Introduction Vocabulary Instruction Vocabulary Strategies Reading to Learn Strategies Look Ahead

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1 Introduction A film is made up of still images flashed in rapid succession to simulate movement. Slow down the film, and the movement and meaning slows and the film's impact is diminished. Viewers won't learn as much about the film as if it were shown at normal speed. With the reading the same thing can happen. When a person reads word by word, like frame by frame, they are not reading on the level of ideas. You need to read on some level that's more conversational and allows things to coalesce into ideas themselves. Doug Evans, Director of Instruction, Institute of Reading Development Overview In the last session, you examined the three interactive elements of reading, the importance of metacomprehension in the process of reading, and strategic teaching. In this session, you will use these concepts and apply them to vocabulary strategies that you will be able to implement into your instruction. Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: Discuss the importance of incorporating vocabulary instruction into your teaching practice. Reflect on how you will implement a vocabulary strategy, what words will be used with that strategy, and how the strategy will address the role of the reader, climate, and text structure. Write a plan for how you will implement two vocabulary strategies in your classroom instruction in the Reading to Learn Strategies Chart. If you haven't done so already, print the Assignment Checklist to keep track of your assignments for this session.

2 Vocabulary Instruction Research conducted in the past few years reveals that vocabulary knowledge is the single most important factor of reading comprehension. The question most teachers ask is, "Which approach to vocabulary instruction is most practical?" Considering that the estimated number of words in printed school texts is around 85,000, it is obvious that it would be impossible to teach all words directly. However, studies indicate that most words appear very infrequently in written material. That makes the wide reading approach (an assumption that the more students read, the more words they are exposed to) insufficient, if used on its own. Key Ideas in Vocabulary Instruction Read "Vocabulary," which discusses key ideas in vocabulary instruction. As you read, think about the articles you have already read in this course that discuss vocabulary. Think about everything you know about vocabulary instruction and the criteria you use to decide which words to teach. Read "Reading Instructional Handbook: VOCABULARY" and consider how your stance on vocabulary instruction may have changed. Engage in an online discussion about vocabulary instruction by responding to the following scenario in the discussion forum: Imagine a colleague in your school asks you why you are teaching vocabulary to your students. She remarks that there is no point in teaching vocabulary words to her students because she doesn't have enough time to cover the curriculum and her students never remember the words after they have completed the unit anyway. How would you respond to your colleague? Remember to refer to the readings and strategies presented in this session to support your response. As you complete the rest of the readings and assignments for this session, you should go to the discussion forum at least two or three times to continue the discussion. Refer to the discussion forum rubric to review the expectations for participating in online discussions in this course.

3 Vocabulary Strategies Think about words that students tend to have difficulty with. These words most likely represent concepts that they are unfamiliar with. Students frequently have difficulty making connections with text unless they already have some prior knowledge in place. The four strategies in this section will help your students access prior knowledge, clear up misconceptions, and have a framework to refer to when they encounter new words. These strategies take considerable time to develop and to teach, and are intended for challenging vocabulary words. (Remember that you will probably not want to use these strategies with words students need to know at a superficial level). Explore Vocabulary Strategies The following strategies are designed to help students read and understand narrative texts: 1. The Frayer Model helps learners develop their understanding of concepts by studying them in a relational manner and can be used before, during, or after reading. Students analyze a word's meaning by listing its characteristics and providing examples and non-examples. It is important to include examples and nonexamples of words so students are able to identify what a concept is and what a concept is not. This helps students refine their understanding and gives them the chance to use information from their own lives to help them identify attributes of the word. See an example of a Frayer Model and explore the Frayer Model interactive. 2. A Student VOC is a type of semantic map that helps readers activate and draw on prior knowledge, recognize important components of different concepts, and see the relationships among these components. It can be used before, during, and after reading a text selection. See an example of a Student VOC. 3. A semantic map is a visual tool that helps readers activate and draw on prior knowledge, recognize important components of different concepts, and see the relationships among these components. It can be used before, during, and after reading a text selection. See an example of a semantic map. 4. Word sorts (Gillett & Temple, 1983) help students recognize the semantic relationships among key concepts and can be used before, during, or after reading. Students are asked to sort vocabulary terms into different categories. The strategy can be used in two different ways. In a "closed sort," the teacher provides the categories into which students are to assign the words. In an "open sort," students group words into categories and identify their own labels for each category. Word sorts help students develop a deeper understanding of key concepts, and also are an excellent method of teaching the complex reasoning skills of classification and deduction. Review an example of a Word Sort and explore the Word Sort interactive. Reflect on the four vocabulary strategies presented in this session (Frayer Model, Student VOC, Semantic Mapping, or Word Sort) and respond to the following questions in your online journal:

4 Chose a vocabulary strategy you would use in your classroom. Describe when and how you would use your chosen strategy. How will the strategy address the reader, climate, and text structure? How could you decide which vocabulary words you could use with this strategy? Differentiated Instruction We know that understanding vocabulary is crucial to comprehension. The following articles offer examples of strategies you can use with students that will help them gain that comprehension. "Vocabulary: Students with Special Needs Considerations." This article explores the concept of introducing new vocabulary through context in order to yield better results than teaching new vocabulary one word at a time. "The Clarifying Routine: Elaborating Vocabulary Instruction." This article, by Edwin S. Ellis of the University of Alabama and Theresa Farmer from the Oak Mountain Intermediate School in Birmingham, Alabama, explores techniques of elaborating definitions of new terms. "What Research Says About Vocabulary Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities." This article from the Council for Exceptional Children summarizes published research on vocabulary instruction involving students with learning disabilities.

5 Reading to Learn Strategies Assignment (to be completed during Sessions 3-5) Complete the Reading to Learn Strategies Chart for some of the strategies in the course. At this point, you will select two vocabulary strategies from Session 3 for your chart. You may use our template or create your own chart in a word processing document. You will submit the Reading to Learn Strategies Chart to your facilitator at the end of Session 5. You may refer to the Reading to Learn Strategies Chart rubric to review the expectations for completing this assignment. Technology Tip There are many engaging online games you can use with your students to promote vocabulary acquisition. If you enter the term, "vocabulary game" in a search engine, you will find multiple sites to explore. Look for games that enable you to insert your own words and that encourage the learners to actively solve the meaning of the word. Remember to preview the game carefully before using it with students. Explore the Flip-a-Chip interactive game from for an example of a vocabulary game that is part of strategic vocabulary instruction. Additional Resources (not required) Frayer Model This Longwood University site offers a printable Frayer Model worksheet and a walk-through of each step involved in the process. Florida History Strategies: Frayer Model This overview of the Frayer Model process is from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Just Read Now! Frayer Model This page from Just Read Now! offers an in-depth look at the steps of the Frayer Model and additional "Learn More" links. Just Read Now! Student VOC Strategy

6 This page from Just Read Now! offers an in-depth look at the steps of the Student VOC Strategy and additional "Learn More" links. Student VOC Strategy: Visual Representation Strategy for Vocabulary Acquisition This step-by-step overview of the Student VOC Strategy is from the University of Tennessee. Multisensory Vocabulary Instruction: Guidelines This article from Reading Rockets provides guidelines for multisensory vocabulary instruction. Citations Billmeyer, R., & Barton, M. L. (1998). Teaching reading in the content areas: If not me, then who? (2nd ed.). Aurora, CO: Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory. Pennsylvania Department of Education. (1997). The Pennsylvania system of state assessment: Reading instructional handbook. Revised edition. Harrisburg, PA: Author.

7 In this session, you began working on your Reading to Learn Strategies Chart. You will use this chart to complete your final project in Session 6. If you have questions about the final project, this is a good time to ask your facilitator. In Session 4, you will examine narrative and informational text strategies that can be incorporated into the content area classroom. You will continue to work on your Reading to Learn Strategies Chart PBS. All rights reserved.