Incorporating Vocabulary Routines �For English Language Learners
“One of the most persistent findings in reading research is that the extent of students’ vocabulary knowledge relates strongly to their reading comprehension
and to their overall academic success.”
What does this mean for students? ...for teachers?
Is this a challenge or an opportunity?
Incorporating Vocabulary Routines for ELLs
Teachers will be able to:
Workshop Presentations
• Single, best predictor of school success.
• Closely associated with intelligence and knowledge.
Why is Vocabulary
SO important?
How does this impact ELLs?
Do I have to eat these?
Yeah.
Yes, because vegetables have vitamins that will help you grow and get stronger.
It is now well accepted that the chief cause of the achievement gap between socioeconomic groups is a language gap.
~Hirsch, 2003
Meaningful Differences
The 30-Million Word Gap
Hart & Risley
Children from advantaged homes had been exposed to about 5 times more words than children from the lowest income homes.
The Reciprocal Hypothesis
“The Matthew Effect”
Reading more
gives you a bigger
vocabulary
Having a bigger
vocabulary makes
you a better reader.
Being a better reader
makes it possible for you to read more.
Students who read independently for at least 10 minutes per day have substantially higher rates of vocabulary growth than those who do very little independent reading.
Oral comprehension typically places an upper limit on reading comprehension;
if you don’t recognize and understand the word when you hear it,
you also won’t be able to comprehend it when reading.
Read the excerpt from the text provided.
Underline potential vocabulary words that may need explicit instruction for your ELLs.
Read the excerpt from the text provided.
Underline potential vocabulary words that may need explicit instruction for your ELLs.
Read the excerpt from the text provided.
Underline potential vocabulary words that may need explicit instruction for your ELLs.
Read the excerpt from the text provided.
Underline potential vocabulary words that may need explicit instruction for your ELLs.
Is vocabulary knowledge more like a light switch or a dimmer switch?
Tell your partner
what you think.
Kate Kinsella
“…knowing a word is not an all-or-nothing proposition; it is not the case that one either knows or does not know a word.
Rather, knowledge of a word should be viewed in terms of the extent or degree of knowledge that people can possess.” Beck & McKeown, 1991
What does it mean to “know” a word?
What does it mean to “know” a word?
Levels of Knowing a Word
Rate your level of word knowledge:
galumph
tyranny
surreptitious
dubious
blithely
1. I have never seen or heard the word.
2. I have heard it but I am not sure what it means.
3. I have an idea of what it means and can vaguely explain it or
connect it to a concept.
4. I know the word well and can define and use the word correctly.
Definitions
galumph- to move with a clumsy heavy tread
tyranny- oppressive power
surreptitious- acting clandestinely, secrecy, stealth
dubious- doubtful outcome
blithely- happy, lighthearted, casual
How many words are in the English language?
What constitutes a single entry?
What counts as English?
So, how many words do we need to know?
A Vocabulary Riddle� How many words do we need?���
To comprehend what we read, at least 95% of the words must be recognized automatically.
How is this possible given the number of words in English?
Why not teach all the unknown words in a text?
Here are 3 reasons.
(Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001)
They didn’t know that word.
Can you think of a particular word that you were surprised to find your students didn’t know,
or
that you had difficulty getting students
to learn, despite instruction?
Please share your experience with a partner.
The most obvious feature of a complex text is the presence of rare words. Core vocabulary consists of a relatively small group of words that does the heavy lifting in English. Around 4,000 word families account for an average of 90% of the words in the majority of texts. A word family is a group of words connected with inflected endings and affixes, such as certify, certified, certifying, certifies, certification, and certificate. Unlike core vocabulary, rare vocabulary (i.e., the other 10% of words) comes from an enormous bank of words—at least 85,000 unique families of words. In English, the more common a word, the greater the likelihood that it will have multiple meanings and functions. Words in the core vocabulary are prominent in both narrative and informational texts. In narrative texts, rare words are usually synonyms that give a new label to a known concept (blissful=happy). Rare words in informational texts can represent unfamiliar content within a network of complex concepts where the ideas are interconnected, but not synonyms.
