Shift #6 Academic Vocabulary
In K-12, you should see…
Teachers
Students
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Teachers understand various Tier of words
Make time for teaching vocabulary (use all available time)
Read aloud high quality literature
Build word consciousness
Teach levels of word knowledge
Model determining meaning of vocabulary through context
clues/word resources – Tier III words
Explicit teaching of fewer words - Tier II
o Become intimate with text to choose correct words
o Model/Think Aloud how we choose words and strategies
to teach words
o Word test – Is it high frequency? Is it important to the
specific text at hand?
o Focus on word structure – prefixes/suffixes/roots –
“stems”
Teach impact of author’s word choice – how word choice shapes
meaning and tone
Use active learning strategies
o Frayer Model
o Marzano Graphic Organizer
o Word Sorts
o Vocabulary ladders
o Word web/Semantic Maps
o Review Games (Marzano)
o Quizlet/Wordle
Utilize interactive word wall
Vocabulary notebooks
Give multiple exposures to words
Teach synonyms, antonyms
Teaching towards independence with word learning
o Transfer word selection to students
Teachers do not over-emphasize synonyms – Help students
understand the nuance of specific words
Content teachers focus the vocabulary of their discipline
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Understand Tiers/word levels
Read widely and deeply
Notice and discuss words
Rate knowledge level of words
Use context clues to determine word
meanings
Use new words orally and in writing
Make connections to words
Resources
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Understand nuance and impact of
author’s word choice
Actively engage with words
o Use graphic organizers
o Play word games
o Create word games
Students use a variety of word
resources.
o Online
o Word Wall
o Vocabulary Notebooks
o Dictionary/Thesaurus
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Marzano’s Building Academic
Vocabulary
Marzano’s Vocabulary Games and
Activities
Beck and McKeown’s Bringing
Words to Life
Creating Robust Vocabulary (FAQ)
by Beck and McKeown
Word Within a Word (6-12)
Fireworks Press
Jacob’s Comprehension Ladders
Vocabulary: The Daily Spark
SAT Vocab. Word of the Day (HS)
Wordly Wise
Deeper Reading by Kelly Gallagher
Language! Vocabulary! (EC)
Lisa Delpit’s The Silenced Dialogue
(The language of power)/Other
People’s Children
Children’s Books
Fancy Nancy
Max’s Big Words
Donovan’s Word Jar
Miss Alaineus
Pam Munoz Ryan