Use These Strategies to Incorporate Great Vocabulary Instruction into Your Classroom!
Ten Important Words
Rationale: This strategy is designed to enrich students’ understandings of content-area vocabulary through a rich exploration of words and their connotations.
Materials Needed: Informational selection, sticky notes
Ten Important Words Procedure:
1. Provide students with an informational selection to read.
2. Each student selects the 10 words he/she judges to be most important to the selection and writes each word on a separate sticky note.
3. The teacher directs the students to post their words on a class bar graph, in which columns of words are built.
4. The teacher prompts whole group discussion about the words that were selected the most and why they were selected, the words that were only selected by a few students, and why those students selected them, and the significance of the words selected in relation to the text.
5. Students write a one-sentence summary of the text.
Plus (or Extension) Procedure:
6. Put students into groups (preferable 3 to 4 members in each group).
7. Give each student a task to perform with one of the cards selected on the bar graph. The task could be to find synonyms/antonyms of the word, generate as many sentences as possible with the word, or make a list of different forms of the word--astronomy, astronomer, astronomical.
8. Groups can select a new word from the bar graph to perform an activity with, or they could receive a different task to do.
Materials Needed: Informational selection, sticky notes
Ten Important Words Procedure:
1. Provide students with an informational selection to read.
2. Each student selects the 10 words he/she judges to be most important to the selection and writes each word on a separate sticky note.
3. The teacher directs the students to post their words on a class bar graph, in which columns of words are built.
4. The teacher prompts whole group discussion about the words that were selected the most and why they were selected, the words that were only selected by a few students, and why those students selected them, and the significance of the words selected in relation to the text.
5. Students write a one-sentence summary of the text.
Plus (or Extension) Procedure:
6. Put students into groups (preferable 3 to 4 members in each group).
7. Give each student a task to perform with one of the cards selected on the bar graph. The task could be to find synonyms/antonyms of the word, generate as many sentences as possible with the word, or make a list of different forms of the word--astronomy, astronomer, astronomical.
8. Groups can select a new word from the bar graph to perform an activity with, or they could receive a different task to do.
Vocabulary Triangles
In a vocabulary triangle, you make a triangle and place vocabulary words at each corner. Then the students should write a sentence on each of the lines connecting the words. They are to use both of the words at the corners in the sentence. By the time they have completed a triangle, they have practiced using all three words twice.
This activity is especially easy to modify for learners at various levels by the arrangement of the words. Another way to modify the activity is to allow higher-level students to write only one sentence in the middle of the triangle- using all three words correctly.
This activity is especially easy to modify for learners at various levels by the arrangement of the words. Another way to modify the activity is to allow higher-level students to write only one sentence in the middle of the triangle- using all three words correctly.
Donavan's Word Jar
Book Summary: Donavan is fascinated by words. They seem to leap out at him from books, signs, even the back of cereal boxes. He savors each word as he learns to say it and discovers its meaning. He keeps the words he collects on slips of paper in a big glass jar. But one day the jar is almost full and Donavan has a dilemma. How can he make room for new words without giving up all the terrific words already in his jar? A visit to his grandmother provides the unexpected solution in this heartwarming story about how important words can be.
Rational: This strategy will build students’ awareness of words and lead to a larger, stronger vocabulary.
Materials: Book: Donavan’s Word Jar, a large jar , slips of paper large enough for a word and definition to be written on.
Strategy: Read the book Donavan’s Word Jar either aloud or as a whole class. Draw attention to the way that the main character collects words and learns to use them. Show the class a large jar and explain that you thought it might be fun for them to try to collect words like Donavan. Students then contribute words from their independent reading or from things read in class. To submit the word they must include a definition. During the week we draw out a few words from the jar and have students define the word.
Rational: This strategy will build students’ awareness of words and lead to a larger, stronger vocabulary.
Materials: Book: Donavan’s Word Jar, a large jar , slips of paper large enough for a word and definition to be written on.
