Choosing and Introducing Words for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

1. Choosing and Introducing Words for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

2. Objectives • Discuss Methods of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction • Review Effective Practices • Apply examples with target words from Pictures of Hollis Woods

3. Choosing and Introducing Words for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction

4. What does it mean to KNOW a word?

5. What does it mean to know a word? Four Levels of Word Knowledge • 0. Unknown • 1. Initial word knowledge: seen or heard it • 2. Partial Word Knowledge: know one meaning and can use in a sentence • 3. Full Word Knowledge: more than one meaning and can use in several ways portend tyranny

6. So how long does it take to KNOW a word?? • Students need to be exposed to a word at least six times in context before they have enough experience with the word to determine its meaning and use it as part of their daily language. • Explicit instruction in new words enhances the probability that students will understand the words when they encounter them.

7. Typical Word Learning Strategies • Analyze word parts • Checking a dictionary • Using context clues These ideas DIFFER dramatically from Beck & McKeown’s ideas about how to teach vocabulary…

8. Definitions are little help… • Weak differentiation: Definition does not differentiate how the word is different from other words (e.g. conspicuous = “easily seen.” How does that differentiate from visible?) • Vague language (typical = “being a type”) • More likely interpretation: Definition uses familiar words in unfamiliar ways (e.g. devious = “straying from the right course, not straightforward.” Students could interpret as walking. • Multiple pieces of information: definition gives nohelp in how to integrate pieces (e.g. exotic =“foreign, strange, not native”)

9. Context cues CAN help, but not always • “Rebecca, come back and eat your Cheerios, they’re getting soggy.” • Rebecca (4 years old) inferred soggy meant sad and lonely. And then, she later used it in her own language… • I don’t want to go to bed – I feel soggy!” • When context clues do work, for every 100 words, children only learn 3-15 of them.

10. Conditions (and problems) for learning words from context • READ WIDELY TO encounter lots of NEW WORDS • But…many students who in need of vocabulary development don’t read widely, or they don’t read books that include words with which they are unfamiliar • STUDENTS MUST HAVE SKILLS to infer meanings of words from context • But…many students who in need of vocabulary development are less able to derive information from context

11. How helpful are context clues? It depends… • Directive contexts: likely to lead to correct inference about meaning (86%) • Nora grew smaller and smaller and finally vanished. (disappeared) • General contexts: enough clues to infer general category of meaning (49%) • Brian said morosely, “This miserable town will be the death of us!” (bad, negatively – but specifics are undefined)

12. How helpful are context clues? It depends… • Non-Directive contexts: (27%) little assistance in helping to define meaning • Freddy look at the team members. Each looked more hapless than the next. (Happy? Untrained? But descriptive…) • Misdirective contexts: direct to incorrect meaning of word (3%) • John was exhilarated after his first experience mountain climbing.

13. The biggest challenge… • There are too many words to teach! • Students encounter so many new words in reading, how could we teach them all? • Not all words need attention • Not all words should be treated equally • According to Beck & McKeown, what types of words need attention and which can we “ignore”?

14. Choosing words to teach • Should you choose… • Tier Onewords? Most basic words, rarely require instruction (cake, street, walk, jump) • Tier Threewords? Words that are low frequency, or are domain specific (isotope, woof, peninsula), probably learned best when needed in content

15. Tier Two words? • High frequency words for mature language users • Words that would be found across a variety of domains • Words that can be worked with in a variety of ways so that students can build rich representations of them and their connections to other words and concepts • Words for which students understand the general concept, but their use would provide more precision • e.g. astonished, coincidence, absurd, scrumptious • Mad: frustrated, angry, disturbed …

16. Words from Pictures of Hollis Woods • Tier 1: • Tier 2: • Tier 3:

17. Beck & McKeownTeaching Vocabulary • Start with instructional materials/books – choose words that are important for comprehension • Multiple exposures (at least FIVE) • Breadth of information • Actively engage with the word by thinking and processing deeply • HOW DO WE DO THAT??

18. Student-Friendly Explanations Alternatives to the dictionary

19. Student-Friendly Explanations Two Key Strategies • Characterize the word and how it is typically used • Explain the meaning in everyday language

20. Student-Friendly DefinitionsCharacterize the Word • Explanation should be as particular as possible (When do I use this word particularly? Why do we have such a word?) • Tamper: Defined as, “to interfere in a secret or incorrect way.” Could be construed as meddling. Does not get at the idea of messing something up in a sinister way. • Student friendly explanation: “to change something secretly so that it doesn’t work properly or becomes harmful.”

21. Student-Friendly ExplanationsExplain Meaning in an Everyday Way • Ally: Defined as, “one associated with another” • What is association? • Student friendly explanation: “somebody who does things with you” • Does that characterize “ally”? • Doesn’t get at main characteristic of helping in a common cause • Better student friendly explanation: “Someone who helps you in what you are trying to do, especially when there are other people who are against you.”

