Building
Vocabulary
Cindy Gwinn
Staff Development
Fun With Words!
The man who recently fell into
an upholstery machine is now
fully recovered.
Dictionary Definition for
“Vocabulary”
1.
2.
3.
A list or collection of words or of words and
phrases usually alphabetically arranged and
explained or defined
a. A sum or stock of words employed by a
language, group, individual, or work or in a field
of knowledge b. A list or collection of terms or
codes available for use (as in an indexing
system)
A supply of expressive techniques or devices (as
of an art form)
http://meriam-webster.com
Are Dictionary Definitions
Always Effective?
 Using
a Dictionary is Not
Enough:

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Reading a definition does not tell us
how a word is actually used
We need examples in context
Dictionary definitions can be
incomplete
Being able to define a word is an end
result of knowing the word very well
Reinforce Definitions With:
 Gestures
 Pictures
 Objects
 Examples
and non-examples
What is vocabulary
instruction?



Process that continues throughout life
Includes the development of receptive (listening
and reading) and expressive (speaking and
writing) vocabularies
Includes both direct and indirect methods of
instruction
Research-based components
of effective instruction:




High-quality oral language experiences
that develop word consciousness, the
knowledge of and interest in words
Explicit instruction of specific words
Modeling and instruction in independent
word-learning strategies (ex: CPR & OPIN)
Time and support for wide reading
Texas Reading Initiative (TRI), 2000
Fun With Words!
What did the triangle say to
the circle?
You’re so pointless!
Why build vocabulary?



The meanings of individual words contribute to
the meanings of sentences and therefore to
understanding.
After the age of five, oral conversation is a much
less effective way of developing vocabulary
knowledge.
As students increase their reading skills, text
becomes the vehicle for learning many new
words that are not part of their oral vocabulary.
How do our students feel about
vocabulary?


What is the author saying?
Discuss with your neighbor:
“Paula put down her pirn, wrapped herself in a
paduasoy, and entered puerperium.”



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Story about birthing
Pirn – tool for weaving
Paduasoy – Japanese style silken robe
Puerperium – the time of beginning labor to
birth
•We have no access to meaning because we
didn’t get the vocabulary!
Five Components of
Reading
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Fluency
Framework for Reading
MOTIVATION
Academic
Language
(Re)organizing Text
Comprehension Monitoring
Comprehension
Strategies
Syntax & Text Structure
Vocabulary
Automaticity
Fluency
Sight Words
Phonics
Phonemic Awareness
Concepts of Print
Word
Recognition
Strategies
COMPREHENSION
Background Knowledge
DECODING
• John Shefelbine/Developmental Studies Center [See p. 20 of the CA Reading/ELA Framework]
Fun With Words!
He didn't tell his mother that
he had eaten the glue.
His lips were sealed.
Research about Vocabulary


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Kindergarten students’ vocabulary size is a
predictor of comprehension in middle school.
(Scarborough, 1998)
A single book reading improved significantly
children’s expressive vocabulary. (Senechal and
Cornell, 1993)
Vocabulary instruction has a strong connection to
comprehension. (McKeown, Beck, Omanson and
Perfetti, 1983)
Children with weaker vocabularies are less likely to
learn new words from incidental exposure than
children with larger vocabularies. (Nicholson &
Whyte, 1992; Penno et al., 2002; Robbins & Ehri,
1994)
Something to Think About
Words Heard in an Hour
Poverty: 615 words
 Middle Class: 1,251 words
 Professional: 2,153 words

Hart and Risley, 2003
How Do Children Learn
Vocabulary?
NRP (National Reading Panel)
Recommendations:
 Teach directly and indirectly
 Repetitions
 Rich Context
 Incidental Learning
 Computer Technology


http://www.vocabulary.co.il/
Use multiple vocabulary instruction
methods
Model for Choosing
Vocabulary From Text
“3-Tier Model”
Tier 3
Tier 2
Tier 1
Low-frequency words;
Technical words
Developed by Isabel Beck
Words to Teach
high frequency, high utility
Known, common words
Words to Teach Directly



Words critical to understanding the
text
Words that are likely to be encountered
many times
Difficult words that need interpretation

metaphorical, abstract, nuanced
Beck & McKeown, 2002
Fun With Words!
I couldn't quite remember
how to throw a boomerang,
but I knew eventually it
would come back to me.
How to Select Vocabulary
Words
Pick 3-5 words for direct teaching
 Select words that are:
 unfamiliar to the students
 big ideas of the author
 words used to summarize the text
 words that “travel well” (Tier Two
words)

Direct Teaching VocabularyWhat Does It Look Like?
Refer to your folder for a
detailed lesson example:
 “Example of a Vocabulary
Direct Teach”
 “Explicit Instruction of
Specific Words”
Practicing Vocabulary
Synonym Race
 You have 30 seconds.
 Think of as many alternative words
as you can for…
look
Practicing Vocabulary
“Articulate”
 Take a noun card.
 Describe it to your partner without
naming it. Use descriptive language
to help your partner visualize.
 Can your partner guess your word?
Repeated Read-Aloud

Use literature to maximize children’s vocabulary
growth.

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Pre-reading discussion focused on key vocabulary and
concepts that may be unfamiliar
During first reading allow children to follow the story
thread without frequent interruptions.
During repeated reading sessions, stop to discuss
vocabulary and concepts
 Read each story at least 3 times
Provide repeated exposures to new words in the
classroom in different contexts
Fun With Words!
Two hats were hanging
on a hat rack in the
hallway. One hat said to
the other, 'You stay
here, I'll go on a head.'
Practicing Vocabulary
Refer to your folder for more
vocabulary practice ideas:
 Vocabulary “War” Card Game
 Vocabulary Circles
 Vocabulary Swat Game
 Vocabulary “I Have – Who Has?”
Summing Up
Building Vocabulary


Vocabulary is important because
• readers use their oral vocabulary to make sense
of the words they see in print.
• readers must know what most of the words mean
before they can understand what they are
reading.
Vocabulary can be developed
• indirectly, when students engage daily in oral
language, listen to adults read to them, and read
extensively on their own.
• directly, when students are explicitly taught both
individual words and word-learning strategies.
Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, 2001
Bibliography
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Beck, Isabel. & McKeown, Margaret G. (2002). Bringing words to
life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: Guilford Press.
Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (2003, Spring). The early catastrophe: The
30 million word gap by age 3. Ameridcan Educator, 27 (1), 4-9.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. (2002). Vocabulary. Retreived
April 25, 2010 from http://www.merriam-webster.com
Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching
Children to Read, 2001
Shefelbine, John. Developmental Studies Center. CA
Reading/ELA Framework.
Texas Reading Initiative. (2000). Promoting vocabulary development:
Components of effective vocabulary instruction. Austin, TX:
Texas Education Agency.
www.kidsjokes.co.uk