The Last Word
1. Read the material silently.
2. Choose one statement or point that you have an opinion about.
3. When everyone in your group has finished reading and selecting
their point, you will take turns discussing your points-one at a time.
4. The first person will simply read their highlighted part aloud.
5. The other group members will one by one state their opinion about
the section read aloud. The person who started will have “the last
word” or last turn to share their opinion.
6. Then another person will read their highlighted part and you will
repeat the process until all people in the group have had “the last
word.”
ghoti
Look for ways to embed
vocabulary instruction into
different aspects of our daily
work.
The words that make up 95%
of all text are words that most
kids already know.
Concentrate on the other 5%
which are the conceptual meaning
makers, which are the words that
carry the most meaning for a
particular text.
What background knowledge
do students need to
understand this text?
Typically students are taught
three basic strategies to use
when they encounter unknown
words:
•
•
•
•
Skip(or substitute) and move on
Sound it out
Use context.
While these strategies are useful, students must
know when and how to employ each if they are
to be used effectively.
Me
men
Common types of syllables:
• Closed: A syllable ending in one or more consonants and
having a short-vowel sound spelled with one vowel letter.
• Open: A syllable ending with a long vowel sound spelled with
one vowel letter.
• Vowel Combination: A syllable with a short vowel, long vowel
or dipthong sound spelled with a vowel combination, such as ai,
ea, ee, oi, or oo.
• R-controlled: A syllable containing a letter combination made
up of a vowel followed by the letter r, such as ar, er, ir, or, and ur.
The vowel –r combination one welded sound that cannot be
segmented.
• Vowel-Consonant e: A syllable with a long-vowel sound
spelled with one vowel letter followed by one consonant and a
silent e.
• Consonant-le: A final, separate syllable containing a consonant
followed by the letters le.
Steps for Syllable Division: vcv
• Identify and Label the Vowels
• Identify and Label Any Consonants Between the
Vowels
• Look at the Pattern and Divide the Word
• Identify the First Syllable’s Type
• Blend Each Syllable and Then Read the Whole
Word.
• If you don’t recognize the word, divide it in a
different way.
Understanding morphemic
structure unlocks the
language’s code and gives
individuals access to
innumerable words.
65% of words are constructed
from Latin and Greek bases.
Latin
Greek
Specialized
words used
mostly in
science and
technology.
Astronaut,
geology,
automatic,
barometer,
phonograph,
telephone.
Longer, more
sophisticated
words used in
formal
contexts,
such as
content-area
texts and
literature.
Audible,
dictate,
pedal,
transport,
inspect,
construct.
Anglo-Saxon
Short,
everyday
words used
frequently in
ordinary
conversation
and beginning
reading texts.
House, happy,
play, boy, girl.
Accessing Learned Vocabulary
• Developing a receptive language is not enough
to prepare students for the increasing demand of
each grade level.
• Students must have frequent opportunities to
access rich vocabulary.
• Word play activities challenge students to think
beyond the language that they use every day.
• 2 words per day/10 words per week can be
taught directly.
Steps for syllable division
• Identify and label the vowels
• Identify and label any consonants between
the vowels
• Look at the pattern and divide the word
• Identify the syllable types
• Blend each syllable and then read the
whole word
• If you don’ recognize the word, divide it in
a different way.
alibi
extraneous
jettison
paramount
transparent
approximate
fantasy
juvenescent
predominate
ultimatum
aptitude
fatuous
kaleidoscope
pseudonym
utility
arbitrary
filibuster
kleptomania
publication
vernacular
artifact
fragmented
laborious
quantify
veteran
assimilate
gallantry
lassitude
quarantine
vicarious
asterisk
genuine
leadership
quotable
victory
bassinet
gerrymander
malleable
rambunctious
victorious
bogus
gramophone
meander
reciprocate
wainwright
camouflage
harlequin
miasma
reclusive
whimsical
caravan
herculean
miscellaneous
recognize
willy-nilly
carnivorous
hijack
monopoly
replicate
wisecrack
catadromous
hospitality
monotonous
sanctify
xenon
document
identity
neophyte
secondary
xiphoid
dominator
impertinent
notarize
serendipity
yeoman
draconian
infinitesimal
obligated
simultaneous
zealous
duplicate
insipid
operate
solitude
zeppelin
elevation
intrepid
optimum
superfluous
zoology
elocution
itinerary
ostentatious
territory
caricature
epigram
jargon
paradise
timorous
transparency
Flexible Strategy for Reading Big
Words
• Circle the prefixes and suffixes
• Underline the vowels in the uncircled parts
of the word.
• Read the word by parts or syllables.
• Read the whole word and confirm its
pronunciation.
Antonym Scales
• Choose a pair of antonyms from those below
and make an antonym scale from the pair.
• Write one word per post it note. After you have
listed all your words, arrange your post-its along
the scale between the two antonyms.
• Use a thesaurus or dictionary to find gradated
synonyms for the two words.
• Not all antonyms are gradable antonyms.
• Busy/idle, hot/cold, wonderful/terrible, wet/dry,
young/old, soft/hard, long/short, nice/mean,
fat/skinny, fast/slow.
Interactive Powerpoint games:
http://people.uncw.edu/ertzbergerj/msgames.htm
Wordles
http://www.wordle.net/
Foldables:
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dnewby/mcgraw-hillfoldables.ppt#290,8,Storage
Site that pronounces words:
www.howjsay.com
Three Types of Vocabulary
Instruction
1.Specific Word Instruction
2.Word-Learning
Strategies
3.Word Consciousness