Vocabulary Building

1
Vocabulary Building

• Chapter 8 READ 4251
• DeVrie text
• Dr. Elaine Roberts

2
What Teachers Need to Know about Building
Vocabulary

• How proficient readers enrich their vocabulary
• How to assess vocabulary
• How to build struggling readers vocabulary

3
Factors Influencing a Childs Vocabulary

• Life experiences
• Vicarious experiences (videos, TV, movies,
  CD-ROMs, Internet, books, etc.)
• Direct instruction

4
Five Ingredients for Direct Instruction of
Vocabulary

• Words must be learned in context
• Words must be related to previous knowledge
• Words must be fully understood so students can
  use them in new situations
• Students need to use, hear, and see the words
  repeatedly
• Teachers need to enjoy learning new words

5
Assessment of Vocabulary

• Informal assessment
• Cloze tests
• Maze tests
• Zip tests
• Formal assessment
• Standardized achievement tests
• Group diagnostic tests
• Individual diagnostic reading tests

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Lucy Calkins Twist on Vocabulary from her books,
The Art of Reading and The Art of Writing

• Students profit from read alouds, book talks,
  book introductions with geared towards rehearsing
  and talking about words and concepts in a book
• Pronounce unknown word and replace it with a
  synonym that works in the same sentence (build
  webs of words that are synonyms)
• Hang onto meaning and take a stab at the
  meaning from context through life experience
  related discussions
• Students benefit more from extensive reading with
  vocabulary discussions related to authors style
  rather than kill and drill
• The dictionary is for use after students try the
  above

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Graphic Organizer Demonstrating a Hierarchy of
Word Relationships
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What Does This Checklist Reveal about Students
Vocabulary?
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Language Experience Approach (LEA) for Vocabulary
Instruction

• Reading, writing, and the other language arts are
  treated as interrelated
• Childrens experiences are used as the basis for
  the material used in reading and writing
• Share an experience with students
• Discuss what they have experienced
• Use technical terms during this discussion
• Serve as a scribe for students as they create
  webs about the experience
• Have the students dictate sentences about the
  experience
• Write the text in the exact way the students
  dictate it
• Have the students read the passage
• Discuss sentences that are awkward and change
  them
• For vocabulary instruction, have the students
  dictate a passage that includes new words and
  then read it

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Variations of the LEA

• Wordless books
• Science experiments
• Listening walk
• Schoolyard safari
• Cloud formations
• Object descriptions

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Strategies for Vocabulary Building

• Categorizing
• Possible Sentences
• Analogies
• Exploring word origins
• Crossword puzzles
• Synonym/Definition Concentration
• Wordo
• Concept of a Definition

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Strategies for Vocabulary Building (cont.)

• Scattergory
• Multiple Meaning Race Track
• Hink pinks
• Dictionary guide words
• Locating the correct dictionary definition
• Anticipation Guides (Voc and Comprehension)
• Personal Clue Cards

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Possible Sentences Based on New Vocabulary
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Literature Circles Enhance Vocabulary and
Comprehension

• Heterogeneous groups read a book of interest and
  make connections, debate and challenge each
  other, and ask open ended questions student
  centered
• Teacher is the floating facilitator and is
  usually not a member of any group
• First, model and practice the literature circle
  roles with emphasis on grand conversations for a
  week with student tryouts
• Daniels six roles (role sheets are online)
• 1. Artful Artist
• 2. Word Wizard (Word Id and Vocabulary)
• 3. Discussion Leader (themes, style, etc.)
• 4. Dramatic Reenactor (quotes, favorite parts)
• 5. Story Elements Correspondent (characters,
  place, plot, etc.)
• 6. Personal Connector

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Activity for the Literature Circle Strategy

• Select members for the Literature Circles
• Assign roles for the members of each circle
• Assign reading to be completed by the circles
  inside or outside of class
• Select circle meeting dates
• Help students prepare for their roles in their
  circle
• Act as a facilitator