Effective Vocabulary
Instruction for
Dynamic Teachers
in the Age of
the ‘Common Core’
Archdiocese of Milwaukee Schools
October 10, 2013
Winnie R. Huebsch, Ph.D.
Jane Elizabeth Marko, MS
Words of Wisdom
• The more you read, the more
you know
• The more you know, the
smarter you grow
• The smarter you grow, the
stronger your voice
• In speaking your mind, or
making your choice.
Anonymous
Activity 1
Playing with SAT WORDS
The Impact of the Common
Core State Standards…
• The Common Core State Standards place a
great deal of emphasis on academic
vocabulary.
• The CCSS also calls for increasing the
amount of nonfiction and informational text
in classrooms.
• Vocabulary knowledge influences fluency,
comprehension, and student achievement.
Why Focus on Vocabulary?
• Understanding key content area
vocabulary is essential to gaining
a full understanding of the text.
• You do not need to understand
every word to understand
the ‘gist’ of a passage.
Why Focus on Vocabulary?
Vocabulary plays an important role in
understanding nonfiction and
informational text. It has been
estimated that 80% of
comprehension in nonfiction is
dependent upon understanding
the vocabulary.
Research on Vocabulary
• Teaching vocabulary improves both
verbal IQ and reading comprehension.
• Children who are behind by 1st grade
have a hard time making up the gap.
Moat, 2004.
Vocabulary Development
Over Time
• 2500-5000 words known by ages 5/6
• 3000 words per year learned during
early school years
• About 8 new words learned daily
• Over 88,500 distinct word families in
printed English material (Grades 3-9)
• Vocabulary learning drops significantly
after formal education
How We Know/Understand
Words:
By reading a lot…
–At the right level of difficulty
–In sufficient amounts
–With sufficient motivation to
pursue understanding
How We Know/Understand
Words:
• Through exposure to multiple
examples in context, spoken or written
• Through explicit instruction:
– Analyzing word relationships
– Exploring word relationships
– Dictionary use (if necessary)
How We Learn/Understand
Words:
By becoming conscious of words…
•What words have you learned today?
– In what context?
– Through what means?
– What motivated you?
Four Kinds of Vocabulary
• Listening: The words we need to know
to understand what we hear
• Speaking: The words we use when we
speak
• Reading: The words we need to know
when we read
• Writing: The words we use in writing
All are interconnected
“Talk may be cheap but
it’s priceless for
developing young
minds.”
•Newman and Dwyer, 2009
Language Experiences by Group –
ages 12-48 months
(Hart and Risley, 1995)
Estimated Cumulative Words Addressed
to Child (In Millions)
Professional:
45 Million Words
Working Class:
28 Million Words
Welfare:
13 Million Words
12
24
36
Age in Months
48
Reading and Words Learned
If children read 1 million words in a
year, at least 1,000 words will be
added to their vocabulary.
(Krashen, 1993)
% Rank
98th
90th
70th
50th
30th
10th
2nd
Min/Day
67.3
33.4
16.9
9.2
4.3
1.0
0
Words/year
4,733,000
2,357,000
1,168,000
601,000
251,000
51,000
--------
Books, Magazines, newspapers
Reading Quarterly, 1983. “Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of
School”
What Words to Teach?
• In selecting vocabulary words that you
wish to teach, keep in mind this
question…
Ten years from now,
what do I want
my students to remember?
Project CRISS, p. 141
How to Teach Vocabulary
• Research shows students will
incorporate more words into their
vocabulary and use them correctly,
including spelling, when the focus is
on fewer words at one time for
intensive instruction
• Grades 2-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12
5-8 words per week
10-15 words per week
12-25 words per week
Brewer, C and Gann, J. (2003). Balanced literacy: a learning focused approach.
Boone NC: Learning Concepts..
What the Common Core
suggests…
Vocabulary should
be taught thoughtfully
in all content areas
and through
‘tiered instruction.’
Tier 1 Vocabulary: Common,
Known Words
• Tier I words are basic, everyday words that
are a part of most children’s vocabulary. These
are words used every day in conversation, and
most of them are learned by hearing family,
peers, and teachers use them when speaking.
• These words are especially important for
English language learners who may not be
familiar with them.
