teaching vocabulary to struggling readers michael c. mckenna georgia southern university
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Teaching Vocabulary to Struggling Readers Michael C. McKenna Georgia Southern University. What is vocabulary?. word-hoard. estuary. argon. id. What is vocabulary?. Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Teaching Vocabularyto
Struggling Readers
Michael C. McKennaGeorgia Southern University
What is vocabulary?
word-hoard
id
argon
estuary
What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary
Modality
Domain
What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary
Modality
Domain
What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary
Modality
Domain
What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary
Modality
Domain
What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary
Modality
Domain
1755 Dictionary of the English Language
1755 Dictionary of the English Language
114,000 words
1755 Dictionary of the English Language
114,000 words
impertransibilityquecknould
1755 Dictionary of the English Language
2005 Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.)
114,000 words
1755 Dictionary of the English Language
2005 Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.)
114,000 words
660,000+ words
2005 Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.)
660,000+ words
webcamcyberphobic
doh
English users follow set rules for coining new words, thus adding greatly to the number of potential words in the language.
English users follow set rules for coining new words, thus adding greatly to the number of potential words in the language.
The postman likes our street because it is dogless.
Are you a logophile?
50K
40K
30K
20K
10K
0
K 12
5,000 •1,500 •
50K
40K
30K
20K
10K
0
K 12
5,0001,500
45,000
17,000
How do we know which words to teach?
Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12• Usually content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary
Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12• Usually content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary
Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12• Usually content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary
Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12• Often content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary
Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three TiersTier 3 • Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12• Often content-area related• Examples: isotope, estuary
Tier 2 • Important to academic success• 7,000 word families• Not limited to one content area• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
Tier 1 • The most familiar words• 8,000 word families• Known by average 3rd grader• Examples: happy, go
What are some of the guiding principles of
teaching vocabulary?
Preteach key words to improve comprehension.
Guiding Principle
In 1367, Marain and the settlements ended a seven-year war with the Langurians and Pitoks. As a result of this war, Languria was driven out of East Bacol. Marain would now rule Laman and the other lands that once belonged to Languria. This brought peace to the Bacolean settlements. The settlers no longer had to worry about attacks from Laman. The Bacoleans were happy to be part of Marain in 1367. Yet a dozen years later, these same people would be fighting the Marish for independence, or freedom from United Marain’s rule.
In 1763, Britain and the colonies ended a seven-year war with the French and Indians. As a result of this war, France was driven out of North America. Britain would now rule Canada and the other lands that once belonged to France. This brought peace to the American colonies. The settlers no longer had to worry about attacks from Canada. The Americans were happy to be part of Britain in 1763. Yet a dozen years later, these same people would be fighting the British for independence, or freedom from Great Britain’s rule.
Provide more than definitions.
Guiding Principle
WORD = DEFINITION
WORD = DEFINITION
Stimulus Response
WORD = DEFINITION
Stimulus Response
truncate “to cut off”
WORD = DEFINITION
Stimulus Response
truncate “to cut off”
“She truncated the lights.”
Combine definitions and contextual examples.
Guiding Principle
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Connotations
What’s the difference between a fiddle and a violin?
Introduce new words in related clusters.
Guiding Principle
wing
antennae leg
abdomen
thorax
In content areas, clustering words is natural!
But general vocabulary words can also be clustered –
if you work at it!
Stress the connections among related terms.
Guiding Principle
Stress connections among unrelated terms.
Guiding Principle
“Silly Questions”
Would a hermit be gregarious?
Could a virtuoso be a rival?
– Beck & McKeown
Stress connections among unrelated terms.
Guiding Principle
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Tie new words to old knowledge.
Guiding Principle
“Comprehension is building bridges from the new to the known.”
– Pearson & Johnson
Provide brief, periodic review.
Guiding Principle
massedvs.
distributedpractice
Maximize the volume of reading that students do.
Guiding Principle
The Vocabulary Catch-22
Children need to learn more words to read well, but they need to read well to
learn more words.
