Using PDP Reading Strategies

to Reinforce Vocabulary in Social Studies

RE@D 339

Getting Started

• Teaching vocabulary does not need to be the aim of the lesson.

• Instead, vocabulary strategies can supplement the aim.

• Also, it is not necessary to include each of the P, D, and P strategies every lesson.

• E.g. The lesson and text might only call for a pre-reading strategy.

• So let’s choose one for variety.

Why is pre-reading important?

• For comprehension and retention –it’s like warming up for reading

• Explaining difficult words before reading the text will make the text more manageable

• Pulling out key words before reading helps the student to establish a context, and start to form an understanding of the main idea

• Discussing the vocabulary beforehand helps the student to make connections, and retain the main words and ideas through repetition

What is ‘Probable Passage’?

• This pre-reading exercise requires students to: – make predictions

– make connections to what they already know about the topic

– think about causal relationships

– form images

• Introducing to a class for the first time:– best done in group work

– will be time-consuming

– will require scaffolding (this could be done by modeling its use in a prior lesson on a different text)

Before the lesson, select difficult and key

words from the passage

Words / phrases selected

• ancient Egypt, nobility, attending to their daily needs, could not conceive a child, pharaohs, Queen Hatshepsut, artisan, their parents’ death, inheriting, women were expected, household duties, noblewomen, priestess, mourners

Before reading the text

• In groups, students sort the words into the boxes, and make a prediction about a summary or gist statement.

• They don’t need to get this perfect, as the discussion that follows will help to explain the group’s choices.

• Students can also research the meaning of the unknown words either before or after reading.

Probable Passage worksheet

Example of completed worksheet

In summary

• This is a rich task because it requires students to collaborate, predict, visualize, summarize, categorize and define.

• You can start with simpler vocabulary strategies, or mix up the strategies to include during and post-reading activities.

• You can also make reference to word walls, or some of the RE@D 339 posters for Social Studies.

The biggest growth in history is our Vocabulary

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In geography, we reap what

we ‘so’

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