VOCABULARY

GOOD READERS HAVE GOOD VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE.

To understand text, readers need to know the meanings of individual words.

HOW MANY WORDS DOES THE AVERAGE HS SENIOR KNOW?

45,000 17,000

2,562 to 26,000

More than 200,000

CONVENTIONAL DEFINITIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH. Context brings meaning

Vault

1.an arched structure, usually made of stones, concrete, or bricks, forming a ceiling or roof over a hall, room, sewer, or other wholly or partially enclosed construction. 2. an arched structure resembling a vault. 3. a space, chamber, or passage enclosed by a vault or vaultlike structure, esp. one located underground. 4. an underground chamber, as a cellar or a division of a cellar. 5. a room or compartment, often built of or lined with steel, reserved for the storage and safekeeping of valuables, esp. such a place in a bank. 6. a strong metal cabinet, usually fireproof and burglarproof, for the storage and safekeeping of valuables, important papers, etc.

(Dictionary.com)

CONVENTIONAL DEFINITIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH.

Burial chamber Gymnastics apparatus A popular drink The stadium at the University of Mississippi The ex drummer for Dark Lunacy A ribonucleoprotein found in biological cells Title of the first great hits album for Def

Leppard

LET’S TRY IT OUT. Are Between Consists Continuously Corresponding Curve Draws Variation Graph If Isolated known

Making Only Often With One Points Relation Set Table Values Variables

READ THIS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

“If the known relation between the variable consists of a table of corresponding value, the graph consists only of the corresponding set of isolated points. If the variables are known to vary continuously, one often draws a curve to show the variations.”

(From F.A.T. City)

WE NEED TO DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY TEACH WORD MEANINGS.

Introduce and activate word meanings Use a variety of contexts Provide multiple opportunities to learn words

in active ways Provide ongoing assessments

STRATEGY 1: TEACH AND TELL WORDS

A before reading or lecturing strategy

EXAMPLE WORD LIST

Crease Living desperately Overs Bowler Wicket Dismissed

EXAMPLE WORD LIST

Crease lines painted on the field Living desperately being reckless, dangerous Overs your turn at bat (6 balls) Bowler the person bowling (pitching) Wicket the wooden “stumps” at each end of

the pitching/batting area” Dismissed to end service, allow to leave

STRATEGY 2: TEACH CONTEXT CLUES

Restatement (direct definition) Apposition (an explanatory phase offset by a

comma) Comparison Contrast Synonym (same or nearly the same) Antonym (opposite or nearly the opposite) Example

STRATEGY 3: TEACH RELATIONSHIPS

Venn Diagrams

2nd word1st word

similarities

Games

Helpful Websites Puzzlemaker.com www.testprepreview.com/prefixes_suffixes.ht

m www.denver.k12.co.us/departments/secondar

y/tip.htm http://people.uncw.edu/sherrilld/edn356/note

s/analogies.htm Vocabulary.com

MAKE LEARNING ACTIVE!