McKenna, M.C. (2004). Teaching vocabulary to struggling older readers. Perspectives, 30(1), 13-16.
Minimize rote copying of definitions.
Guiding Principle
What are some research-based ways of teaching
vocabulary?
Some Research-Based Techniques
Read-Alouds Semantic Feature Analysis Other Charting Approaches Graphic Organizers Semantic Maps (webs) Word Sorts Word Lines List-Group-Label Possible Sentences
Read-Alouds
Semantic Feature Analysis
popinary
popinary
“a fry cook”
humans adult female
woman + +
man + o
girl o +
boy o o
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + o + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker + + + adult female
cooks fries makes bakesthings salads
popinary + o o
chef + + +
baker s + + adult female
Planets Moon/s Rocky Surface Rings
Mercury o + oVenus o + oEarth + + oMars + + oJupiter + o +Saturn + o +Uranus + o +Neptune + o +Pluto + + o
Graphic Organizers
A graphic organizer is a diagram that shows how key terms are
related.
What’s so great about them?
• They help kids “see” abstract content.• There is little to “read.”• They are easy to construct and discuss.• Technical terms can be taught in clusters.• They enhance recall and understanding.• They have an impressive research base.
Semantic Maps
(Word Webs)
Ben Franklin
Founding Father
Poor Richard’s Almanac
Electricity (kite)Philadelphia
Inventedbifocals
Daylight Savings
Word Lines
hot cold
hot tepid cold
hot tepid cold
sweltering
hot tepid cold
sweltering chilly
hot tepid cold
sweltering chilly
Word Sorts
thorax pupaabdomen antennaewing larvaadult headegg leg
Open Sort Categories are not given.
Closed Sort Parts Stages
thorax pupaabdomen eggwing larvahead adultlegantennae
Closed Sort Parts Stages
List-Group-Label
ListStudents brainstorm all the words they can recall at the end of a unit.
GroupStudents suggest logical ways to group the words.
LabelStudents suggest a label for each group they form.
ListStudents brainstorm all the words they can recall at the end of a unit.
GroupStudents suggest logical ways to group the words.
LabelStudents suggest a label for each group they form.
ListStudents brainstorm all the words they can recall at the end of a unit.
GroupStudents suggest logical ways to group the words.
LabelStudents suggest a label for each group they form.
no legs garterboa
venomcobra
fang scales
coral tail
rattlecopperhead
no legs garterboa
venomcobra
fang scales
coral tail
rattlecopperhead
no legs garterboa
venomcobra
fang scales
coral tail
rattlecopperhead
Kinds of Snakes garter boa copperhead cobra coral
Things Snakes Might Have rattle scales fang no legs venom tail
no legs garterboa
venomcobra
fang scales
coral tail
rattlecopperhead
Kinds of Snakes garter boa copperhead cobra coral
Things Snakes Might Have rattle scales fang no legs venom tail
Possible Sentences
1. Present a list of 8-12 words the students will encounter in the new unit.
2. Add a few familiar terms.3. Ask for sentences containing at
least two of the words.4. Teach the unit.5. Return to the sentences.6. Together decide whether they are
correct or can be edited to make them so.
Please suggest a sentence containing at least two of the following terms:
connotationword family
lexiconsyntactic clue
distributed practiceeponymtoponympopinary
What can we do to increasechildren’s vocabularies in
Title I schools?
1. Make vocabulary a schoolwide goal
Amend your plan.
Establish testable goals.
Raise consciousness.
Communicate expectations.
2. Provide professional development
Focus on research-based methods.
Ensure ties to actual materials.
Provide follow-up to aid implementation.
3. Establish teacher study groups
Organize groups by grade level.
Provide time for discussion.
Reward participation.
Encourage administrator participation.
Select resource books.
4. Consider supplemental and intervention programs
Tie their use to assessments.
Establish guidelines for use.
Locate product reviews.
http://oregonreadingfirst.uoregon.edu
http://www.fcrr.org
