1. EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER REGION 2
Teaching Vocabulary
An Effective Use of Instructional Time
Corpus Christi, TX April 6, 2009 Time—measured in just minutes—spent on
vocabulary instruction correlates with growth in
reading comprehension
MAKING ACADEMIC ENGLISH – Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986 (a meta-analysis of vocabulary
studies at varying grade levels)
MORE ACCESSIBLE
Susan M. Ebbers
susan@readingway.com
www.readingway.com Ebbers, 2009 2
Big Ideas for Developing Vocabulary
Get a Grip on Learning
Get a Grip on Academic Texts
• Verbalize Words
– enunciate, discuss Academic Words
• Relate Words
Morphologically
– build networks
Complex Words
• Enjoy Words
– overcome apathy, intimidation
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Morphologically Complex Words
Academic Words
Morpheme: The smallest unit of meaning in a word
unlocking has 3 morphemes: un-lock-ing
• Used primarily in school or other formal settings
biographers has 4 morphemes: bio-graph-er-s
– Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are
less likely to hear this language at home Common Morphemes:
• low SES
word root: inspector, phonics
• non-English (or non-standard English)
• less exposure to those with post-secondary education base word: unlikely light house
prefix: re-, un-, dis-
suffix: -able, -ive, -ly
} affixes
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2. derivation Unveiling
•A word formed from an existing word, root, or Academic
affix, having a derivational suffix English via
Morphology
tract (Latin root, meaning to pull)
•tractor, traction, attractive, intractable, etc.
morphology
•The study of the structure of words as it
relates to meaning. It is structural analysis.
•Morphology may also include the study of
word history: etymology.
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• Poor comprehension in middle school is
frequently due to limited vocabulary, including
academic words “Nearly half of incoming freshmen
cannot read their textbooks fluently”
(e.g., August & Shanahan, 2006; Buly & Valencia, 2003; Carlo,
2005; Stahl & Nagy, 2006; Stanovich, 1986)
(Carnegie Corporation, 2002)
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Butler et al. (2004) Describe Academic Words Developmental Progression
in 5th Grade Math, Science, and Social Studies Inflection, Compound, Derivation
base words boy, farm, cold
• Low frequency words, rare words
<11 exposures per million words (Zeno et al., 1995) boys, farmed, farming, colder, coldest
inflections
• Words with ≥ 3 syllables
• Derivations—a linguistics-morphology term
compound words boyfriend, farmhouse, coldhearted
• Nominalizations
derivations boyish, boyishly, boyhood,
farmer, Farmington
(Anglin, 1993; Berko, 1958; Tyler & Nagy, 1989; Wysocki & Jenkins, 1987)
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3. Derivational Suffixes That Mean “one who”
Derivational Suffixes
Academic, Abstract, and Challenging
Derivational suffixes can change the part of speech
-ist --or --ian --er --eer
• words ending with –ion (-sion, -tion) are often nouns
(station, distraction, consideration)
scientist governor librarian teacher engineer
• words ending with –ive are often adjectives
pianist mayor dietician painter mountaineer (creative, aggressive, sensitive)
• words ending with –ity are often nouns
cartoonist senator politician leader pioneer (simplicity, purity, inferiority)
• words ending with –ment are often nouns
(inducement, enrollment, impediment)
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Inflection or Derivation? Morphological Development
(The base word is act.)
Morphology studies demonstrate that English-speaking children
generally understand inflections and compounds before they
actor acts acted understand derivations. For diverse learners, derivational
morphology continues to be an obstacle through high school.
action activate acting
deactivation activity actress
(Anglin, 1993; Berko, 1958; Carlisle, 1995; Carlisle & Fleming, 2003;
Derwing, 1976; Derwing & Baker, 1979, 1986; Freyd & Baron, 1982;
Selby, 1972; Tyler & Nagy, 1989; Wysocki & Jenkins, 1987)
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Prior Studies: The “Wug Test” Prior Studies: Anglin, 1993
Fifth-Grader (p. 100)
Jean Berko-Gleason, 1958 What does the word treelet mean?
Boston OK. Maybe it means like a tree and maybe like for
This is a wug. Christmas you can put lights on it…
12 adults, 86 children
Can you tell me anything more about treelet?
preschool and 1st grade Is it [spelled] –let or –lit?
Actually, it’s l-e-t.
Now there is another one. I’m not sure about this, but it might mean a baby tree…
There are two of them.
There are two ____.
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4. Research with Compounds and Related Words Build Compound Words
Build, Invent, Describe
Word cards Real word Invented word
At-risk second-grade readers failed
to understand the meanings of green drop doghouse horsedog
compound words and did not
recognize related word (e.g., quick, light night
quickly, quicksand, quicken)
fly horse
(Nagy, Berninger, Abbott, Vaughan, &
Vermeulen, 2003) dog flash
rain fire
What would you call grass
where bees like to hide? house coat
beegrass or grassbee?