Tier 2 Vocabulary: High
Frequency Words
• Tier 2 words include frequently
occurring words that appear in
various contexts and topics and
play an important role in verbal
functioning across a variety of
content areas.
Tier 2 Vocabulary: High
Frequency Words
• These are general academic words
and have high utility across a wide
range of topics and contexts.
• Another way to think of Tier 2
vocabulary is as cross-curricular
terms. For example, the term “justify”
and “predict” frequently appear in
Science, Social Studies, and English
texts.
Tier 3 Vocabulary:
Low-Frequency,
Domain-Specific Words
• Tier 3 words are’ field of study’
specific vocabulary. Words in this
category are low frequency,
specialized words that appear in
specific fields or content areas.
• Most students will be unfamiliar with
Tier 3 words. Teach these words as the
need arises for comprehension in
specific content areas.
Activity
‘Jigsaw’
P. 41
“No Tears for Tiers: Common Core Tiered
Vocabulary Made Simple”
Activity
“Why They Walked”
Mark Tier 2 and Tier 3 words as you read
the short excerpt. Talk about your choices
at your tables.
Common Core Suggested Tier 2
and Tier 3 Words for ‘Why They
Walked’- p.34
• Tier 2
• Tier 3
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Determined
Second class
Worship
Obstacle
Literacy
Rigged
Disqualify
Harassment
Grievances
Racial Segregation
Jim Crow
White Supremacy
Discriminated
Segregated
Poll Tax
Registering
"The greatest benefit from
instructional time spent on
word study can be gained
from exploring roots, prefixes,
suffixes, and networks
of related words."
Henry,1997
English borrows freely…
• The English language borrows freely
from the following languages for up to
60% of its words…
– Anglo Saxon
– Latin
– Greek
Anglo Saxon influences:
• Anglo Saxon’s influence is mostly seen
in the use pf short, common, everyday,
and ‘down-to-earth’ words used in
ordinary situations and found in early
school readers
• Many Anglo Saxon words have
‘nonphonetic’ spellings.
– Examples: bird, cry, girl, jump, mother, fun,
the, of, jump, run, wash
• Often considered Tier 1 words
Links to Old English
‘Anglo Saxon’
HEOFON
EORTHE, LYFT, FYR, WÆTER
REGN, WIND, SNAW, IS
FINGER, HEORTE
SCEAP, LAMB, HORS, FISC
LENCTEN, SUMOR, HÆRFEST, WINTER
NORTH, EAST, WEST, SUTH
Latin structures:
• Latin’s influence is seen in the use of
technical, sophisticated words used in
formal context, such as in literature and
in many textbooks.
• Examples: audience, extracted,
tenacious, preventive, retract
• Often considered Tier 2 or Tier 3
words
Latin Structure is strict…
• Latin words follow a strict structure
• Prefixes, if used, must be placed before the
root and suffixes must follow the root
• Latin roots (spect, vis, ject, rupt) are unlikely to
stand alone as an English word
• The Latin root usually receives the accent or
stress
e ject’
port’ ability
In script’ ion
Greek Forms which influence
English
• Greek forms are often found in
specialized words used mostly in science
• Combining forms are compounded
• Examples: atmosphere, chromosome,
photograph, thermometer
• Often considered Tier 3 words
Activity
‘Word Sort’
With Greek and Latin structures
Page 27
Making Words from Latin and Greek derivatives
So, how does this relate?
• Understanding the influences of Anglo
Saxon, Latin and Greek can help us to
understand complicated and new
vocabulary today.
• The Common Core indicates that the
teaching of Latin and Greek roots and
stems is essential for deeper meaning
and independent word study.
Let’s think……
• Dendrochronology
• dendro - branching, like a tree
chronos - time
ology -study of
• Used first – 1928
•
The scientist found that through the study of
dendrochronology he was able to determine
the age of a 100 foot Giant Redwood in
Washington State.
Dendrochronology
• The science of dating events and
variation in the environment in former
periods by the comparative study of
growth rings in trees and aged wood
Activity
‘Word Family Tree’
p. 25
www.etymonline.com
Vocabulary Instruction Should be
Fun…
Playing with words increases
understanding
Building Academic
Vocabulary
• Robert Marzano developed a sequence
of procedures designed to develop
academic vocabulary. He describes six
steps to vocabulary instruction of Tier
2 or Tier 3 words.
