Learning Words Inside & Out
Make It Personal:
Consolidating Word Learning
Through Individual Activities
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2009). Learning Words Inside & Out: Vocabulary
Instruction That Boosts Achievement in All Subject Areas.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Today’s Purpose
Personalize
Inst ruction:
Independent
and
individual
learning
Students
schoolwide
consolidate
their
understan ding
through
activities that
promote spiral
review an d
metacognition.
Grade levels
are
collaborating
to build
profession al
knowledg e
with
colleagues.
Some grade
levels hav e
develope d a
plan for how
students
increase
vocabulary
metacognition
and spiral
review .
Indivi dual
teachers are
becoming
skilled at
personalizin g
instruction,
although
there is no
mechanism
for shar ing
practice.
Indep endent
work
emphasizes
isolated skills
and
memorization.
Today we will discuss ways that independent learning
of vocabulary can promote spiral review and metacognition.
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
“I do it”
Focus Lesson
Guided
Instruction
“We do it”
Collaborative
“You do it
together”
Independent
“You do it
alone”
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
A Model for Success for All Students
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Better Learning Through Structured Teaching: A Framework for the Gradual
Release of Responsibility. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Challenges to
Independent Work
• Too much independent work at the expense
of instruction
• In a national study of 5th grade classrooms,
38% of class time was spent doing
“independent” seatwork (Pianta et al., 2007)
• Introduced too early in the instructional cycle
• Should follow modeling, guided practice, and
collaborative work with peers (Fisher & Frey,
2008)
Table Discussion
• How do you know when your students
are ready for independent learning?
• How do you know when they’re not?
Characteristics of
Independent Learners
• Independent learners are self-motivators. These
students can establish goals and monitor their progress
toward them, they are willing to take risks, and they
welcome challenge.
• Independent learners are self-managers. They try to
solve their own problems, manage their time, and think
creatively.
• Independent learners are self-appraisers. They
accurately assess what they know and don’t know, they
notice their own learning, and they act upon their
learning by applying strategies they know to be useful for
learning.
Murdoch, K., & Wilson, J. (2006). Student Independent Learning. Education Quarterly (Australia).
Independent Learning of
Vocabulary
• Integration of schema with a focus on
sets of relationships
• Repetition through repeated
opportunities to encounter words in
speech, reading, and writing
• Meaningful use of the words in
authentic events (Nagy, 1988)
Consolidating Word
Learning
• Manipulating words (sorts, word cards,
student-constructed mnemonics)
• Composing (generative sentences,
writing frames)
Madison’s Open Sort of
Sky-related Terms
Moon
Sun
Clouds
Words I Don’t
Know
Tides
Crescent
Waxing
Waning
Full
Eclipse
Luna
Corona
Sunspots
Flares
Star
Core
Cirrus
Cumulus
Stratus
Nimbus
Altostratus
Mammatus
Perumbra
Yellow dwarf
Generative Sentences
The teacher states a condition for a
sentence, and students compose. For
example:
1. camouflage in the first position of a sentence of any
length
2. disguise(s) in the fourth position of a sentence more
than 6 words
3. habitat in the last position of a sentence fewer than 10
words
4. features in the third position of a sentence of any
length
5. an if … then sentence about animal adaptation
Writing Frames
Students integrate academic language with vocabulary
knowledge:
Although I already knew that ______, I have learned
some new facts about _____. For example, I learned
that _____. I also learned that _____. Another fact I
learned was ____. However the most interesting
thing I learned was _____.
Alphabet
Vocabulary
Chart
A–B
Bald Eagle
Bell
C–D
E–F
Flag
G–H
I–J
K–L
M–N
Mount
Rushmore
O–P
Q–R
S–T
Towers that
fell down
U–V–W
X–Y–Z
A–B
Bald Eagle
Bell
“America the Beautiful”
C–D
Dollar
Capitol building
Declaration of
Independence
E–F
Flag
G–H
I–J
Jefferson Monument
K–L
Lincoln Memorial
Liberty Bell
M–N
Mount Rushmore
National Anthem
O–P
Pledge of Allegiance
Q–R
S–T
Towers that fell down
U–V–W
White House
Washington
Monument
World Trade Center
X–Y–Z
Next Steps
• What are we currently doing that works
well?
• What are the areas in need of
improvement?
• How should we collaborate with one
another within and across grade levels?