Build students’ awareness of how words work by teaching word families, affixes and parts of speech (nouns/verbs, adjectives/adverbs, tenses, singular/plural, etc…)
In stories, some of the words may be new to students but many of the concepts such as shouting (represented in a text by shrieked, yelled, and cried) are not new to students. Lengthy discussions or hands-on activities are not needed to understand the concept of shouting. What students need to learn is how a variety of words can be used to describe different degrees (tepid, warm, hot, piping hot, steaming, sizzling) or nuances (pretty, glamorous, stunning). These words carry different connotations when we encounter them in a text.
Knowledge of Words - and the World
by E. D. Hirsch
Comprehension won’t improve unless we also pay attention to building our students’ word and world knowledge.
We can teach comprehension strategies (main idea, summarizing, drawing conclusions) but the point of a comprehension strategy is to activate the student’s relevant knowledge in order to construct a situation model. If the relevant prior knowledge is lacking, conscious comprehension strategies cannot activate it.
More than vocabulary knowledge is needed to understand most texts.
To make constructive use of vocabulary, the reader also needs a threshold level of knowledge about the topic being discussed- what we call “domain knowledge.”
Activate Prior Knowledge?
Build Background�Fill in what they don’t know.
What prior knowledge (experience) is needed?
Is there a cultural schema?
What background (world) knowledge is needed?
What background (world) knowledge is needed?
What prior knowledge (experience) is needed? (Is there a cultural schema?)
What prior knowledge (experience) is needed?
Is there a cultural schema?
What background (world) knowledge is needed?
How do we teach vocabulary?
What the research says…
Vision Trumps Everything
Two systems are involved in learning words:
verbal + non-verbal
linguistic + nonlinguistic
From the part of the brain that processes sensory information, 68% of neurons are dedicated to vision, more than the other four senses combined.
When teaching new words, use images where possible.
Recommendations for Vocabulary Instruction
From The National Reading Panel (2000)
1. Make time for both incidental and explicit instruction.
Incidental Teaching:
Intentional Teaching:
1- Explicit Instruction in Word Learning Strategies:
A. Morpheme Analysis
B. Contextual Analysis
C. Dictionary Use
D. Cognate Awareness
2- Explicit, direct instruction
of specific words in a text
In small groups, read the assigned section on word-learning strategies.
Create an anchor chart or poster to present to your colleagues, summarizing the key points and recommendations for the strategy.
Include a non-linguistic representation- a symbol,
picture, icon or image.
Word
Learning
Strategies
Morphology | Context Clues |
Dictionary Use | Cognate Awareness |
Elephant : Elefante
Yes, you can TEACH students to use Context Clues!
Word Learning Strategies:
Definition | Definition is in the sentence | |
Example�Illustration | An example or illustration is provided | |
Contrast | Word is compared or contrasted with another word in the sentence | |
Logic | Reader thinks about the rest of the sentence to understand | |
Root Words�Affixes | Reader uses knowledge of roots and affixes to determine meaning | |
Grammar | Reader uses word’s function in sentence or part of speech | |
Definition | Definition is in the sentence | Mary retained, or kept, the deed to her mother’s house. |
Example or�Illustration | An example or illustration is provided | Toads and frogs are predators that hunt and eat spiders. |
Contrast | Word is compared or contrasted with another word in the sentence | Her sisters were thin, but Tiffany herself was quite obese. |
Logic | Reader thinks about the rest of the sentence to understand | Owls are mainly nocturnal, but other birds of prey hunt during daylight hours. |
Root Words�Affixes | Reader uses knowledge of roots and affixes to determine meaning | People who are afraid of spiders have arachnophobia. |
Grammar | Reader uses word’s function in sentence or part of speech | In order to increase in size, spiders must form a new exoskeleton. Most spiders molt five to ten times. |
Context Clues
I stood over the miserable bird for what seemed a twelvemonth, pleading with God to make its wings fall silent. Begging His forgiveness for so injuring a creature that had shown me no malice; no threat to my person or prosperity.
Morphology
The study of word structure and its meaningful parts
Word Learning Strategies:
Vocabulary Word | rejection |
Definition | to refuse, to send back, the state of being refused |
Prefix + definition | re = back, again |
Root Word + definition | ject = throw |
Suffix + definition | -tion = state of |
Your own definition | You don’t want something you bought so you return it to the store |
Root Word Matrix
Core vocabulary consists of a relatively small group of words that does the heavy lifting in English.
