Discovering Meanings of Unfamiliar Words
Althea W. Peak
2 nd Grade
SWP Summer 2013
“Turn and Talk”
 Children don’t have full vocabularies that they need, so
word study and strategies are imperative
 Cover up unfamiliar words and let kids use photos and
illustrations to figure out the meaning
 Even in content studies, vocabulary can be taught
through visuals and through experiences (ie. Science)
I found that during and after reading texts many of my
students did not understand what they read. Many of
the students in my school do not have the background
knowledge they need to be equipped for the
understanding of vocabulary they will encounter in
books they read independently for pleasure or for
information. When giving assessments like the
Dominie, I found that the most commonly missed
questions were questions that asked students about
word meaning within the context. So, I asked the
question, “How do I strengthen how I teach students
the meanings of unfamiliar words?”
The CCSS require the teaching of phonological
awareness, phonics, fluency, and other foundational
literacy skills in Grades K–5. This makes sense since
research has demonstrated the value of explicitly and
systematically teaching these skills. In order to meet the
requirements of the Standards, teachers will need to
continue to provide high quality explicit and systematic
instruction in these foundational skills if students are to
succeed in learning to read.
www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RF/2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of
unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based
on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an
array of strategies
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4e Use glossaries and beginning
dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify
the meaning of words and phrases.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5b Distinguish shades of meaning
among closely related verbs (e.g.,toss, throw, hurl) and
closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny,
scrawny).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.6 Use words and phrases acquired
through conversations, reading and being read to, and
responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs
to describe (e.g.,When other kids are happy that makes me
happy).
.
The lungs’ main air pipes, the bronchi, branch many
times until they form hair-thin tubes, terminal
bronchioles. Those end in grape-like bunches of air
bubbles, called alveoli.
Nonfiction Craft Lessons: Teaching Information Writing K-8
by Joann Portalupi and Ralph Fletcher
 Re-read
 Use schema: look for familiar terms or words
 Pay attention to the words
 Take time
 Think
 Look for punctuation helpers
 Use context clues
 Pay close attention to the pictures
 Research has concluded that systematic vocabulary instruction is
one of the most important instructional interventions that
teachers can use, particularly with low-achieving students.
 Students who received direct instruction of vocabulary words
critical to learning new content had an increase of 33 percentile
points in summative assessments. Direct instruction enhances
achievement.
 Students that were taught vocabulary through direct instruction
also had a 12% increase in comprehension of new material. Their
ability to comprehend new vocabulary increased as a result of
direct instruction.
Classroom Instruction that Works
By Robert Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock
Vocabulary instruction is the strongest action a teacher
can take to ensure that students have the background
knowledge they need to understand the content they
will encounter in school.
(Marzano, Pickering, 2005)
"Direct instruction on words that are
critical to new content produces the
most powerful learning."
—Robert Marzano
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OetbzrP2QUU
 Mini- lesson: Choose a Read Aloud that has rich
vocabulary. Read aloud the first few pages by using
the think aloud method. Think aloud about the
meanings of words from the page(s). When talking
out loud ask questions, refer to your background
knowledge(schema), re-read, look at the picture and
talk about it.
 Model other words
 Ask students to think about what they heard you do
 Chart what they noticed
 Then tell students it’s their turn to listen carefully
 Raise their hand when they don’t understand a word
 Record their unfamiliar word(s) on a chart “What can
you do to help yourself figure out the meaning of an
unfamiliar word?”
 Next have students to work with partners using other
texts to find unfamiliar words and record their
findings on the chart
 Come back together and share findings
Unfamiliar Word
What I think it means?
What helped me?
collected
To have a lot of
something, same thing
but different colors or
sizes
Pictures, schema
 Mini-lesson- identify important vocabulary from content area/unit.




Show students the word(s) that they are expected to understand in
order to master the lessons objective.
Review vocabulary words or concept list with the class before students
read the selection.
Students may work in groups on the vocabulary words.
Have students read the assigned text selection and carefully define the
key concepts after talking about the vocabulary . Have each group of
students complete the four-square chart for each concept word.
Have the groups to share what they learned when they come back
together.
 Content-Word Boards
 Writing
 Open word discussions
 Use concrete objects
Created by Daisy Bokus and Her Third Graders
One Child at a Time by Pat Johnson
What to do when you can read a word but you don’t know
what it means:
1. Cover it up.
2. Read all around the word.
3. Think about a word that would make sense in its place.
4. Read the sentence again using the new word instead.
5. That’s probably what the hard word means.
6. It works most of the time, but not all the time.
 Turn and talk
 Promotes critical thinking
 Discuss meaning of unfamiliar words
 Opportunities to clear up misconceptions
 Familiarizes students with unknown vocabulary
 Gives visual representation
 Imagery
 Builds connections to new concepts
 Deeper understanding
 Fountas, Irene and Pinnel, Gay Su. Guided Reading. Heinemann,
Portsmouth,NH. 1996.
 Johnson, Pat. One Child at a Time. Stenhouse Publishers, Porland, Maine.
2006.
 Marzano, Robert, Pickering and Pollock. Classroom Instruction that Works.
2001.
 Miller, Debbie. Reading with Meaning. Stenhouse Publishers. Portland, Maine.
2002.
 Parker, Steve. “Brain Surgery for Beginners and Other Major Operations for
Minors.” Brookfield ,CT:Millbrook Press. 1995.
 Portalupi, Joann and Fletcher, Ralph. Nonfiction Craft Lessons-Teaching
Information Writing K-8. Stenhouse Publishers. 2001.
 www.worksheetworks.com /Frayer model.
 Zimmerman, Susan and Hutchins Chryse. 7 Keys to Comprehension. Three
Rivers Press, NY,NY. 2003