Six-Step Process for
Teaching Vocabulary
• Step 1: Provide a description,
explanation, or example of the new term
first.
– Provide a general starting place for students:
• Ask students to do some initial investigation
into the term - brainstorm
• Tell a story that integrates the term
• Describe your own mental pictures of the term
• Use current events to help make the term
applicable to something familiar to students
(Marzano and Pickering, 2005)
Six-Step Process for
Teaching Vocabulary
• Step 2: Ask students to restate the
description, explanation, or example in their
own words, either orally or in writing
– Allow them to work with a partner or in small groups
to discuss terms
– Monitor students closely to clear up any major
confusions or errors as they work.
– Students should have a number of opportunities to
discuss the terms
(Marzano and Pickering, 2005)
Six-Step Process for
Teaching Vocabulary
• Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture,
symbol, or graphic representing the term
– Particularly important to ELL learners
• Graphic organizers
• Word Wizard Strategy – p. 31, example
• Pictographs
• Pictionary
• Symbols
• Use of ‘nonlinguistic representations’
(Marzano and Pickering, 2005)
Example of “Nonlinguistic
Representation”
• Students can draw a symbol for the
word.
• Example: law enforcement
• Some words can be dramatized using
cartoon bubbles to reveal the word’s
meaning
• You can also draw examples of the term.
Example: vaccination
Six-Step Process for
Teaching Vocabulary
• Step 4: Engage students periodically
in activities that help them add to their
knowledge of the terms in their
notebooks
Analogy Example:
• Bar graph is to pie chart as ________is to
_______.
Activity - Concept Mapping:
Concept mapping is the use of word maps
and charts that help students expand word
meanings and discover relationships.
They also help students develop elaborate
definitions of words rather than simple one or
two word definition, and help kids learn words
independently.
‘Definition Map’ - Concept Mapping
What is it?
Word
Examples:
What is it like?
What is it?
What is it like?
Dessert made of ice and juice
sweet
Word
frozen
SHERBET
fruity
Examples:
Rainbow
Lemon
Raspberry
Activity - Semantic Feature
Analysis:
• Links key vocabulary to major ideas
contained in a content selection
• Helps in selecting only those words that
are essential to developing the major
concepts in a selection
• Develops an understanding of
relationships among the words and key
concepts
Semantic Feature Analysis
Animal
Fur/hair
Wings
Feelers
Legs
Warmblooded
snake
lion
+
bluejay
+
butterfly
+
lizard
elephant
Scales
Eyes
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Coldblooded
+
+
+
+
+
+
Six-Step Process for
Teaching Vocabulary
• Step 5: Periodically ask students to
discuss the terms with one another
– Pair students together
– Particularly good for ELL students
(Marzano and Pickering, 2005)
Words to Teach Briefly
(Introductory)
• Specialty words that are not likely to
be encountered again soon because
they are unique to the setting or
theme of that text.
Words to ‘Explicitly’ Teach
(Intensive)
• Words critical to the understanding of
the text/selection
• Words with general utility likely to be
encountered many times
• Difficult words that need interpretation
(metaphors, abstractions, nuanced)
Six-Step Process for
Teaching Vocabulary
Step 6: Involve students periodically
in games that allow them to play with
the terms
– Vocabulary Charades
– Pictionary
– Jeopardy
(Marzano and Pickering, 2005)
Expository Pyramid
Topic/ Concept
Two important vocabulary words
Three words state one of the key ideas
Four words that support or give examples of the key ideas
Five words stating and important fact about the topic
Six words stating another important fact about the topic
Seven words stating another important fact about the topic
Eight words stating something else you want to learn about
the topic
“Effective vocabulary
instruction does not rely on
definitions.”
Marzano, R. (2004). p. 70
What About Dictionaries???
• Most vocabulary instruction involves the
use of dictionaries
• Typical uses of the dictionary include:
– Looking up a word
– Selecting the appropriate definition among
several
– Discussing the word and its definition
However…
Why Dictionaries are
NOT the Answer
• Reading a definition does not tell us
how a word is actually used
• We need examples in context to infer
the meaning of a word
• Dictionary examples are often
shortened or incomplete
• Being able to define a word is an end
result of knowing the word very well!
