Vocabulary:Defining Best Practice in

Reading First SchoolsPart 1

Georgia Reading First

Today’s Goals

Learn about how children acquire word meanings

Examine research findings on vocabulary instruction

Learn about vocabulary instruction during read-alouds

What are some ways elementary-school children learn new vocabulary?

What are some ways your teachers typically teach new vocabulary?

What is vocabulary? Speaking vocabulary Listening vocabulary Reading vocabulary Writing vocabulary General vocabulary Technical vocabulary Meaning vocabulary

Modality

Domain

50K

40K

30K

20K

10K

0

K 12

5,0001,500

45,000

17,000

“Vocabulary levels diverge greatly during the primary years, and virtually nothing effective is done about this in schools.” (p. 29)

Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 28-40). New York: Guilford.

Andy Biemiller

Oral vocabulary at the end of first grade is a significant predictor of comprehension ten years later.

Cunningham, A.E., & Stanovich, K.E. (1997). Early reading acquisition and its relation to experience and ability 10 years later. Developmental Psychology, 33, 934-945.

Four Obstacles to Acquiring a Large Vocabulary

1. The number of words in English is very large.

2. Academic English differs from the kind of English used at home.

3. Word knowledge involves far more than learning definitions.

4. Sources of information about words are often hard to use or unhelpful.

– Stahl & Nagy (2005)

How do we learn words from experiences?

gavagai

An aborigine points to a running rabbit and says “Gavagai.” Can you infer the word’s meaning?

Each encounter with a word helps a child narrow its meaning. For example, if he next hears the word gavagai used to refer to a sitting rabbit, the child will infer that running is not connected with the meaning.

Young children learn word meanings from one-on-one interactions with parents and siblings. These interactions may be rich or poor. Consider two examples based on Hart and Risley’s (1995) comparison of families of different socioeconomic levels.

Do I have to eat these?

Yeah.

Do I have to eat these?

Yes, because they have vitamins that will help you grow and get stronger.

“Motherese”

Echo student talk, using richer vocabulary.

I wrote this.

Wonderful. I hope you told me exactly what you saw on your trip to the zoo.

What are some strategies we can use to increase children’s access to rich oral language

during school?

What does it mean to know a word?

A Continuum of Word Knowledge

No knowledge

A vague sense of the meaning

Narrow knowledge with aid of context

Good knowledge but shaky recall

Rich, decontextualized knowledge,connected to other word meanings

A Continuum of Word Knowledge

No knowledge

A vague sense of the meaning

Narrow knowledge with aid of context

Good knowledge but shaky recall

Rich, decontextualized knowledge,connected to other word meanings

The Reading System (Adams)

Reading Writing Speech

MeaningProcessor

Phonological Processor

OrthographicProcessor

ContextProcessor

Lexicon

lexicon

That part of long-term memory devoted to word knowledge

How is a word stored in the lexicon?

cat

cat

/kat/

c-a-t

cat

/kat/4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

pet

cat

/kat/4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

animal

petlion

cat

/kat/

mammal

4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

animal

petlion

cat

/kat/

mammal

4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

animal

petlion

cat

/kat/

dog

mammal

4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

animal

petlion

cat

/kat/

dog

mammal

4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

animal

petlion

cat

/kat/

dog

mammal

4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

animal

petlion

Dual Coding Theory

Two systems are involved in learning words. One contains verbal information, the other non-verbal (images). When we learn a word, real-world images that we associate with the concept are also stored. Accessing a word in the lexicon therefore involves both the verbal system and non-verbal (imagery) system.

~ Moral ~When teaching new words, use pictures and other images where possible.

cat

/kat/

dog

mammal

4 legs

“meow”c-a-t

animal

petlion

The Nonverbal (Imagery) System

New meanings and even new pronunciations of a word may be added to a child’s lexicon over time.

produce

próduce

Raw veggies

prodúce

to make

Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 28-40). New York: Guilford.

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 •••

leanTo rest

oneobject againstanother

To rely on anotherperson

forsupport

Is wide reading enough?

Why Wide Reading Why Wide Reading Is Enough Is Not Enough

Vocabulary size andthe amount a child reads are correlated.

Direct instruction cannot possibly account for the number of word meanings children acquire.

Context is generally unreliable as a means of inferring word meanings.

Most words occur too infrequently to provide the number of exposures needed to learn them.

Marzano, R.J. (2004). The developing vision of vocabulary instruction. In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 100-117). New York: Guilford.

“There is no obvious reason why direct vocabulary instruction and wide reading cannot work in tandem.”

– Marzano (2004, p. 112)

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.

Perhaps one of the most important reasons why teachers need to pay attention to vocabulary is that vocabulary knowledge is cumulative. The more words you know, the easier it is to learn yet more words.

– Stahl & Nagy (2005)

What about context clues?

Four Types of Contexts

1. Directive (provides powerful clues)“Sue was talkative but Bill was taciturn.”

2. General (helps categorize a word)“She’d had measles, mumps, and varicella.”

3. Nondirective (offers very little help)“The dress was taupe.”

4. Misdirective (can be misleading)“He was huge, muscular, and adroit.”

– Beck & McKeown (2004)

Teaching Students about Context

Remind them that context does not always provide strong clues.

Remember that many students may have difficulty making inferences about words from context.

Model the process when possible.

– Beck & McKeown (2004)

Some Types of Semantic CluesDefinition The vole, a small rodent, has a short tail.Antonym Sue was adroit but Bill was clumsy. Synonym The soup was hot – scalding, in fact.Example Periwinkle was her favorite color.General The room was disheveled. Clothes and dirty

dishes were everywhere. Chairs were overturned, and trash littered the floor.

