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Vocabulary Instruction for Struggling Readers Grades 3-6

Vocabulary Instruction for Struggling Readers Grades 3-6. DIANE KERN, PH. D. UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND Literacy for All Conference-November 2009 DKERN@URI.EDU http://uri-englishlanguagearts.wikispaces.com/. Agenda. Setting our purpose Key strategies: There’s no ONE right way!

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Vocabulary Instruction for Struggling Readers Grades 3-6

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  1. Vocabulary Instruction for Struggling Readers Grades 3-6 DIANE KERN, PH. D. UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND Literacy for All Conference-November 2009 DKERN@URI.EDU http://uri-englishlanguagearts.wikispaces.com/

  2. Agenda • Setting our purpose • Key strategies: There’s no ONE right way! • Several practical ideas in the context of research-based practice AND great children’s literature • Payoffs • Resources

  3. Defining terms • Vocabulary is defined “as knowledge of words and word meanings in both oral and print language in productive and receptive forms.” Lehr, Osborn, & Hiebert (2004) A Focus on Vocabulary http://www.prel.org/products/re_/ES0419.htm

  4. Word Rich and Word Poor • “Students’ vocabulary knowledge relates strongly to their reading comprehension and overall academic success.” (Baumann, Kame’enui & Ash, 2003) • “The Matthew Effect”…”the rich get richer and the poor get poorer” (Stanovich, 1996) • Know thy enemy #1 Reading Less #2 The 4th Grade Slump

  5. Consider this • On average, school-aged students learn approximately 3,000 words per year or 8 words per day. Unfortunately, some students learn only 1 or 2 words a day • Factors: SES, language factors, memory problems…

  6. No one right way! • Direct instruction • Indirect instruction • Repeated and multiple exposures • Using contexts • Active engagement • Varied methods

  7. Direct Instruction: Word Study • Direct vocabulary instruction improves comprehension (Baumann, Kame’enui, & Ash, 2003; Beck & McKeown, 1991; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1996). • ESL learners rely more heavily on direct instruction than native speakers (Goulden, Nation, & Read, 1990). **Word Banks **Word Study activities from Words Their Way http://www.literacyconnections.com/WordsTheirWay.php

  8. Indirect instruction • Students learn words through wide reading (Nagy & Herman, 1987; Fielding, Wilson, & Anderson, 1986). • Prior knowledge/experience supports increased vocabulary knowledge (Marzano, 2004). **Nonfiction and Fiction… **Word Walls

  9. Repeated, multiple exposures • Repeated exposure to words in meaningful contexts improves comprehension (Nagy, 1990). • Semantic mapping improves recall and understanding (Pittelman, Levin, & Johnson, 1985). **Semantic Mapping **Semantic Feature Analysis

  10. Rich contexts for learning • Knowing a word means more than knowing the definition of a word (Scott & Nagy, 1997). • A rich conceptual base matters (Johnson & Pearson, 1984). **Think-Pair-Share

  11. Active Engagement • Discussion leads to vocabulary learning (Stahl & Clark, 1987). • Students learn new words by learning strategies for understanding unfamiliar words (Blachowicz & Fisher, 2004). **Think-aloud http://books.heinemann.com/wordwise/ **Computer-assisted methods www.studystacks.com

  12. Teaching words critical to understanding The Keyword Method Target Word: Genes Keyword: Jeans Definition: The basic unit of heredity in a living organism Target Word: Amplitude Keyword: Altitude The amplitude of a sinusoidal function is half the distance between the maximum and minimum values.

  13. StudyStack

  14. WordWise & Content Rich

  15. Varied methods=Payoffs • Students learn words in a variety of ways (Blachowicz & Fisher, 2004). • Knowledge of word meaning is critical to reading success (Johnson, Toms-Bronowski, & Pittelman, 1983). • There is NO one way, NO one program, NO quick-fix… • Choose what YOUR students need and provide meaningful, intrinsically motivating ways to help your readers beat the 4th grade slump!

  16. Resources Allen, J. (2007). Inside words: Tools for teaching academic vocabulary, grades 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. Bear, D. R., Helman, L., Templeton, S., Invernizzi, M., Johnston, F. (2007). Words their way with English learners: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction. Upper Saddle River, 16NJ: Pearson. Chall, J. S., & Jacobs,V. A. (2003). Research round-up: Poor children’s fourth grade slump. American Educator, 27(1), 14-18. Eaton, S. (2006). The children in room E4. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2008). Word wise & content rich: Fi ve essential steps to teaching academic vocabulary. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Stanovich, K. E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360-407. Vocabulary Acquisition: Synthesis of the Research http://idea.uoregon.edu/%7Encite/documents/techrep/tech13.html

  17. Children’s Literature Aliki. (1988). Dinosaur bones. New York: Scholastic. Clements, A. (1996). Frindle. New York: Aladdin Paperback. Jimenez, F. (1997). The circuit. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Steig, W. (1990). Shrek! New York: Square Fish. Tobias, T. & Malone, P. (1998). A world of words: An ABC book of quotations. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. Wick, W. (1997). A drop of water. New York: Scholastic.

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