Mom, I finally learned
the words that
describe
me…pugnacious and
cantankerous!”
GOALS of this SESSION
• Introduce strategies that are being tried out in
different schools
• Review some relevant research related to
vocabulary development
• Identify and interact with Tier 2 vocabulary
words.
• Practice explicit, systematic steps in vocabulary
introduction.
• Encourage risk taking and accept that we will
make mistakes while practicing.
• Explore resources that are already out there for
you to use.
Before We Get Started
Let’s review our packet
Three Tiers of Vocabulary
Steps of explicit, systematic introduction
7-Up
What tier is this word?
What’s the number for?
Megatimer
LeMoyne Elementary
• Early on we realized that with the
extended reading and math blocks we
weren’t doing a thorough job in the content
and writing areas.
• To add to this frustration, many students
could not read grade level text books …
WHAT TO DO?
Once the blame game stopped,
we began to put our heads together
• We started to examine the
prospect of infusing
differentiated content
related literature into our
reading block.
• Content teachers began to
ask questions about
explicit, systematic
instruction – Meg Gregory
will add to what I have
said.
Let’s
at some of
the research related
to vocabulary
development
• Reading comprehension =
Knowledge of Words +
Knowledge of the World
• Sadly,
socioeconomic
status has the
most
significant
factor effect on
a child’s
vocabulary
knowledge.
Children Caught in the Vocabulary Gap!
Differences in exposure to words over
one year
Children in Professional Families -- 11
million
Children in Working-Class Families -- 6
million
Children in families who receive gov’t
assistance -- 3 million
What is the Matthew Effect?
• This is referred to as the Matthew Effect
where the rich get richer and the poor get
poorer.
What can teachers do to solve
this problem?
Teachers must make effective
vocabulary instruction a high priority in
the educational system.
According to research, teachers must
make vocabulary instruction vigorous,
strong, and powerful to be effective.
Components of a Vocabulary
Program
•
•
•
•
•
High-quality Classroom language
Reading Aloud to Students
Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
Word-Learning Strategies
Wide Independent Reading
“We learn words up to 4 times
faster in a familiar context than
an unfamiliar one.”
• Consider “topic immersion” as a good way
to induce fast vocabulary gains for young
children – staying on a subject long
enough for the topic to become familiar
• Treat read alouds and the challenging
conversation they generate as
fundamental to building knowledge.
What makes successful
vocabulary instruction?
A successful approach to vocabulary
instruction involves directly explaining the
meanings of words along with thoughtprovoking, playful and interactive followup.
Bringing
Words to Life
Isabel Beck
M. McKeown
L. Kucan
Guilford Press
“Making Words Stick”
• How do I introduce and teach words so
that they “stick”?
• Use the research-based analytical steps
for teaching vocabulary
“Let’s Practice...”
•
“She’s just too much of a distraction and I’ve been getting calls from the
other parents. They’re afraid those stripes may be contagious.”
Sequenced Vocabulary Instruction
•
First, contextualize the word for its use in the story that you are reading.
– “She’s just too much of a distraction and I’ve been getting calls from the
other parents. They’re afraid those stripes may be contagious.”
•
Next, ask the children to repeat the word so that they can create a phonological
representation of the word.
– “Say contagious with me.” (clap it out)
•
Next, explain the student friendly meaning of the word.
– “Contagious means an illness that can spread to other people.”
•
Provide examples in contexts other than the one used in the story.
– “The surgeon scrubbed his hands to prevent the spread of contagious
germs.”
•
•
Have students interact with the word…
“Could you be contagious if you went to work with strep throat?
•
•
•
•
•
•
– If I say something about which you would be “contagious”, say
“contagious”…
Going on vacation
Pink eye
Riding a bike
Head lice
MRSA
Mowing the lawn
•
Complete this sentence…“I
would be contagious if I …”
Conclude with having students see the word and say the word…
•
What’s our word that means “an illness that can be spread to other people?’
– contagious
Three
Tiers of
Vocabulary
Words
Selection Criteria
for Instructional Vocabulary
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Description
Basic words
that most
children know
before entering
school
Words that
appear
frequently in
texts and for
which students
already have
conceptual
understanding
Uncommon
words that are
typically
associated
with a specific
domain
Examples
clock, baby,
happy
sinister,
fortunate,
adapt
isotope,
peninsula,
bucolic
(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)
How do I determine that a word is
Word
Is this a
generally
useful
word?
Does the
word relate
to other
words and
ideas that
students
know or
have been
learning?
TIER 2?
Is the word
useful in
helping
students
understand
text?
If you
answer yes
to all three
questions,
it is a tier 2
word. If
not, it is
probably a
tier 3 word.
Let’s practice identifying Tier 2
words – coaches and specialists please support
groups
• TASK: On your table, you will find a variety of social studies
and science related literature.
• With an elbow partner, choose a book that is interesting to you.
Identify (4 )Tier 2 words. Use the selection criteria to help guide
you through this process.
• Once you have selected the words, each partner should choose
one word each. Then take turns in going through the systematic
steps in vocabulary instruction. Refer to the yellow
SEQUENCED VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION to write down the
steps. Your elbow partner will listen and then you will switch.
• THIS TAKES PRACTICE and TIME
Let’s Try
Problem
Solution
contagious
distraction
remedies
vanished
altered
perplexed
What are the things that you
noticed?
Let’s EXPLORE!!!!
• Good NEWS! There are many, many
resources available for you to use
• http://www.fcrr.org
• http://www.vocabularya-z.com
• www.edc.org/CCT/PMA
In Closing
Research shows that average students
learn approximately 7 words per day
(Miller, 1978).
At-risk students are learning less than 1-2
words per day or none at all.
But there are too many words in the
English language to teach!
Not all words call for attention (Beck,
2001)
More Research Findings…
• Third grade students with restricted vocabularies
have declining comprehension scores
• The gap continues to widen during the
elementary years.
• By the end of second grade, students in the
highest vocabulary quartile know 4000 more root
words than students in the lowest vocabulary
quartile.
• Intensive students can learn new words at
the same rate as benchmark students
• However, it is not enough to enable them
to catch up to their peers.
By fifth grade, intensive students only
achieve the vocabulary knowledge of the
average second grader.
Reflect…
• Do I provide activities that include more
than repetitive practice?
• Do I vary the ways I teach new words?
• Do I assume that, once taught, a word is
learned?
• Who does the talking about new words?