Developing Vocabulary &
Enhancing Reading
Comprehension
SPC ED 587
October 25, 2006
Note: We won’t go over all of these slides in class. Many of them are FYI as resources;
if you would like more info on any of the slides/ideas we don’t discuss, let me know.
Vocabulary Development
• Children typically learn approximately
3,000 words per year! (that’s 7-10
words a day!!!)
• Gain new vocabulary through school
(instruction) and through family
activities, trips, hobbies, reading
independently, etc.
Tompkins, 2007
Vocabulary: words a child understands
and uses in listening, speaking, reading,
and writing
• Listening vocabulary - words a child
understands when s/he hears them spoken;
includes words that the child understands but
may not use in his or her everyday conversation
• Speaking vocabulary - words students
understand and routinely uses when speaking
• Reading vocabulary - words a child can read
and understand
• Writing vocabulary words child understands and
can use when composing text.
Stages of Word Learning
(adapted from Dade & O’Rourke, 1971)
• I never saw it before!
• I’ve heard of it or I can pronounce it, but I
don’t know what it means.
• I recognize it in context - It has something
to do with. . .; I know one of its meanings
• I know it. I know what it means and can
use it in several ways or contexts.
Teaching Vocabulary
• Indirectly
– Conversations
– Teacher read-alouds*
– Reading independently
• Directly
– Direct instruction on a small number of meaningful
words at a time, across time
– Instruction that requires active participation
– Learning to use resources (e.g., dictionaries)
* “Researchers report that children learn as many words
incidentally while listening to teachers read aloud as they
do by reading themselves.” (Stahl et al., 1991 as cited in
What the Student Knows
Instruction Needed
Knows word when hears it but
doesn’t recognize printed form.
Teach printed form.
Knows word’s oral and written form Promote generative knowledge.
but doesn’t use it in speech or
Give examples of its use; clarify
writing.
word; encourage its use in a safe
environment.
Knows the concept but not the
label.
Teach the label and relate it to the
concept.
Has partial knowledge of the word.
Knows definition but doesn’t have
contextual knowledge.
Develop a deeper meaning of the
word; examine the word in multiple
contexts.
Recognizes the label but has no
Develop the concept.
real conceptual knowledge of the
concept. Or knows the word’s
“everyday” meaning but not how it
might be used in a technical sense.
Does not know either concept or
Develop the concept and the label.
Teaching Vocabulary
• Build on what students know and relate new
words to students’ lives/experiences
– E.g., Word Watch
– Look up words that have entered English via students’
own linguistic background (e.g., tornado: Spanish:
tornar [to turn])
• Teach for depth and breadth
– E.g., What it Is and What it Isn’t
• Use engaging activities to create interest
– E.g., Word Posters
•
Teaching Vocabulary: More
ideas
Word Study
– Concepts and meanings
– Multiple meanings
– Compound words
– Synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, figurative
meanings
• Word Walls, Word Maps
• Word Sorts – adapt for meaning or use
• Quiz Me Cards & Definition Cards (see
Keefe chapter [in press])
Teaching Vocabulary
• Provide repetition and systematic review
– “children need to read, write, and/or use
words 8-10 times or more before they can
automatically recognize them and remember
their meanings”
• Teach for independence
– Teach use of resources (e.g., how to use a
dictionary; how to ask for help)
Comprehension is “The Point”
“. . . reader’s process of using prior experiences and
the author’s text to construct meaning that is useful to
that reader for a specific purpose.” (p. 252)
Theories of Comprehension
• Schema Theory
• Mental/Situation Models
Factors Affecting Comprehension
•
•
•
•
•
Decoding and fluency skills
Vocabulary
Background knowledge
Academic vs. conversational vocabulary
Understanding structure of written
language
• Processing abilities
• Understanding the purpose for a reading
• Cognitive abilities/skills
Assessing Reading
Comprehension
• Graded passage with comprehension
questions (e.g., Brigance, IRI)
• Story re-telling or acting out
• Think-alouds (to see how student is
attempting comprehension
• Assessing background knowledge (e.g.,
webbing, graphic organizers such as
KWL)
Assessing Reading Comprehension
• Maze:
Jim took a trip to see his grandmother. He had
to ride in a (car/book/hat) to get to her
house. Jim ate lots of good (it/mud/food) at
his grandmother’s house. He likes going to
see his (cat/grandmother/bus).
• Picture Cards: story re-tellings; answering
comprehension questions
Building Comprehension: Anaphoric Cuing
The bus driver walked to his bus. He opened the door and
walked up the steps.
policeman
Juan
bus driver
The bus radio made a loud noise. The driver picked it up. He
radio
key
cup
said, “Hello. This is Mike. What do you need?”
The radio operator said, “There is some road work on Main
Street. You will need to leave soon,
cab driver
Mike
Steve
Teachers who were excellent at
facilitating comprehension:
• Built language at every opportunity
• Activated/built students’ background
knowledge (schema)
• Provided a purpose for reading
• think-alouds
• Followed up on that purpose after reading
• Taught prediction
• Continuously motivated students to read
for meaning
• Taught strategies to identify the main idea
Comprehension Repair
Strategies
• Click – Clunk
– Read on.
– Reread sentence.
– Reread paragraph or section.
– Look for information from a resource such as
a dictionary or glossary.
– Ask someone else for help.
Content through reading guides
• Teacher can develop guide questions or
student or small group can develop
questions.
• Students can work with guides
independently or in small groups.
Example of reading guide for
expository text.
This chapter was about _____________.
Eyelashes keep ________ out of our eyes.
The__________ is a black circle in our eyes. It lets
______________ into our eyes.
We blink about ______ times a minute.
The eyeball is like clear jelly. It keeps our eyes _______
and __________________.
Content through strategy use
RAP
Graphic Organizers
Admit-Exit Strategy
K-W-L
Question-Answer-Relationship Guide
Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA)
Say-Something Paired Reading
Example of a Reading
Comprehension Strategy:
Read -- Ask -- Paraphrase (RAP)
• Read paragraph to yourself.
• Ask yourself what is the main idea.
• Put the paragraph into your own words
and tell it to your partner.
• Switch roles.
Enhance Content learning through
modifications to text
Braille
Highlighted texts
Increased font size
Enhance Content learning through
varying mediums
Tape-recorded books
www.academicmaterials.com/ entrance.htm
E-books
Books on CD
Buddy-reading
Content through Read-Alouds
• Teacher reads a selection aloud to entire
class
– Good as ‘grabbers’/hooks
– Allow students to focus on content vs.
decoding
– May aid in memory b/c of multiple avenues of
input
– Model fluent oral reading (support language
acquisition for ELL students)
Content through Shared Reading
• Teacher reads aloud while students are
looking at text
– Be explicit about the purpose of the reading
– Model and teach a specific strategy (e.g.,
inference, text features, map reading)
• Provide a follow-up activity that allows students to
practice the modeled strategy