Improving Content Area VOCABULARY Knowledge Using Academic Word Walls (AW2)

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Improving Content Area VOCABULARY Knowledge Using
Academic Word Walls (AW2)

• The Memphis Content Literacy Academy (MCLA)
• Session 4, Fall 2008

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National Reading PanelsBig Five

• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• Vocabulary
• Reading Comprehension
• Reading Fluency

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3 Vocabulary

• Recognizing and understanding written vocabulary
  is essential to reading texts in science,
  mathematics, social studies, and the
  English/Language Arts. (Fountas Pinnell, 1996
  Reutzel Cooter, 2005, 2008).
• Children who come to school with thousands of
  words in their headwords they can hear,
  understand, and use in their daily livesare
  already on the path to learning success
  (Allington Cunningham, 1996).
• Similarly children who have small listening,
  speaking, and reading vocabulariesmust receive
  immediate attention if they are to have any real
  chance at reading success.
• -- National Research Council, 1998 Johnson,
  2001 Reutzel Cooter, 2005

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There Are Four Types of Vocabulary

• Listening vocabulary, the largest, is made up of
  words we can hear and understand. All other
  vocabularies are subsets of our listening
  vocabulary.
• The second largest vocabulary, speaking
  vocabulary, is comprised of words we can use when
  we speak.
• Next is our reading vocabulary, words we
• can identify and understand when we read.
• The smallest is our writing vocabulary,
• words we use in writing.

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Principles of Effective Vocabulary Instruction
Principle 1 Vocabulary is learned best through
direct, hands-on experience. Principle 2
Teachers should offer both definitions and
context during vocabulary instruction. Principle
3 Effective vocabulary instruction must include
a depth of learning component as well as a
breadth of word knowledge. Principle 4 Students
need to have multiple exposures to new reading
vocabulary words.
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What is an Academic Word Wall (AW2 )?

• Academic Word Walls or AW2 are a new
  research-based procedure created in the federally
  funded Memphis Striving Readers Project for
  middle schools serving high poverty students.

Source Tarasiuk (2007)
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What is the purpose of Academic Word Wall (AW2 )?

• Based on the work of Patricia Cunningham (2000),
  AW2 focuses students attention on important
  subject area words, and provide students with
  multiple exposures to new vocabulary.

Source Tarasiuk (2007)
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Why Academic Word Walls (AW2 )?

• AW2 help teachers accomplish the following
• increase students retention of new words,
• improve their comprehension of assigned readings,
  and
• boost writing performance on state tests and
  other measures.

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How many exposures to new words do students need
to learn them by heart?
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Whats wrong with traditional vocabulary
instruction in academic classes?
Vocabulary study can be an effective means of
improving students comprehension, but according
to research reading comprehension is not
affected when students are provided word
definitions alone. reading comprehension is not
affected when methods are used that provided two
or less meaningful exposure to words.
Stahl, S.A, Fairbanks, M.M. (1986).
The effects of vocabulary instruction A
model-based meta-analysis. Review of Educational
Research, 56, pp. 72-110.
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Dictionary definitions can contain unfamiliar
vocabulary
Agriculture the science or occupation of
cultivating the soil, producing crops, and
raising livestock.
Q Which of the above words would be hard for
your students?
-Websters intermediate dictionary -McKeown, M.G.
(1985). The Acquisition of word meaning from
context by children of high and low ability.
Reading Research Quarterly, 20,
pp.482-496. -Scott, J.A., Nagy, W.E. (1997).
Understanding the definitions of unfamiliar
verbs. Reading Research Quarterly, 32, pp.
184-200.
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Many textbook publishers still rely on
traditional activities such as writing
definitions, matching, and fill-in-the blanks
activities that theresearch does not support.
-Harmon, J. M., Hedrick, W. B., Fox, E. A.
(2000). A content analysis of vocabulary
instruction in social studies textbooks for
grades 4-8. The Elementary School Journal, 100,
pp. 253-271
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Glossary definitions arent all that helpful
either