Around 4,000 word families account for an average of 90% of the words in the majority of texts. A word family is a group of words connected with inflected endings and affixes, such as certify, certified, certifying, certifies, certification, certificate, and certifiable.
Build students’ awareness of how words work by teaching word families, affixes and parts of speech (nouns/verbs, adjectives/adverbs, tenses, singular/plural, etc…)
Morphology
Exactly
Quietly
Carefully
Hardly
Wildly
Forcefully
Finally
Willingly
Particularly
Care + ful + ly
Force + ful + ly
Will + ing + ly
Elephant : Elefante
Complicated : Complicado
Family : Familia
Director : Director
Hospital : Hospital
Develop Cognate Awareness
Word Learning Strategies:
Cognates:
Do you know these words?
Animales
Conciencia
Direcciones
Circulos
Agonizaba
Suficiente
Injusticia
Perdon
Colonizacion
Criatura
Persona
Prosperidad
Durante
Decision
Diferente
Voluntariamente
Excentricidad
Escapaba
Dictionary Use
In today’s modern age, should we still teach and use dictionaries?
Should hard copy dictionaries still be used over online dictionaries?
What are the barriers and benefits to dictionary use in the classroom?
What role will dictionaries have in your classroom?
Can you coordinate with the ENL, ELA or Library Specialist to offer a “Dictionary Mini-Workshop”
as an “extra credit” for students who need it?
Word Learning Strategies:
Student-Friendly Explanations
Dictionary Definition
Attention -
45
The Cobuild Dictionary: based on real examples of English - the type of English that people speak and write every day.
If you clamber somewhere, you climb there with difficulty, usually using your hands as well as your feet.
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English uses 2000 common words in the definitions to make understanding easy. The 9000 most important words to learn are highlighted with three red circles ●○○ and the most common meanings of a word are shown first. In addition, 88,000 example sentences are pronounced by British or American native speakers of English.
Collocations: words commonly found together
Save time Make progress
Pay attention Fast food
Crystal clear Heavy traffic
2. Pre-teach carefully selected key vocabulary from the text to be used in the lesson.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/total-physical-response-vocabulary
Select a few key words
Pre-teach words using:
Choosing words to teach explicitly.
Be intentional and strategic when choosing words to teach explicitly.
Recommendations for Vocabulary Instruction
3. Choose words that are most useful for both frequency and breadth of use across content areas.
Life Cycle of the Butterfly: Three Tiers of Vocabulary
What are the Tier 1, 2 & 3 words?
pupa butterfly larva
cycle adult wings
document change chrysalis caterpillar record observe
metamorphosis egg first, next, finally
The Three Tier Test
Tier 1-
Tier 2-
Conceptual Complexity: Will a visual be enough?
Can you easily form an image of it in your mind?
Can you easily imagine a picture without context?
Is it tangible or perceivable through the senses?
Will an image be enough?
The degree to which understanding the target word requires an understanding of related words and concepts (how many other words do I need to know?
Rating Complexity of Vocabulary�Diane August
| Imageability | Concreteness | Relatedness |
| | | |
monument | | | |
extend | | | |
festive | | | |
anticipate | | | |
Crouched The boy had been crouched so long that his legs had fallen asleep beneath him—but he dared not move now. | Verb to lower your body to the ground by bending your legs, sometimes to avoid detection or to defend oneself. Spanish definition | |
Creature For here, in a small clearing in the frostbitten forest, were the creatures he had waited so long to see. | Noun -something created either living or lifeless -an imaginary or very strange kind of animal Spanish definition | |
Clearing For here, in a small clearing in the frostbitten forest, were the creatures he had waited so long to see. | Noun an open area of land in which there are no trees Spanish definition | |
Rifle He bit down on his lip to keep his teeth from chattering, and aimed his father’s flintlock rifle exactly as he’d been taught. | Noun a gun that has a long barrel and that is held against your shoulder when you shoot it Spanish definition | |
Beneath The boy had been crouched so long that his legs had fallen asleep beneath him—but he dared not move now. | Preposition Below, under, a lower position Spanish definition | |
Thrash The head hung at an unnatural angle— dragged across the ground as the bird continued to thrash. | Verb to move or toss about violently Spanish definition | |
Gamify It!
“Block Party”
(front-load and predict)
Jeopardy
Heads Up
Pictionary
Charades
Taboo
Scattergories
4. Active engagement in activities of
listening, speaking, reading and writing,
allows students to develop a deep
understanding of word meanings,
connections to other words
and to their own experiences.
