Engaging Ways to Reinforce Vocabulary

1. Engaging Ways to Reinforce Vocabulary January 5, 2011 The most effective vocabulary instruction provides multiple opportunities for students to engage with target words. In this session, participants will experience several ways for students to interact with words in order to establish deep understanding.

2. What We Know… • 7 – 12 encounters for word ownership (Stahl, 1986) • 10 encounters reliably predicted comprehension (McKeown et. al., 1995) • Must go beyond traditional methods (NRP, 2000; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986, Marzano, 2004, etc.) • Students must be actively engaged with words (Marzano, 2004; Archer & Hughes, 2011; etc.)

3. Introducing Specific Words • Student Friendly Explanations • Characterize word and typical use • Explain meaning in everyday language • Teacher-Created Contexts • Develop instructional contexts that provide strong clues to meaning • Active Engagement with Words • Short, playful, lively opportunities for students to interact with words and meanings right away and over time with feedback (Beck et al. 2002 in Diamond & Gutlohn, 2006)

4. Student-Generated Descriptions • After instruction, ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words • Requires student processing rather than copying • Tips • Monitor carefully • Ensure / reinforce critical attributes

5. Nonlinguistic Representation • Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representing the term or phrase • Use of imagery has been shown to have a dramatic affect on comprehension of the instructed words when students read it in text • Tips • Downplay artistic ability; emphasize understanding • “…how I’ll remember this word.” • Pictures, drawings, symbols, physical representations/models, kinesthetic representations, graphic organizers, cartoon bubbles

6. Sentence Stems • Ask students to apply the meaning of a target word in a different context by completing the sentence. • For deep understanding, students must make connections and add to their understanding of the word in different contexts. • Examples • My sister and I tried to coordinate our after-school schedules because… • Fission and fusion are similar because they both… (…are different because…)

7. Morphological Study inhabitation in + habit +ate +ion (to have, hold; to dwell) uninhabited inhabitable inhabitant habitat habitual • Explain the meaning of the root/base word. Have students build additional words using the root. Discuss common meanings. • Understanding the meaning of a root word helps readers infer the meaning of unknown words.

8. Student Self-Rating • Ask students to periodically rate their understanding of important terms. • Self-assessment requires students to think about the critical attributes of the word, raises awareness regarding their own progress, and provides formative feedback to the teacher.

9. Examples & Non-Examples • Ask students to distinguish between examples and non-examples or generate examples and non-examples. • Students must process the critical attributes of the word/concept. • Variations: • Response Cards / Slates • Choral Response (Archer & Hughes, 2011, p. 75)

10. Examples / Non-Examples • Consider interior (the interior of a region is the central area—the area that is away from the coast, state line, or border) Interior or NOT? • Which tells about the interior of Oregon? • On their vacation, the family visited a lake in central Oregon. • On their vacation, the family visited the beaches and coast of Oregon? Choices • If what I say could be in the interior of a big island, say “interior”… • A mountain • An ocean wave

11. Making Choices loquacious or reserved? • many students after an exciting event • an introvert • most new students • someone who “likes the sound of her own voice” T-P-S: Think of a time when you (or someone you know) might have been described as loquacious. (Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)

12. Making Choices • glimpse scrutinize • Which can you do more quickly? • inspector spectator • What would you probably call every person watching a football game? • largo ritardando • Which tells me to slow down gradually? (Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002, p. 80-81)

13. Response Strategies • Choral / Unison Response: Students respond in unison to teacher prompts • Reinforce accurate pronunciation • Increase student responses • Increase engagement of all students • Individual Response w/ Slates or Response Cards: • Increase student responses • Increase engagement of all students • Check for understanding

14. Questioning • Ask questions that require deep processing of the word’s meaning beyond simply mimicking the definition. • Students must apply and elaborate upon the target word’s meaning. • Examples • How might you coordinate plans to visit a friend? • What does it look like when one is concentrating? (Archer & Hughes, 2011, p. 75)

15. Questioning Questions • Jake thought it would be fun to explore the interior of Alaska. Why might you want to spend time in the interior of Nebraska? • Finish the idea • After a trip to the coast, we headed to the interior of the country because _____. • Have you ever…? • Can you describe a place you know about that is located in the interior of Nebraska?