• Agriculture the business of farming

nor is context sufficient for struggling
readers Agriculture, or the business of
farming, was the major way of life in the English
colonies.
-McKeown, M.G. (1985). The Acquisition of word
meaning from context by children of high and low
ability. Reading Research Quarterly, 20,
pp.482-496. Harmon, J. M., Hedrick, W. B., Fox,
E. A. (2000). A content analysis of vocabulary
instruction in social studies textbooks for
grades 4-8. The Elementary School Journal, 100,
pp. 253-271
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When should we use an Academic Word Wall (AW2 )?
AW2 should be used for teaching ALL essential
vocabulary in your subject area (about 5 words
per week). Since AW2 is a FLEXIBLE tool that can
be used for a variety of student vocabulary
activities, you should consider using it as a
regular part of your daily teaching. Most
activities only take 5-15 minutes!
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What words in our units of study should we
include on the Academic Word Wall?
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Levels of Word Knowledge (National Reading Panel)
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MATERIALS NEEDED FOR AW2

• A pocket chart and easel
• ALTERNATIVE TO POCKET CHART A blank section of
  the classroom wall, a blank bulletin board, or a
  large white board Large sheets of butcher paper
• Card stock (approx. 5 x 8 each) for writing
  individual academic words, or sentence strips
• Colored markers (dry erase markers for white
  boards)
• Text and supplemental readings for your required
  unit of study

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Source region2.dadeschools.net
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Guidelines

• Add words gradually, five a week
• Make words very accessible by putting them where
  every student can see them, writing them in big,
  black letters, and using a variety of background
  colors so that the most often-confused words
  (there, their what, when) are different colors
• Be selective about what words go on the wall,
  limiting additions to those really common words
  which children use a lot in writing
• Practice those words by chanting and writing them
  
• Do a variety of review activities to provide
  enough practice so that words are read and
  spelled instantly and automatically
• Make sure that Word Wall words are spelled
  correctly in any writing students do.

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Here are some AW2 activities you might try
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Password

• Divide the class into two teams. One person from
  each team sits in a chair in front of the class.
  Those two people receive a card with a vocabulary
  word. The first person gives a one-word clue to
  his/her team. If no one from the team can guess,
  the second person gives a clue to his/her team.
  This alternates back and forth until someone from
  one of the teams guesses the word, or until a
  specified number of clues has been given.

Source Kathleen S. Cooter (2008). E
kcooter_at_bellarmine.edu
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 Drawing Pictures

• This works well if you have an empty classroom
  nearby. Divide the class into two groups. Give
  each one a list of vocabulary words (idiomatic
  expressions also work well for this). The
  students draw pictures - but no words - on the
  board so that the students in the other group can
  guess the words or expressions they're trying to
  represent. This is a fun way to review some
  vocabulary and break up the class routine.

Source Kathleen S. Cooter (2008). E
kcooter_at_bellarmine.edu
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Academic Word Walls- Tic-Tac-Toe

• Materials Chalkboard or paper with the
  tic-tac-toe board drawn on it
• Word Cards
• Divide the class into Xs and Os teams. Write
  words in the tic tac toe spaces. Take turns
  having a member of the team come up and selecting
  a space to read. If he is correct, they may put
  an X or O for their team. If they are incorrect,
  the other team gets to send a player to the board
  to try the same word. You can keep score if you
  want. You can already have these boards made up
  on overhead transparencies to save time and keep
  the game moving if you are using a variety of
  words, like the sight word list.
• You can also give everyone a blank copy of the
  tic tac toe board, and put the list of words on
  the board. Have them place the words where they
  want in their board. As you call the words out,
  you will have to say if it is an X word or an O.
  The first one to tic tac toe is the winner.

Source Kathleen S. Cooter (2008). E
kcooter_at_bellarmine.edu
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Tic-Tac-Toe Example
Heptagon
Algorithm
Parallel Lines
Isosceles Triangle
trapezoid
Tangent
Diagonal
Decahedron
Rhombus
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Scrambled Scientific Words
http//education.jlab.org/

1. LDODI
2. AMOT
3. CEISNEC
4. MABE
5. RAKUQ

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Unscrambled

1. SOLID
2. ATOM
3. SCIENCE
4. BEAM
5. QUARK

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Word Sorts

• Students group their words/cards into different
  categories with common features. During an open
  sort, students determine ways in which their
  vocabulary can be groups. This type of sort
  engages students in higher levels of thinking and
  processing. During a closed sort, students know
  in advance the categories in which they must
  place their cards.

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Rapid Reading

• Research tells us that fluency can and should be
  practiced with familiar words.
• Have pairs of children work together.
• One child uses a pointer and goes down or across
  the column. The other child reads.
• Or the child can take a copy of the word wall
  home and practice fluency with their family put
  words on the word refrigerator!

