Choosing, Introducing, and Using Words to Build Vocabulary during Read-Alouds

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Choosing, Introducing, and Using Words to Build
Vocabularyduring Read-Alouds

• Some ideas from
• Beck, I., McKeown, M., Kucan, L. (2002).
  Bringing words to life Robust vocabulary
  instruction. New York Guilford.

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Agenda

• Review Quiz 2
• Review Text-Talk Discussion Prompts from Homework
  
• Review Reading Guide and Connect to Activities
• Choosing Words
• Student Friendly Definitions
• Using/Engaging With Words
• Review Text-Talk Assignment

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Make Way for Ducklings 3

• Just as they were getting ready to start on their
  way, a strange enormous bird came by. It was
  pushing a boat full of people, and there was a
  man sitting on its back. Good morning, quacked
  Mr. Mallard, being polite. The big bird was too
  proud to answer. (pages 7-8)

Wheres the possible confusion? (inference
needed?) How will your questions encourage active
building of understanding?
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Text Talk Example 3

• Initial (0pen)
• Response
• Follow-up
• Response
• Follow-up
• Response

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Make Way for Ducklings 4

• I like this place, said Mrs. Mallard as they
  climbed out on the bank and waddled along There
  are no foxes and no turtles, and the people feed
  us peanuts. What could be better? But Look
  out! squawked Mrs. Mallard, all of a dither.
  Youll get run over! And when she got her
  breath, she added, This is no place for babies,
  with all those horrid things rushing about. Well
  have to look somewhere else.

Wheres the possible confusion? (inference
needed?) How will your questions encourage active
building of understanding?
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Text Talk Example 4

• Initial (0pen)
• Response
• Follow-up
• Response
• Follow-up
• Response

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Reading Guide 2Vocabulary
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Direct Rich Vocabulary Instruction

• What do Beck McKeown argue is problem with
  relying on word learning solely from context
  clues?
• What do they propose instead for explicitly
  teaching the meanings of words?

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Context cues CAN help, but not always

• Rebecca, come back and eat your Cheerios,
  theyre getting soggy.
• Rebecca (4 years old) inferred soggy meant sad
  and lonely. And then, she later used it in her
  own language
• I dont want to go to bed I feel soggy!
• When context clues do work, for every 100
  words, only learn 3-15 of them.

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How helpful are context clues? It depends

• Directive contexts likely to lead to correct
  inference about meaning
• Nora grew smaller and smaller and finally
  vanished. (disappeared)
• General contexts enough clues to infer the
  general category of meaning
• Brian said morosely, This miserable town will be
  the death of us! (bad, negatively but
  specifics are undefined)

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How helpful are context clues? It depends

• Non-Directive contexts little assistance in
  helping to define meaning
• Freddy look at the team members. Each looked more
  hapless than the next. (Happy? Untrained? But
  descriptive)
• Misdirective contexts direct to incorrect
  meaning of word
• John was exhilarated after his first
  experience mountain climbing.

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Choosing Words
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Choosing Words To Teach

• There are too many words to teach!
• Students encounter so many new words in reading,
  how could we teach them all?
• Not all words need attention
• Not all words should be treated equally
• What do Beck McKeown recommend?

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Choosing words to teach

• Tier One words Most basic words, rarely require
  instruction (cake, street, walk, jump)
• Tier Three words Words that are low frequency,
  or are domain specific (isotope, woof,
  peninsula), probably learned best when needed in
  content

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Tier Two words

• High frequency words for mature language users
• Words that would be found across a variety of
  domains
• Words that can be worked with in a variety of
  ways so that students can build rich
  representations of them and their connections to
  other words and concepts
• Words for which students understand the general
  concept, but would provide more precision in use
• e.g. astonished, coincidence, absurd, scrumptious
• Mad frustrated, angry, disturbed

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Choosing WordsTry it Out. Ruby the CopyCat

• Listen for examples of
• Tier 1 words
• Tier 2 words
• Tier 3 words

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Introducing Words
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Why dont definitions work?