Strategy: Read the book Donavan’s Word Jar either aloud or as a whole class. Draw attention to the way that the main character collects words and learns to use them. Show the class a large jar and explain that you thought it might be fun for them to try to collect words like Donavan. Students then contribute words from their independent reading or from things read in class. To submit the word they must include a definition. During the week we draw out a few words from the jar and have students define the word.
All Day/Every Day
Read Aloud: Choose words from daily Read-Aloud and place on a chart or the board prior to reading. Provide student-friendly definitions, including any different meanings and examples of context. Have students do a quiet thumbs-up when they hear the word during the Read-Aloud. After Read-Aloud, have students turn and talk or do Think-Pair-Share regarding the word meaning within the context of the story.
Word Wall: Place words from Read-Alouds and other sources on your Word Wall. Make your Word Wall interactive! (see below)
Model: Use these words whenever possible throughout the day. Have students give you a silent signal when they hear you using one of the recently taught words.
Stretch: Consistently use words beyond students’ current knowledge and encourage inquiry and discovery within the context of your discussions.
Incentives: Give students incentives to use new words (correctly of course) in conversation or writing throughout the day.
Kids’ Choice: Allow students to introduce words from their independent reading for inclusion on the Word Wall and vocabulary activities. They can be words they know and want to share or words they don’t know and want to learn.
Amazing Phrases: Allow students to acknowledge beautiful language they find in their independent reading by writing the phrases on sentence strips and displaying them in the classroom. This can also be a group/partnership activity with picture books.
Content: When teaching math, science and social studies vocabulary, include Tier II vocabulary instruction along with the content-specific vocabulary.
Word Wall: Place words from Read-Alouds and other sources on your Word Wall. Make your Word Wall interactive! (see below)
Model: Use these words whenever possible throughout the day. Have students give you a silent signal when they hear you using one of the recently taught words.
Stretch: Consistently use words beyond students’ current knowledge and encourage inquiry and discovery within the context of your discussions.
Incentives: Give students incentives to use new words (correctly of course) in conversation or writing throughout the day.
Kids’ Choice: Allow students to introduce words from their independent reading for inclusion on the Word Wall and vocabulary activities. They can be words they know and want to share or words they don’t know and want to learn.
Amazing Phrases: Allow students to acknowledge beautiful language they find in their independent reading by writing the phrases on sentence strips and displaying them in the classroom. This can also be a group/partnership activity with picture books.
Content: When teaching math, science and social studies vocabulary, include Tier II vocabulary instruction along with the content-specific vocabulary.
Interactive Word Wall
Instead of simply placing words on your word wall...make them meaningful! Have your students create visual images that help them associate with a familiar part of the word.
Step One: Teacher introduces the word using rich instructional context.
Step Two: Students assign a color that helps them make a connection to the word's meaning (devastating = red; prestige = gold or silver). They create a card with the word and the color.
Step Three: Create a symbol that can represent the word (invincible = strong man with muscles)
Step Four: Students make connections to contexts and draw simple drawings that illustrate a situation relating to the meaning of the word.
Step Five: Place cards on the word wall and groups present their learning to the class.
(Harmon, Wood, Hedrick, Vintinner & Williford, 2009).
Step One: Teacher introduces the word using rich instructional context.
Step Two: Students assign a color that helps them make a connection to the word's meaning (devastating = red; prestige = gold or silver). They create a card with the word and the color.
Step Three: Create a symbol that can represent the word (invincible = strong man with muscles)
Step Four: Students make connections to contexts and draw simple drawings that illustrate a situation relating to the meaning of the word.
Step Five: Place cards on the word wall and groups present their learning to the class.
(Harmon, Wood, Hedrick, Vintinner & Williford, 2009).
Presentation PowerPoint
Click on the link to view the PowerPoint from our presentation at the North Carolina Reading Association State Conference, April 15, 2011:
| vocab_presentation_2.ppt |