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HANGMAN
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X
Y Z
What word is this?
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Mind Reader

• Mind Reader a class favorite! In this game, the
  teacher thinks of a word on the wall and then
  gives five clues to that word. Have students
  number their paper 1-5 and tell them that you are
  going to see who can read your mind and figure
  out which of the words on the board you are
  thinking of. Tell them you will give them five
  clues. By the fifth clue, everyone should guess
  your word, but if they read your mind they might
  get it before the fifth clue.
• For your first clue, always give the same clue
  Its one of the words on the academic word
  wall.
• Students should write next to number one the word
  they think it might be.
• The second clue is It has to do with our solar
  system.
• Student writes word.
• The third clue is It is very cold.
• Student writes word
• The fourth clue is It has a tail.
• Student writes the word.
• The fifth clue is There are many legends about
  these occasional visitors.
• I know you all have word next to number 5, what
  is it? But who has it next to number 4?, 3?, 2?,
  1? Some students will have read your mind and
  have it. Do several words in the same manner. As
  students get familiar with this activity they
  like to be the person giving the clues and having
  their mind read.
• Adapted from Cunningham, P.M. (1999). The
  Teachers Guide to the Four Blocks.
  N.C.Carson-Dellosa.

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Guess the Covered Word

• The purpose of this activity is to help children
  practice the important strategy of cross-checking
  meaning with letter-sound information.
• The teacher writes 4 or 5 sentences on board,
  sentence strips, or overhead. Cover a word in
  each sentence with two sticky notes--one covering
  the onset, the other covering the rime.
• Call on a student to read the first sentence.
• Students make several guesses for the covered
  word. Teacher writes the guesses on the board.
• The teacher takes off the first sticky note that
  is covering the onset.
• Guesses that dont begin with that onset are
  erased and any new guesses can be added.
• When all the guesses which fit both the meaning
  and the onset are written, the whole word is
  revealed.
• Adapted from Cunningham, P.M. (1999). The
  Teachers Guide to the Four Blocks.
  N.C.Carson-Dellosa.

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Word Searchhttp//puzzlemaker.school.discovery.co
mhttp//www.puzzles.ca/wordsearch.html

• Create a Word Search worksheet to each student
• Teacher chooses 5 words from the word wall.
• As teacher calls out word, students chant and
  write on blank at bottom of worksheet.
• When each word is found, trace around it with a
  colored pencil, pen or marker or use a
  highlighter to highlight the word found.
• Adapted from Fountas, I.C. Pinnell, G.S. (1998)
  Word Matters. N.H. Heinemann.

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Flashlight Fun

• Turn out the lights.
• Say this poem together with the class
  Flashlight, flashlight, oh so bright, Shine on
  a word with your light.
• Shine the flashlight on individual words for the
  class to read, chant, and volunteer a definition
  in their own words.
• Adapted from Gruber, B. (1998). Instant Word Wall
  High Frequency Words. CAPractice Learn Right
  Publications.

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Analogies

• Using AW2 words create a variety of analogies
  such as Defeat is to battle as failure is to
  _______. with the word to fill the blank from
  the list.
• The student can then come up with their own
  analogies and discuss their thinking.
• Online Resource www.freevocabulary.com/

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Frayer Model(http//www.worksheetworks.com/miscel
lanea/graphic-organizers/frayer.html)
Char
Characteristics glassy clear colored brightly
colored evenly shaped patterened glimmer, sparkle
Definition A solid made of atoms arranged in
an ordered pattern.
Crystals
Examples metals rocks snowflakes salt sugar
Non Examples coal pepper lava obsidian
Frayer, D., Frederick, W. C., and Klausmeier, H.
J. (1969). A Schema for Testing the Level of
Cognitive Mastery. Madison, WI Wisconsin Center
for Education Research.
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Literacy is the gateway to social justice for our
children- Kathleen Spencer Cooter

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Teacher Resources

• Fisher, D., Brozo, W.G., et al. (2007). 50
  Content area strategies for adolescent literacy.
  Columbus, OH Merrill/Prentice-Hall/Pearson.
• Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J. (2005). Building
  academic vocabulary Teachers manual.
  Alexandria, VA ASCD.
• Reutzel, D.R., Cooter, R.B. (2007). Strategies
  for Reading Assessment and Instruction Helping
  Every Child Succeed, 3rd Ed. Upper Saddle River,
  NJ Prentice-Hall.
• Reutzel, D.R., Cooter, R.B. (2008). Teaching
  children to read The teacher makes the
  difference, 5th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ
  Merrill/Prentice-Hall/Pearson.