22. Student friendly definitions in Picture of Hollis Woods? • mounded (p. 147) • piled up on top of each other • floating (p. 150) • holding still in the air [hovering? flying?] • skittering? (p. 151) wolfing? (p. 152)fragments? (p. 154) faint? (p. 155) sloppy? (p. 156) gunned? (p. 159)

23. Student Friendly Definitions • Skittering: • wolfing: • fragments: • faint: • Sloppy: • gunned:

24. Student Friendly Definitions • 1: • 2: • 3: • 4: • 5: • 6:

25. Activities for Building Vocabulary Students interact with the words

26. Example - Nonexample

27. Shades of Meaning How would you rank these? Confidant Ally Friend Acquaintance

28. Thinking Deeply About WordsRelating Words • See whether there is anything about the words that is related. • Create an activity to relate the words. • Reluctant, insisted, drowsy might be demonstrated by facial expressions • Create a sentence using all words: Would you prefer to budge a sleeping lamb or a ferocious lion? Why? • Ask students to choose between two words: If you get your clothes ready to wear to school before you go to sleep, would that be sensible ordisturbing?

29. What other techniques can you use to teach word meaning? • Example/Nonexample • Making Choices • Idea Completion • Have You Ever? • Word Associations • Using words in one context • Classifying words

30. “Interacting with Words”: Making Choices • If any of the things I say might be examples of people clutching something, say “clutching.” If not, don’t say anything. • Holding tight to a purse • Holding a fisful of money • Softly petting a cat’s fur • If any of the things I say would make some one radiant, say, “You’d be radiant.” If not, don’t say anything. • Winning a million dollars • Getting a hug from a favorite movie star • Walking to the post office

31. Thinking Deeply About WordsIdea Completions • Provide students with stem that requires them to integrate a word’s meaning into a context in order to explain a situation • The audience asked the virtuoso to play another piece of music because… • The skiing teacher said Maria was a novice on the ski slopes because …

32. Interacting with Words: Questions, Reasons, Examples • If you are walking around a dark room, would you do it cautiously? Why? What are some other things that need to be done cautiously? • What is something you could do to impress your teacher? Why? What is something that might impress your mother? • Which of these things would be extraordinary? Why or why not? • A shirt that was comfortable or a shirt that washed itself? • A person who has a library card, or a person who has read all the books in the library?

33. Thinking Deeply About WordsHave You Ever …? • Helps students associate new words with contexts and activities from their own experiences • Describe a time when you might urge someone? • Describe a time when you might banter with someone? • What would make you gleeful?

34. Thinking Deeply About WordsWord associations • Associate a new word when presented with a word or phrase: • Words = accomplice, virtuoso, philanthropist, novice • Which word goes with crook? • Which word goes with “gift to build a new hospital”? • ROT (p. 12-13) dawdled, converged, implore

35. Thinking Deeply About WordsUsing the Words in One Context • What would an immense plate of spaghetti look like? • Would you feel miserable after you ate all that spaghetti? Why or why not? • What would it look like to eat the spaghetti in a leisurely way?

36. Thinking Deeply About Words Use the Same Format for Words • If you satisfy your curiosity, do you need to find out more or have you found out all you need? Why? • If a dog was menacing, would you want to pet it or move away? Why? • If you wanted to see something exquisite, would you go to a museum or a grocery store? Why?

37. Thinking Deeply About Words Classifying • Mammals • People • Cats • Dogs • Lions • Mice • Whales • Reptiles • Snakes • Alligators • Dinosaurs • Lizards

38. Thinking Deeply About Words Classifying • What makes something a mammal? • Hair • Warm-blooded • Milk to young • What makes something a reptile? • Skin • Cold-blooded • Shape of head

39. Teaching words in semantic groups Bad People • Villain • Malefactor • Burglar • Embezzler • Miscreant • Cad • Rogue • Scoundrel Red • Crimson • Scarlet • Pink • Blush • Ruby • Sanguine • Carmine Hollis Woods: Actions Feelings

40. Semantic Feature Analysis

41. Try It Out With Your Lesson Template:Running Out of Time

42. Tier 2 words in Pictures of Hollis Woods Work in groups of three. Choose a chapter 1-8. Locate three Tier 2 words. Develop questions and activities for word building focused on each of those three words.

43. What techniques can you use to teach word meaning? • Example/Nonexample • Making Choices • Idea Completion • Have You Ever? • Word Associations • Using words in one context • Classifying words • Semantic feature analysis

44. Homework • Read Beck & McKeown Chapter 3: (Introducing Words) and Chapter 4: (Developing Vocabulary) • Use models in the text to complete a sample Weekly Vocabulary plan across five days. • Bring to class next Tuesday to share and discuss. • ** Change in plans for syllabus

45. Text-Based Discussion