Series Would you like cake, peach pie, or a flan?Mood The day was dull and dark. Clouds hung low

and a feeling of melancholy was everywhere.Experience A pair of crows cawed raucously.Expression He was as famished as a bear.

Edwards, E.C., Font, G., Baumann, J.F., & Boland, E. (2004). Unlocking word meanings: Strategies and guidelines for teaching morphemic and contextual analysis. In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 159-176). New York: Guilford.

How do I know which words to teach?

Two characteristics that make a word inappropriate for teaching:

1. We can’t define it in terms that the students know.

2. The students are not likely to find the word useful or interesting.

– Beck & McKeown (2004)

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

“Goldilocks” Words– Stahl & Stahl, 2004

How intensive should vocabulary instruction be?

Three Types of WordsTo Teach

Graves, M.F. (1986). Vocabulary learning and instruction, In E.Z.Rothkopf (Ed.), Review of research in education (Vol. 13, pp. 49-91). Washington: AREA.

1. Words already in the student’s oral vocabulary, which he or she needs to learn to recognize in print.

These are words that a child needs to learn to decode or recognize by sight. (Stahl & Nagy, 2005)

2. Words not in the student’s oral vocabulary, but which are labels for concepts already familiar to the student.

The student may need to learn that apologize means to say one is sorry, or that elaborate means pretty much the same as complicated. These words may represent different shades of meaning from their synonym, but knowledge of the more frequent synonym will usually get a reader through a text containing that word. The different shades will be learned through continued exposure. Less intensive instruction may suffice. (Stahl & Nagy, 2005)

3. Words not in the student’s oral vocabulary that refer to concepts new to the student.

For example, the student may not know the word osmosis, or feudalism, or exponential. In such a case, it is not simply a matter of not knowing the word: The student is likely to be totally unfamiliar with the concept. In this case, a definition or other brief explanation is unlikely to help. Rather, a teacher would need to spend a great deal of time examining such concepts. (Stahl & Nagy, 2005)

Words in OralVocabulary

Known Concepts not Yet Associated with New Words

W3 W2 W1

Words in OralVocabulary

Known Concepts not Yet Associated with New Words

W3 W2 W1

Words in OralVocabulary

Known Concepts not Yet Associated with New Words

W3 W2 W1

Words in OralVocabulary

Known Concepts not Yet Associated with New Words

W3 W2 W1

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

Stimulus Response

truncate “to cut off”

“She truncated the lights.”

Combine definitions and contextual examples.

Guiding Principle

Minimize rote copying of definitions.

Guiding Principle

Introduce new words in related clusters.

Guiding Principle

wing

antennae leg

abdomen

thorax

In content areas, clustering words is natural!

Provide brief, periodic review.

Guiding Principle

To what extent does our core facilitate these guiding

principles?

What did the National Reading Panel conclude

about teaching vocabulary?

NRP Findings on Vocabulary

Teaching vocabulary improves general comprehension ability.

Preteaching vocabulary helps both word learning and comprehension of a selection.

Much vocabulary is acquired through incidental exposure.

Repeated exposures in a variety of contexts are important.

NRP Findings on Vocabulary

A combination of definitions and contextual examples works better than either one alone.

Many instructional methods can be effective in teaching vocabulary.

Instructional methods should result in active engagement.

Both direct and indirect methods should be used.

NRP Findings on Vocabulary

The more connections that are made to a word, the better the word tends to be learned.

Computer applications can be effective. The effectiveness of some instructional

methods depends on the age or ability of the children.

What the NRP said they didn’t know about vocabulary instruction

Which methods work best with students of different ages and abilities?

How can technology best be used to teach vocabulary? How is vocabulary best integrated with comprehension

instruction? What combinations of instructional methods tend to work

best? What are the best ways to assess vocabulary?

To what extent do you see these findings reflected in your core materials?

Read-Alouds

“Adding three root words a day is the average daily number of words learned by primary age children with the largest vocabularies.” (p. 37)

Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 28-40). New York: Guilford.

“Adding three root words a day is the average daily number of words learned by primary age children with the largest vocabularies.” (p. 37)

Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 28-40). New York: Guilford.

3 words x 140 days 400 words per year

Planning a Read-Aloud Choose engaging, well-illustrated books. A number of words should be unknown to about

half the students. Choose 3 target words that are important for

comprehension but likely to be unfamiliar. Keep track of the words you choose. Plan to repeat the read-aloud. Plan for small-group sessions (2-5 students). Plan multiple exposures in the days following.

Conducting a Read-Aloud Be “performance oriented”; read with expression. Include “rich, dialogic discussion.”

Activate prior knowledge. Link the story to experiences of students. Elicit responses from students.

Give direct, clear, and simple instruction in word meanings before the read-aloud.

Give a sentence context from the story in advance.

Discuss words before and after the story. Ignore rare words. (Biemiller) Embed quick definitions while reading. (Biemiller) Do not display pictures while reading (Beck et al.)

Storybook InterventionDay 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

Book 1

Intro &

1st Read-Aloud

Book 2

Intro &

1st Read-Aloud

Book 1

2nd Read-Aloud

Book 2

2nd Read-Aloud

Vocabulary

Activities

Coyne, M.D., Simmons, D.C., & Kame’enui, E.J. (2004). Vocabulary instruction for young children at risk of experiencing reading difficulties: Teaching word meanings during shared storybook readings. In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 41-58). New York: Guilford.

Three Read-Alouds per Day

Book InterruptionsNew Book None

Old Book 1 Some, to remind students of words

Old Book 2 Some, to remind students of words

Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann & E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 28-40). New York: Guilford.

Warning!

Spending too much time discussing read-alouds may detract from valuable reading practice.

– Stahl (1998).

Stay Tuned! We have many additional strategies to show you; today, though, we are

going to focus on vocabulary instruction tied to read alouds.