• Weak differentiation Definition does not
  differentiate how the word is different from
  other words (e.g. conspicuous easily seen.
  How does that differentiate from visible?)
• Vague language (typical being a type)
• More likely interpretation Definition uses
  familiar words in unfamiliar ways (e.g. devious
  straying from the right course, not
  straightforward. Students could interpret as
  walking.
• Multiple pieces of information definition gives
  no help in how to integrate pieces (e.g. exotic
  foreign, strange, not native)

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What Works Better? Develop Student-Friendly
Explanations Two Key Strategies

• Characterize the word and how it is typically
  used
• Explain the meaning in everyday language

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Student-Friendly DefinitionsCharacterize the Word

• Explanation should be as particular as possible
  (When do I use this word particularly? Why do
  we have such a word?)
• Tamper Defined as, to interfere in a secret or
  incorrect way. Could be construed as meddling.
  Does not get at the idea of messing something up
  in a sinister way.
• Student friendly explanation to change
  something secretly so that it doesnt work
  properly or becomes harmful.

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Student-Friendly DefinitionsExplain Meaning in
an Everyday Way

• Ally Defined as, one associated with another
• What is association?
• Student friendly explanation somebody who does
  things with you
• Does that characterize ally?
• Doesnt get at main characteristic of helping in
  a common cause
• Better student friendly explanation Someone
  who helps you in what you are trying to do,
  especially when there are other people who are
  against you.

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Are the words too hard?

• If the words that you use to explain the target
  word to the students are too hard, the word is
  too hard.
• Will the students be likely to use the word in
  their day-to-day lives? If not, choose a
  different word.

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Explaining Word MeaningsNotice. Lesson Plan
Ruby the CopyCat

• Try It Out
• Make Way for Ducklings
• Enormous Delighted
• Develop student-friendly definitions for each
• Characterize the word and how it is typically
  used
• Explain the meaning in everyday language

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Word Study Concepts for Deepening Meaning
(Stronger differentiation)

• 1. mult meanings to run fast a run in my
  stocking
• 2. synonyms cold frigid, freezing, chilly
• 3. Etymology dilemma trilemma
• 4. antonyms loud soft, subdued, silent
• 5.figurative language as sly as a fox
• 6. homonyms right write dear deer

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Using Words Activities for Building Vocabulary

• Students interact with the words

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Beck McKeownTeaching Vocabulary

• Start with instructional materials/books choose
  words that are important for comprehension
• Multiple exposures
• Breadth of information
• Actively engage with word by thinking and
  processing deeply
• HOW DO WE DO THAT??

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Overheard Conversations
Unique Monotone Extraordinary Peculiar
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Example - Nonexample
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Word Lines

• How much energy does it take to
• Flex your little finger?
• Thrust a heavy door shut?
• Embrace a teddy bear?
• Beckon to someone for five straight hours?
• Seize a feather floating through the air
• Least energy _____________ most energy

How would you rank these personally?
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Shades of Meaning
How would you rank these? Confidant Ally
Friend Acquaintance
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Using WordsConnecting to Ruby the CopyCat

• Do you see ideas for teaching in the Lesson Plan?
• When might you use this word
• Examples/NonExamples
• Word Lines

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More Activities for Using Words and Word Study

• Students interact with the words

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Thinking Deeply About WordsIdea Completions

• Provide students with stem that require them to
  integrate a words meaning into a context in
  order to explain a situation
• The audience asked the virtuoso to play another
  piece of music because
• The skiing teacher said Maria was a novice on the
  ski slopes because

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Interacting with Words Situations Examples

• If you are walking around a dark room, would you
  do it cautiously? Why? What are some other
  things that need to be done cautiously?
• What is something you could do to impress your
  teacher? Why? What is something that might
  impress your mother?
• Which of these things would be extraordinary?
  Why or why not?
• A shirt that was comfortable or a shirt that
  washed itself?
• A person who has a library card, or a person who
  has read all the books in the library?