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White, Sowell, and Yanagihara (1989) found that 20 Most Frequent Prefixes in School Texts
third-graders who were given training on the nine 1. unable 11. preheat
most common prefixes and a strategy for
2. review 12. interview
decomposing words into roots and suffixes
outperformed a control group on several measures 3. inedible (immobile, 13. forewarn
illegal, irresponsible)
of word meaning. 14. derail
4. distrust
They concluded that teaching at least the top nine 15. transfer
5. enlighten (empower)
prefixes (if not all twenty) to middle school 16. supersonic
students would pay dividends in increased 6. nonsense
17. semicircle
vocabulary learning. 7. inside (implant)
18. antifreeze
8. overload
19. midterm
9. misguide
20. underfed
10. submarine
Ebbers, 2009 21 American Heritage Dictionary Ebbers, 2009 22
Peel Away the Affixes
Will the Real Prefix Please Stand Up?
multifaceted
prefix re- not prefix re-
reheat many
red
return reheat red
read
rebuild The diamond was multifaceted;
rewind it had many faces or sides.
rest
rescue
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5. Word Play Develops Morphological Awareness
Morphological Awareness
Morphemic Analysis, Context Clues, and Cognates
Are these real words? What might they mean?
The greatest benefit from instructional time spent on
ugsome
word study can be gained from exploring roots,
prefixes, suffixes, and networks of related words. malductive
vincible
Henry,1997
subjacent
triskaidekaphobia
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Frindle
by Andrew Clements
“…vocabulary instruction needs to be more 5th grade chapter book
explicitly metalinguistic—that is, word One boy’s determination
consciousness is an obligatory, not an to express free speech through
optional, component” word invention
Nagy, 2007, p. 54 etymology
Johnson’s Dictionary
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A Morphemic Word Wall Spanish: A Latinate Language
Speak it, Change it Significant Gains for Both ELL and EO in Fifth Grade
A challenging curriculum:
un = not, opposite
•teaching about words
I am… kind
predictable unpredictable
unkind
•teaching academic words
I act… kindly
predictably unkindly
unpredictably •creating awareness of polysemy
•strategies for inferring word meaning from context
I show… kindness
predictability unpredictability
unkindness
•morphological and cross-linguistic tools
Carlo, August, McLaughlin, Snow, Dressler, C., et al., 2004
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6. When students are aware of Spanish-English cognates,
they resolve vocabulary tasks more effectively. Pictures and English-Spanish Cognates
Nagy, Garcia, Durgunoglu, & Hancin-Bhatt, 1993
corrosion rodent erosion
Uncover and Discuss
False Cognates
Examples:
insect/insecto, observe/observar
Most Spanish words that end in -ción can be translated
into English by changing the suffix to "-tion"
–constitución means "constitution"
–nación means "nation" corrosión roedor erosión
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Some Common Spanish Words
Correspond to an Academic English Word
(Bravo, Hiebert, & Pearson, 2007)
Latin CommonSpa Common
root Scholarly English
nish English
arbor árbol arbor, arboretum
tree
avis ave avian, aviary, aviation
primus primero prime, primary, primer
luna luna lunar, lunacy, lunatic
Teachers and students benefit from resources for
necessitas necesitar necessity, necessary
accessing the cognate (e.g., Spanish)
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Academic Texts are Filled with Students skilled in morphemic
Morphologically Complex Words and contextual analysis have
the potential to increase their
vocabulary breadth and depth
About 60% of the word meanings in printed school
English in grades 3-9 might be inferred through substantially.
knowledge of their morphemes, in context (Edwards, Font, Baumann, & Boland
(2004) in Baumann & Kame ’enui, p. 161)
(Nagy & Anderson, 1984)
Efficacy inconclusive, if promising, for severe
reading disability (Deacon, Parilla, & Kirby, in
press; Reed, 2008)
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7. Outside-In Strategy
Outside-
Outside-In Strategy
Outside- pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
1. Look outside the word at context clues. 1. Look outside the word at context clues, visuals
The coal miners, coughing and wheezing, suffered from
2. Look inside the word for meaningful word parts. pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
3. Combine the clues. Use the analogy strategy. 2. Look inside the word for known word parts:
pneumono ultra microscopic silico volcano coni osis
(For more details, see Baumann et al., 2002; Ebbers & Denton, 2008) 3. Use the analogy strategy: “I don’t know this sickness, but I know
pneumonia and I know volcano, so by analogy, this sickness might have
something to do with lungs and heat—maybe they are inflamed.”
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Context Clues and Morpheme Clues Point Out Context Clues
• A formal definition inset into the text, usually offset
• Some middle school students did not make use of by commas or a dashed line
context clues or morpheme clues
• A synonym or a rephrasing
• Those who could utilize both types of clues did not
necessarily use them both in tandem
• An antonym
• Those who did access context clues tended to look only
in the proximal sentence, and only for synonyms • Common signal words: which is, in other words, also
– (Wysocki & Jenkins, 1987) known as, also called, that is, or, for example, such as
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Point Out Punctuation Clues When is a Text Incomprehensible?
