Building academic vocabulary

1. Building academic vocabulary Professional Development Facilitated by Angela Stockman Winter 2013

2. Meet the ultimate word geek: erinmcKean

3. Findings from Isabel beck’s work:

4. Why does tier 2 take priority? • Learners who deepen their academic vocabulary recognize and use far more words than others. This contributes to far higher rates of reading comprehension and academic success in ALL content areas. • This kind of vocabulary knowledge is critical to cultural literacy. • These are the words that we encounter most often during and beyond the time we spend in school. They are used frequently. When we confront these words at work in the world and do not understand them, and when we do not use them to communicate our needs and advocate for what is best, we are significantly disempowered.

5. But which tier 2 words are worth our limited time? • VERBS Action words refine meaning. They help readers understand processes, cause and effect, character action, and plot advances. For this reason, verbs are often pivotal to comprehension. Tense is important as well. Examples: Derive, derives, derived Compromise, compromises, compromised • HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS As you select words to teach, ask yourself how often learners will likely confront each word in stories, textbooks, articles, online, in conversation with others, and in other content area classrooms. Examples: Heroic, methodical, scheme • WORDS THAT REFINE CONTEXT AND ADD PRECISION Often, as we read rich text closely, we confront words that have a significant influence on our understanding of characters, themes, experiences, protocols, and procedures. Examples: Injustice, defensive, cautionary

6. the dictionary isn’t the first or only source • When students don’t have prior knowledge or experience with words, the definition fails to make sense. • Definitions do not typically explain how one word is different from other, similar words. • Definitions often use vague language or words that are equally confusing to define terms. • Dictionary users typically struggle to apply syntax, structure, or parts of speech.

7. Dictionaries contaminate our perceptions about quality instruction too…. • “Direct teaching of vocabulary might be one of the most underused activities in K-12 education. The lack of vocabulary instruction might be a result of misconceptions about what it means to teach vocabulary and its potential effect on student learning. Perhaps the biggest misconception is that teaching vocabulary means teaching formal dictionary definitions.” –Robert Marzano

8. LEVELS OF WORD KNOWLEDGE

9. Five steps for quality vocabulary instruction

11. Assume a reflective stance:assess and set goals

12. Strategy carousel, surf, and search IMAGE DESIGNED BY THE FABULOUS SILVIA TOLISANO (@LANGWITCHES)

13. Don’t…… • ask students to look words up in a dictionary • ask students to write the words they looked up in sentences of their own creation • ask students to use context clues as their primary word solving strategy • ask students to write definitions multiple times • assign tasks that demand little processing or rigor, such as word searches, crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blank worksheets • ask students to memorize without context • hope that reading alone or indirect methodologies will build academic vocabulary

14. references • Today’s presentation was adapted from multiple works published and presented by: • Isabel L.Beck • Linda Kuca • Dr. Robert Marzano • Margaret G. McKeown • The New York State Department of Education