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Thinking Deeply About WordsHave You Ever ?

• Helps students associate new words with contexts
  and activities from their own experiences
• Describe a time when you might urge someone?
• Describe a time when you might banter with
  someone?
• What would make you gleeful?

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Thinking Deeply About WordsApplause, Applause!

• Students are asked to clap in order to indicate
  how much they would like (not at all, a little
  bit, a lot) to be described by the target word.
  Why do they feel that way?
• How much would you like to be known as aleader?
  a tyrant? a princess?

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Thinking Deeply About WordsWord Associations

• Associate a new word when presented with a word
  or phrase
• Words accomplice, virtuoso, philanthropist,
  novice
• Which word goes with crook?
• Which word goes with gift to build a new
  hospital?

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Interacting with Words Making Choices

• If any of the things I say might be examples of
  people clutching something, say clutching. If
  not, dont say anything.
• Holding tight to a purse
• Holding a fisful of money
• Softly petting a cats fur
• If any of the things I say would make some one
  radiant, say, Youd be radiant. If not, dont
  say anything.
• Winning a million dollars
• Getting a hug from a favorite movie star
• Walking to the post office

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Thinking Deeply About WordsRelating Words

• See whether there is anything about the words
  that is related.
• Create an activity to relate the words.
• Reluctant, insisted, drowsy might be demonstrated
  by facial expressions
• Create a sentence using all words Would you
  prefer to budge a sleeping lamb or a ferocious
  lion? Why?
• Ask students to choose between two words If you
  get your clothes ready to wear to school before
  you go to sleep, would that be sensible or
  raucous?

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Thinking Deeply About Words Use the Same Format
for Words

• If you satisfy your curiosity, do you need to
  find out more or have you found out all you need?
  Why?
• If a dog was menacing, would you want to pet it
  or move away? Why?
• If you wanted to see something exquisite, would
  you go to a museum or a grocery store? Why?

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Thinking Deeply About Words Classifying

• What makes something a mammal?
• Hair
• Warm-blooded
• Milk to young

• What makes something a reptile?
• Skin?
• Cold-blooded
• Shape of head

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Thinking Deeply About Words Classifying

• Mammals
• People
• Cats
• Dogs
• Lions
• Mice
• Whales

• Reptiles
• Snakes
• Alligators
• Dinosaurs
• Lizards

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Teaching words in semantic groups

• Bad People
• Villain
• Malefactor
• Burglar
• Embezzler
• Miscreant
• Cad
• Rogue
• Scoundrel

• Red
• Crimson
• Scarlet
• Pink
• Blush
• Ruby
• Sanguine
• Carmine

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Thinking Deeply About WordsUsing the Words in
One Context

• What would an immense plate of spaghetti look
  like?
• Would you feel miserable after you ate all that
  spaghetti? Why or why not?
• What would it look like to eat the spaghetti in a
  leisurely way?

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Possible Sequence for Introducing Vocabulary

• Contextualize the word for its role in the story
  (The bears were astonished when .)
• Ask the children to repeat the word to gain a
  phonological representation (Say the word with
  me, astonished.)
• Explain the meaning of the word (Astonished
  means you are really surprised or shocked at
  something.)
• Provide examples other than the one used in the
  story (Someone might be astonished to see a tree
  grow up to the ceiling right in front of their
  eyes.)
• Children provide their own examples. (Tell me
  about something that would astonish you. Try to
  use the word when you tell about it. You could
  start by saying, I would be astonished____.)
• Children say the word again to reinforce its
  phonological representation (Whats the word
  weve been talking about?)

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Try It OutMake Way for Ducklingsenormousdeli
ghted
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Homework

• Read Words Their Way Ch. 2 Spelling Stages of
  Spelling Development
• Due March 27 (next Thursday)
• Text-Based Discussion on Ruby The Copycat
• Elementary Spelling Inventory (WTW, p. 319) Bring
  to class