16. Yes – No - Why • Encourages discussion and elaborative rehearsal • Provide interesting prompt using target word that requires students to take a position. • Students answer yes or no and explain briefly in writing or discussion (2 sentences maximum, but must be complete). • Should teachers focus their explicit instruction of vocabulary on sesquipedalian terms? • Yes, I agree with this assertion because ____. • No, I do not agree with this assertion because ____.

17. Making Distinctions • Would you pay homage to something tolerable? • Would you suppress a profound thought? • Would blurting out your thought be an example of indecorum? (Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002, p. 89)

18. Vocabulary Continuum • Encourage student discussion and elaborative processing of meaning among synonyms or related words.

19. Vocabulary Continuum • mistake • error • blunder • hate • dislike • loathe • abhor • adore • cherish • blunder • Encourage student discussion!

20. Student Discussion • Which of the words is more intense (influential, effective, etc.)? • Which word works best in a specific context? • Which word do you understand best? Or least? • Which synonym best represent this word?

21. Inside-Outside Circle • Pass out cards to every student. (Duplicate cards can be used.) • Number off students by 1 (outside) and 2 (inside) • Match up so that each person is facing a partner. • Outside circle shares their word or definition; inside circle provides answer • SWITCH CARDS, outside circle rotate left

22. I Have… Who Has…? • Students practice pronouncing words, speaking clearly, and reinforcing definitions. • Pass out cards randomly. • Ex. I have a right triangle who has an angle that is less than 90 degrees. Who has…? • Students respond as prompted.

23. Vocabulary – Alive Writing • Provide a list of terms for students to use in a single related piece of writing. • For Example: • Use 15 of the 20 terms listed above in a meaningful paragraph, story, poem or letter to convince me of your understanding. Put a check mark next to the terms you choose and underline them in the writing.

24. intercept slope decreasing parallel constant intersection increasing quadrant perpendicular Write a paragraph using the words listed above in the word bank to describe the graph that is shown at the right.

25. Classifying • Provide students with vocabulary cards • Have students place cards into categories • label the categories • see how other groups classified their cards or regroup cards using a different criteria

26. Games! • Use any number of game formats to review terms. • Using friendly competition (i.e., students vs. teacher or against time, personal bests) is a strong motivator for many students. • Jeopardy, Battleship, Taboo, $10000 Pyramid, Bingo…

27. Name that Concept! • Partner A: Provide clues to your partner without using the actual words, derivatives, or rhymes. • definitions, examples, descriptions, contexts • Partner B: Name the concept or component or say “pass” to move on to the next item. Goal: Successfully communicate all items in one minute.

28. Words From Geometry • sphere • congruent • cylinder • proportion • proof

29. Words From American History • migration • capitalism • electoral college • Franklin D. Roosevelt • Bill of Rights

30. Vocabulary Terms & Phrases Styles of architecture 200 POINTS Countries in South America Theories about why dinosaurs became extinct 100 POINTS 100 POINTS Sports that are played with rackets Things that magnify Artists 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

31. TABOO species • Students must communicate the target word to others without using rhymes, the words listed, or any derivation of them. • Have students generate words that can’t be used. type animal plant mate

32. Strategy Sharing Consider one way that you cause your students to interact with words in order to establish deep, lasting understanding. • Name the strategy. • Describe the strategy/context. • Explain why the strategy is good. Put your name on the back of the card.

33. Musical Cards • Trade cards while the music plays. • When the music stops, partner with the person currently trading with you. • Read each card and together distribute 7 points between the two cards to represent the degree ofinterest you have in learning more about this strategy.