VOCABULARY - DIRECT INSTRUCTION

There are 5 key components to effective reading instruction, according to the National Reading Panel 2000:

1. Phonemic Awareness

2. Phonics

3. Fluency

4. Vocabulary

5. Comprehension

All 5 components should be part of your reading instruction on a daily basis, in all grades K-5. Based on the grade level you teach, the month of the school year, and day of the week more or less emphasis will be given to each of the 5 essential reading components.

VOCABULARY AND READING COMPREHENSION

The focus of this blog is VOCABULARY. The science of reading and other recent research has proved that the key to reading comprehension is a large, wide ranging vocabulary and background knowledge.

I can attest to this.

In my position as an instructional specialist working with all students grades K-5, we have students who decode fluently and read any word you put in front of them.

HOWEVER, they are unable to answer comprehension questions based on complex text because they don’t have the vocabulary and background knowledge to relate to the content. 

The students with the highest Lexile levels and proficiency scores on standardized assessments are avid readers. Those who choose to read a wide variety of genres, exposing them to a wide range of content and vocabulary are able to use context clues to determine the meanings of unknown words and make accurate inferences.

OUR BIGGEST VOCABULARY MISTAKE

The biggest mistake we make as teachers is to rely on instructional text and naturally occurring text as the sole way students learn new vocabulary.

Students are exposed to new vocabulary in instructional text during reading, math, social studies, and science. 

Students see new vocabulary while independently reading and hear new vocabulary when teachers read aloud in class.

The problem is that for a student to remember a new word and make it part of their own vocabulary, they must be exposed to that word MULTIPLE times.

According to Bringing Words to Life by Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, students should be exposed to a word between 10-15 times over a period of time before they commit it to memory (some students will need up to 30 exposures to a word).

Therefore, vocabulary instruction needs to be INTENTIONAL and DIRECT!

INTENTIONAL AND DIRECT INSTRUCTION - ONE WEEK PLAN

Gone are the days of having students look up words in a dictionary to learn their meanings.  Dictionaries have their value, but not as the primary resource to determine word meaning.

Dictionary definitions are not kid-friendly and are more about condensing meaning into an 8 point font so that multiple words can fit on a printed page. 

The following strategies can be used at any grade level to introduce, reinforce, and review new vocabulary words in the classroom. 

Determining the types of words to use for direct instruction is a different blog topic. For the upcoming example, we will use a lesson about words to describe when something tastes good.

EXAMPLE:

In a kindergarten class, students are reading a decodable story about Jim who likes the taste of jam. Vocabulary instruction in kindergarten is focused on increasing students’ oral vocabulary, so that they can use the words by sound spelling in their writing and when they eventually see the words in print, they can read them and understand them.

Mom had jam for Jim

“Stop at the log for the jam, Jim,” said Mom.

Jim had to stop at the log for jam.

Jim liked the jam.

EXAMPLE:

In a 4th grade classroom, the students are reading non-fiction text about foods from Mexico. In both classes, students can learn words to describe the tastes of food and when it tastes good (or not). Vocabulary instruction in older grades focuses on increasing vocabulary for oral language, reading comprehension, and effective writing.

Determine in advance the words you want to introduce to students and intentionally reinforce:

DELICIOUS, FLAVORFUL, APPETIZING, SCRUMPTIOUS, YUMMY

Even if students know some or all of the words, intentional instruction will show them how to properly use each word and how to NOT use each word. Words often have shades of meaning. For example: flavorful and appetizing can have different meanings depending on their use.

STEP ONE - VOCABULARY DIRECT INSTRUCTION

Introduce the words you want the students to learn. Provide them with student-friendly definitions along with examples of the words used in context. Giving students a visual and having them create a visual of their own is also essential.

Break the words apart phonetically, by syllables, and for older students discuss spelling rules and word origin.

STEP TWO - VOCABULARY DIRECT INSTRUCTION

For the next 3-4 days, provide students with intentional opportunities to use the new vocabulary words in their speech, reading, and writing (differentiated by grade level).

For the decodable text in kindergarten, when rereading the story of Jim and the Jam, have each student expand the final sentence using one the words. Be sure the word is used correctly with the proper sentence structure. 

Jim liked the jam and said it tasted delicious.

Jim liked the flavorful jam.

Find opportunities to use vocabulary words in class. The first student to hear a word and call it out, gets recognition. Switch it up and reward students for using the new words.

This is when it can be useful to have students look up the words in a dictionary. They can identify the part of speech. Compare the dictionary definition to the student-friendly definition provided by the teacher. They can even come up with their own revised definition.

Students can complete a quick write activity about eating a new food and must use each of the new vocabulary words in their response. 

STEP THREE - VOCABULARY DIRECT INSTRUCTION

You should give a quick assessment to see which students have an accurate understanding of each word and its proper usage. This can be as simple as having students use the words in a sentence either verbally or written. Provide CLOZE sentences that they must complete with the correct word. 

IN CONCLUSION (CLOSURE, TERMINATION, CULMINATION)

Vocabulary instruction doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be intentional!

If we rely on students’ independent reading (or parents reading to them at home), exposure to words through read alouds and content (social studies and science), our students WILL NOT learn all of the vocabulary needed to access complex text and for effective written communication.

So what are you waiting for? Go get your VOCAB on!!