Video on Common Core
http://www.schooltu
be.com/video/f557
9f0c03224cc487b7
/
Contact Information
Winnie R. Huebsch, Ph.D.
wrhuebsch@yahoo.com
414-963-0911
Jane Elizabeth Marko, MS
jane@markoandassociates.com
414-688-5263
References
Brewer, C and Gann, J. (2003). Balanced literacy: a learning focused approach.
Boone NC: Learning Concepts.
Cunningham, A. E., & Stanovich, K. E. (1998). What reading does for the mind.
American Educator, 22(1-2), 8-15
Ebbers. S. (2005). Language links to Latin, Greek, and Anglo-Saxon. PowerPoint
Presentation at the International Reading Association Conference, San Antonio,
TX. Susan@readingway.com
Harris, T.et al (1995). The literacy dictionary; The vocabulary of reading and writing.
International Reading Association.Newark, DE.
Marko, J.E. and MEDO, M. (2013). Classroom strategies for dynamic teachers.
Stone Cottage Publishing.
Marzano, R. and Pickering, D. (2005). Building academic vocabulary.. Alexandria
VA; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development..
Marzano, R. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement:
Research on what works in schools. Alexandria, VA : Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Santa, C., Havens, L., Maycumber, E. (1996). Project CRISS: Creating
independence through student-owned strategies. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt
References
State of Delaware. (2004). SSSR Success for secondary struggling
readers - vocabulary. DeleSIG State Improvement Grant, DE
State of Delaware. (2004).Secondary vocabulary Instruction: from
word list to word study. DeleSIG State Improvement Grant, DE
http://www.learningunlimitedllc.com/2013/05/tiered-vocabulary/
http://www.corestandards.org/
http://www.fcrr.org/curriculum/pdf/GK-1/V_Final.pdf
Using ‘Word Walls’:
(What are they?)
•
•
•
•
Word walls are:
Large pieces of paper or bulletin boards on
which the most important vocabulary are
written.
Can be organized for concept, ideas, themes
Should focus on increasing vocabulary,
although they may also help with spelling and
word usage.
Word walls should be interactive. Students
should be taught how to use the word wall in
their learning.
Guidelines for Word Walls
• Prior to displaying a word on a word wall,
engage students in a learning
conversation, inviting them to discuss the
features of the words.
• Write words in large clear print.
• Create a visually cohesive wall, so that
all words are organized.
K-2: The Importance of
“Read Alouds”
• Provide a powerful context for word learning
(Biemiller & Boote, 2006; Bravo, Hiebert, &
Pearson, 2007)
• Even brief explanations of one or two
sentences, when presented in the context of
a supportive text, can be sufficient for children
to make initial connections between novel
words and their meanings (Biemiller & Boote,
2006).
Vocabulary Instruction
in the early grades (K-2)
• Treat read-alouds and the challenging
conversations they generate
fundamental to building vocabulary
• 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
Vocabulary Instruction
in the early grades (K-2)
Teachers should use an instructional
routine for teaching each vocabulary term
including these steps:
a) Introduce the word b) Present a studentfriendly explanation c) Illustrate the word with
examples d) Check students’
understanding e) Review the words
Vocabulary Instruction
in the early grades (K-2)
• Augment the vocabulary instruction by:
– Adding the use of gestures and
movement.
– Checking understanding using examples
and non-examples.
– Conveying the usefulness in learning the
new words.
– Adding humor.
Vocabulary Instruction
in the early grades (K-2)
• During the lesson, actively involve the
students by having them:
– Say answers as a whole group.
– Share ideas with their partners.
– Share ideas with their partners and then
with the class.
– Respond with movement and facial
gestures.
Vocabulary Instruction
in the early grades (K-2)
• Provide students with skills/opportunities
to learn words independently
• Teach students the meanings of specific
words
• Nurture a love and appreciation of words
and their use
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Look Inside—Look Outside
Look inside the word for known word parts:
prefixes, roots or combining forms, suffixes.
Use the analogy strategy—
“I don’t know this word, but I know pneumonia
and I know volcano, so by analogy, this word might
have something to do with lungs and heat.”
Definition…
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconios
• Noun Fr. Pneum- + Gk konis (dust)
• First recorded in English in 1881
• A microscopic disease of the lungs
caused by the habitual inhalation of hot
irritants (as in mineral or metallic
particles): compare Black Lung, Silicosis