How can we be intentional and strategic?
SPEAK
WRITE
READ
LISTEN
Deep Processing Activities for
Active Engagement
Illustrate
True/False
Cloze Activities
Analogies
Ranking
Categorizing
Act out a skit
Compare / Contrast
Write a Poem
Boggle Game
Metaphors
Word Associations
Semantic Gradients
Graphic Organizers
5. Repetition and multiple exposures are important.
An ELL needs explicit vocabulary instruction and at least 12 (meaningful, authentic) production opportunities to own a word.
Semantic Mapping connecting words that tend to “live” together
grieving
grieve, grief
(deep sadness)
sad
miserable
sorrow
bitterest agony
tears
injustice
Venn Diagrams
Compare & Contrast
Life in Mexico
vs
Life in America
First,
start with
Examples and
Non-Examples.
Next, list
characteristics,
attributes,
elements
features…
Non-
example?
What it is NOT.
An opposite
or antonym
Leave the
definition
for last.
Using Graphic Organizers as a Visual
for Word Mapping Strategies
The Frayer Model
This technique challenges students to define target vocabulary and apply their knowledge by generating examples and non-examples, giving characteristics, essential elements, and/or drawing a picture to illustrate the meaning of the word.
TIP: For ELL students, FIRST start with characteristics, examples and non-examples, and leave the “definition” for last.
scrumptious
Foods that are scrumptious?
…to a cat?
…to a mouse?
…to a baby?
Yummy
Delicious
Tasty
Foods that are
not scrumptious:
Use student-friendly definitions, examples and illustrations!
conflict
Semantic Feature Analysis:� Help students to understand the meaning of selected vocabulary words, group vocabulary words into logical categories and analyze the completed matrix
Rock | Formed by fire | Formed by heat + pressure | Formed by other rocks |
granite | + | - | - |
limestone | - | - | + |
slate | - | + | - |
coal | - | - | + |
Math Example:
Semantic Feature Analysis:� Help students to understand the meaning of selected vocabulary words, group vocabulary words into logical categories and analyze the completed matrix
Semantic Feature Analysis
of Abe’s Character Traits
| fear | courage | eccentric | remarkable | conscience |
Abe as a boy | | | | | |
Abe as a man | | | | | |
Abe-politician | | | | | |
Abe- vampire hunter | | | | | |
Word
Walls
How do you use word walls?
PWIM: Picture-Word Inductive Model
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxTmXI8r3IE �Article:https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/ideas-for-english-language-learners-labeling-photos-sequencing-passages-and-more/
Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
https://explicitinstruction.org/video-elementary/elementary-video-7/ (K)
https://explicitinstruction.org/video-secondary-main/secondary-video-3/ (6th)
Recommendations for Vocabulary Instruction
Kindergarten
Sixth Grade
Anita Archer’s �Steps to Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
Kate Kinsella’s Steps to Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
Narrowing the Language Gap: The Case for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
A Scholastic Professional Paper By Kevin Feldman & Kate Kinsella
Robert Marzano
Six Step Process for Teaching Academic Vocabulary
DESCRIBE: Provide a description, explanation, or example
(verbal or non-linguistic picture) of the new term.
RESTATE: Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words. (including home language).
REPRESENT: Ask students to create a picture, symbol, or graphic of the word.
ENGAGE: students in activities that help them add to their knowledge
(active engagement in listening, speaking, reading and writing)
DISCUSS: Ask students to discuss the terms with one another.
PLAY: Involve students in games that allow them to play with terms.
Vocabulary Lesson Planning Worksheet�Let’s Practice
What Doesn’t Work…
What does work?
What are your Take-Aways?
Thank you for participating!
Please fill out a feedback form.
Whether you think you can,
or you think you can’t,
you’re right.
~ Henry Ford
Tech Tools:
Communicate and Translate https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1bWSSVBlSGJX5zpdDYuwdAT6L1PhthM1e
Google Translate
Reverso
Tips for teaching Pronunciation-
Newsela
Rewordify
Times in Plain English
Unique Words
Generative Vocabulary (Freddy Hiebert: www.TextProject.org )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7CH1zI9xyo
http://www.textproject.org/about/events/oregon-reading-association-winter-institute-2014/