2. Questions to ponder about
vocabulary
What does it mean to “know a
word”?
What are the basic components of
word knowledge?
How can we address use, meaning,
and function in L2 vocabulary
instruction?
3. Facts About Vocabulary
Knowledge
Students’ vocabularies grow at an
astonishing rate
About 3,000 words per year, or roughly
7 to 10 new words per day
By the time students graduate from
high school, their vocabularies may
reach 25,000 words or more
4. Questions to ponder:
How many vocabularies do you
have?
What role does identity play in
vocabulary utilization?
How do school, family, and
community factors influence
vocabulary development?
5. Research:Facts about
Vocabulary
Vocabulary reflects prior knowledge
and concepts in a particular area
There is a strong relationship
between the knowledge of word
meanings (vocabulary) and reading
comprehension
6. More Research:Facts about
Vocabulary
How do children acquire vocabulary?
Through wide reading
From context (but need instruction)
With the aid of external resources such
as the dictionary
From direct instruction in vocabulary
7. ELL & English vocabulary
Learning English vocabulary is a
challenge for ELL students because
they are often learning the oral and
written forms of a word at the same
time.
8. ELL & English vocabulary
Students’ lack of English vocabulary
often adversely affects their reading
development in English.
10. Aspects about words
In order to really “know” or “own” a
word, students must
Recognize it,
Know its meaning, and
Understand its function
11. How and when to use direct
instruction
Teacher only a few
words central to
the content
Teach in
meaningful
contexts
Integrate with
activation and
development of
prior knowledge
12. How and when to use direct
instruction
Teach words
thoroughly by
offering rich &
varied information
about them
Expose words in
many ways
Actively involve
students in the
process of learning
13. Elements of vocabulary
development
Awareness of words (self-awareness
and motivation to learn words)
Wide reading and extensive writing
(self-selected reading and writing)
Independent strategies that lead to
vocabulary learning (direct
instruction and independent use)
14. Condition 1: Unfamiliar
words
Sight words. Students know the
word and what it means when they
hear someone say it, and can use it
orally, but they don’t recognize its
written form.
15. Condition: 2 Unfamiliar
word
New word. Students have a concept
related to the word, but they are not
familiar with the word itself, either
orally or in written form.
16. Condition 3: Unfamiliar
word
New concept. Students have little or
no background knowledge about the
concept underlying the word, and
they don’t recognize the word itself.
17. Condition 4: Unfamiliar
word
New meaning. Students know the
word, but they are unfamiliar with
the way the word is used and its
meaning in this situation.
18. Why do students have
difficulty with vocabulary?
They may not have the relevant
concepts as part of their background
knowledge
They may have a different label for
the targeted concept
They may have a somewhat
different meaning for the label
20. Stages of vocabulary
knowledge
I never heard/saw the word before.
(I have never before seen nor heard
the word Koran.)
I have heard/seen the word, but I
don’t know what it means. (I have
seen the word Koran in a news
article.)
21. Stages of vocabulary
knowledge
I recognize the word in context, or…
it has something to do with… (A
dowry has something to do with
money.)
I know the word. (Draconian is very
harsh or severe application of the
law.)
22. Goals of vocabulary
instruction
Teach independent vocabulary
learning
Teach concepts important for
comprehension
Create an environment that
promotes general vocabulary
development
23. Guidelines for vocabulary
instruction
Relate the new to the known
Promote active in-depth processing
Provide multiple exposures
Teach students to be strategic
24. Characteristics of good
direct vocabulary teaching
Short (limited to a few critical words
and concepts)
Connect explicitly to the actual text
students are to read
25. TEACHER BEHAVIOR
Link Relate students’ past experience with
present ones
Elaborate Add more information about the familiar
content, or suggest rewording
Input Introduce new vocabulary & reinforce
through constant use
Connect Tie new words to the activity or activity to
new words
Clarify Add examples, illustrations, or
descriptions
Question Stimulate thinking about terms through
questioning
Relate Show how new words compare w/ what
students know
Categorize Group new words, ideas, and concepts
Label Provide names for concepts, ideas, and
objects
26. Tiers of vocabulary focus
for lower grades
Function words
A, an, the (articles)
And, but, or (conjunctions)
At, into, over (prepositions)
Could, run,had snowed (auxiliary
words)
27. Tiers of vocabulary focus
for lower grades
Content words: having concrete
meaning
House, car, dog (nouns)
I, her, they (pronouns)
Hot, sticky (adjectives)
Then, neatly, suddenly (adverbs)
28. Tiers of vocabulary focus
for lower grades
Content-specific words: always having
specialized meaning within a
particular subject area, must be
learned within the context of that
area
29. Tiers of vocabulary focus
for upper grades
Basic words
Building blocks of everyday
language
Do not require specific instruction
except in the case of ELL
30. Tiers of vocabulary focus
for upper grades
General utility words
More complex terms may be used often in
speech but these words tend not to be
specific to any one subject area
Often involves instruction in common root
words and affixes
Can help readers to discover the meaning
of general-utility words
31. Tiers of vocabulary focus
for upper grades
Low-utility words
Words encountered less frequently
Found in a particular content
Should be introduced prior to
instruction
32. Types of vocabularies for
upper grades
Meaning Vocabulary
The sum total of a child’s understanding
of the meaning of words
Readers need to draw from this store as
they emerge into reading to learn
Readers draw known meanings and use
these to figure out new meanings as they
read
33. Types of vocabularies for
upper grades
Reading Vocabulary
Is gained when readers learn to
decode words whose meaning they
already know
Words are already in their meaning
vocabulary
34. Activity: Same word,
different meaning
Use the word “conductor” in three
different sentences that convey
three different meanings of the
word.
Use the word “staple” in two
different sentences that convey two
different meanings of the word.
36. Activity:Same word,
different meaning
How many definitions do you have
for the word “up”?
Write five sentences using the word
“up” in five different ways.
39. Activity:Same word,
different meaning
Look up at the moon.
Look up the word in the dictionary.
Lock up the car.
The drain is stopped up.
Sam said he’s tied up and can’t come.