What does vocabulary instruction look like in your school?

1. What does vocabulary instruction look like in your school?

2. What areteachers doing to teach the words? What are students doing to learn the words? How do youassess vocabulary?

3. What does research say? Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 Some words are more important than others Students have to learn words at more than one level Asking students to look up words in the dictionary and write down the definition does not help them learn words When students learn words, they build patterns and networks of meaning called “word schemas.” Students learn words when they experience them multiple times Point 4 Point 5

4. Point 6 Point 7 Point 8 Students can learn some words through a wide variety of reading Students can learn some words through rich conversations with adults and peers Students can learn some words through direct instruction Most students need word learning strategies to Become proficient readers Students can learn some words through word play Point 9 Point 10

5. Non- readers and young readers learn most of their vocabulary through oral context. Picture books should be the primary source of vocabulary introduction, instruction, and expansion. Environmental print is a vital piece of primary vocabulary instruction. Rereading books to students as many as six times strengthens and extends vocabulary.

6. What words should you teach? • Tier One words are words students already know when they come to school – sight vocabulary • Tier Two words are words that students might encounter in school reading and don’t know well • Tier Three words are words are domain specific words – content words

7. How much is enough? Providing several exposures to new words enables knowledge of the words to grow. A single exposure: not enough for learning a new word. Learners need to be involved in 5-16 repetitions in order to learn a new word. The probability of learning a word from context after a single exposure is only 0.05%. Repeated encounters with target words can expand word meanings and illustrate new associations with that word.

8. Reread the book again and focus the lesson on other skills or language features, such as: • Making different connections • Inferencing • Summarizing • Drawing Conclusions • Character Traits • Story Elements

9. Amy will work on sight word instruction- why and how should we do it Mary will be in the computer lab so that we can finish our phonics Live Binder – we still need blends, multi-syllable words and now sight word interactive games. Make sure you play the games since our students will be doing these independently. If it is too hard for you, it is too hard for them!!!! In small groups today we will: • In the media center, we will work on developing vocabulary lessons from our favorite read alouds

10. Readers Workshop Daily Plan 1. Mini-Lesson Focus: Interactive Read-Aloud: Developing Vocabulary Anchor Standard 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. The Night I Followed the Dog: Note to teacher: the words in bold should be written on the chart paper. Say to students, “Words are wonderful. I love to listen closely to words, and think about how I might use them. The story we are going to read today is filled with wonderful words, words we can use as readers, as writers, and when we talk to each other. As we read today, I am going to be stopping occasionally to write some of the great words on a chart. This will give us a chance to talk about them and how they help us understand the story. As an added surprise the author does something very unique with some of the words in this book. Let’s listen.” Read the first few pages and stop. Go back to page 1 and say, “I just have to stop for a moment. There is a wonderful word here. On the first page it says, Nothing exotic or special, just an ordinary dog. In fact, I always thought he was a boring dog. I am going to write the word exotic on the chart paper. I noticed this word because I wasn’t sure what it meant. As I continued to read I saw that the author really told me what it means by the other words around it.” Go back and reread the sentences emphasizing exotic, special and ordinary and how all three of those words are connected. Say, “Have you noticed what the author is doing in this story with certain words?” Have students discuss some things they notice about the words. Continue to read to the page where he sneaks out in his dark clothing. Say, “These sentences have an interesting word, “When I let the dog out, I slipped out, too. I took out the garbage so he wouldn’t suspect anything.Turn to your partner and talk about what you think the word suspect means. I am going to write it on the chart paper.” Ask a few groups to share. Help students see that this time there are not other words around the interesting word to help with the meaning of the word. In this case I have to think about several sentences and how they work together to help me with meaning. Continue to read stopping every few pages and asking students to turn to their partner and share some interesting words. Have a few groups share and record the words on the chart paper. Ask the groups how they knew what the words meant. Reflection: “I just love this book and the interesting way the author uses words – especially the ones she draws to help with meaning! We should challenge ourselves to use some of these wonderful words this week. I am going to try to use these words when I am talking with you so that you will get use to them. Great words are so much fun that using them reminds me of exotic places!” Connect to Writing: Have students keep a list of interesting words in their reading/writing notebooks. They can collect these words as they read their AR books and other authentic texts. Encourage them to use these lists when they are writing. Think of giving extra celebrations each time they use one of them!!

11. Define in kid friendly terms, using reference to story examples: In the story, the dog disappeared into the backyard when the boy first saw him get out of the limousine and then he disappearedinto a building when the boy followed him. Here’s what it says in the book: Before I could look twice, he disappeared into the backyard.Disappeared means that something passes out of sight or vanishes. Say the word: disappeared. Practice examples of word in context: I am going to name some things and I want you to tell me if the item is something that can disappear. If you think the item can disappear, hold up your thumb (thumbs up sign) and say “disappear.” *a giant rock (no) *a magic trick (disappear) *your lunch (disappear) *your homework (no) What was our word? disappear

12. In the story, the boy did not think that he had helped build the doghouse that he saw when he peeked inside to see what his dog was doing. Here’s what it says in the book: This was not the doghouse that I had helped build.To buildsomething means to construct by assembling or joining parts or materials. Say the word: build. Let’s think about some things that people can build. Which of the following would be something that people build? Choose between the two. *a piece of paper or a wall *a house or a telephone *a fort or pair of shoes *a toothbrush or a snowman What was our word? build

13. In the story, the dog told the boy his club was a place where dogs came to relax after a hard day. In the book it says: This is a place where dogs come after a hard day. It’s a place where we can relax. To relax means to make less rigid, tense, or firm. Say the word: relax. I am going to name some examples and I want you to tell me whether or not it is an example of something that makes you relax. If you think it is an example of something that makes you relax, say “relax”. If you think it is not an example of something that makes you relax say “no way”. *A bubble bath. (relax) *Doing your homework. (no way) *Lying on the beach. (relax) *Taking a nap. (relax) *Studying for a test. (no way) *Working on a math problem. (no way) What was our word? relax

14. We talked about three words: disappear, build, and relax. Let’s think about them some more. *Which of these things do you think would be more likely to disappear? A balloon that you let go of or your vegetables? (a balloon) *Which of these things would be something you would build? a flower garden or something out of Lego blocks (something out of Legos) *What would be an example of something that makes you relax? listening to a bedtime story or going to the hospital (listening to a bedtime story)

15. Now it is your turn to work with a partner to think about how you can use your read aloud to further develop vocabulary. There is a quick lesson plan – to just get you started on the thinking process. When you finish these plans, send them to me and we will house them on the interactive read aloud section of the website.