Readers must understand at least 90% of the words
Commas to minimally comprehend a text (Nation, 1994)
We must find the terminus, or the end, of this circuit.
98%
100% 93%
Dashes 90% --frustration reading level
accessible with instruction
easy, perhaps interesting
Can photons—small particles of light energy – travel 80% --instructional reading level
faster than sound? --independent reading level
60%
Parentheses
frustrating text
Percent of
His lorikeets (parrots) wakened the household at dawn. words known
40%
20%
0%
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Text A Text B Text C
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8. Some Words to Teach
WHAT TO DO ABOUT POOR
COMPREHENSION OF ACADEMIC TEXTS?
www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/staff/averil-coxhead/awl/
Build Background Knowledge
Build Academic Word Knowledge
Develop Derivational Morphology
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Use Academic Language Freely Expose Young Children to
Academic Words as Appropriate
Commonly Unknown Academic
Known Word Word • Word knowledge is the BEST predictor of reading
find a pencil locate a pencil comprehension. First grade vocabulary predicts 11th
grade reading comprehension.
help a friend assist a friend
get a ruler obtain a ruler (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997)
near the door near the entrance
Note: Beginning English Language Learners may not already know
the common English words shown above.
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Optimize Oral Language Use Academic Language in Discussions
• Sentence starters or stems
• Provide adolescents with instruction that includes • Our principal has decided on school uniforms. One
discussion of text and concepts (Torgesen et al., disadvantage confronting students might be…
2007) . • I concur with ____ because
• I take exception to ______’s idea because….
• Oral discussion of content and content vocabulary is
a common component of many successful reading
interventions (Nagy, 2007)
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9. A Student-Friendly Definition Elicit Active Responses
With Examples and Non Examples in Artificial Conversations profound
• rational
– If people seem rational, they make sense, they are logical,
• Which ones are more likely to be profound?
and not highly emotional. Rational is an adjective; it describes.
• With your thumbs up, say, “That’s a profound ___.”
• Have students respond to the following statements by saying, “That is
rational” or “That is not rational.”
– a carrot an essay a menu a speech a shopping list a poem
– I lock the door when I leave the house.
– I am terrified of the moon. I scream whenever I see it.
– My father keeps his extra money in the bank. That’s a profound
– The neighbor hangs his extra money from a tree. essay, dude!
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Lemony Snicket, The Carnivorous Carnival
Integrate Excellent Excerpts
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Carnivorous Carnival
by Lemony Snicket
The author has intentionally
made vocabulary explicit in
this series—see next slide.
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For English Language Learners Especially: Listen: catastrophe. A catastrophe is a big (motion) problem. A catastrophe is
Anchor the Meaning into Phonological Memory often a sudden bad surprise, too. Like an earthquake. That’s a catastrophe.
Listen: /ku tas’ tru fee/. You say it. (signal for a response)
Say the 4 parts after me (wait for each signal): / ku tas’ tru fee/
• from speech to print, grounded in meaning Say the second part (tas’) the loudest, like this: /ku tas’ tru fee/. (signal)
• active engagement, gestures, etc.
• with vocalized articulation If I tell about a big problem, you say, “What a catastrophe!” and make a motion.
– whole word Listen: Suddenly, fire spread throughout the kitchen. (signal)
– syllable by syllable Listen: A sudden tornado tore up the barn and the corn field. (signal)
• syllable accent Listen: Linda broke her crayon by accident. (signal)
– in meaningful phrases
Let’s see what this word looks like. (point) ca tas tro phe, cat a stroph ic
Say each part when I point to it. (point). Now read the whole word. (signal)
What is a catastrophe? (signal)
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Turn to a neighbor and verbalize an example of a real catastrophe.
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10. Bridge to Known Words
Thus Linking the Language
Bridge catastrophe to known words and examples:
– a really big problem
– overwhelming
• like a hurricane, a shipwreck, a flood
• disaster, fiasco, calamity, cataclysm, tragedy
• NOT like a broken fingernail
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Listen: pantry. A pantry is a kitchen closet.
Listen: /pan’ tree/. You say it. (signal for a response) Specific Word Instruction
Say each part after me: /pan’/ (signal) /tree/ (signal)
Say the first part the loudest, after me: /pan’/ (signal) /tree/ (signal)
No single method is effective for teaching every word,
A pantry is a closet in the kitchen. We keep food and kitchen stuff in it. in part because words and phrases vary greatly in
If I say something kept in a pantry, you say, “Look in the pantry!” (point) characteristics and complexities
(Nagy & Scott, 2000).
Listen: a box of cereal. (signal)
Listen: a television. (signal) And so do students!
Listen: paper plates and napkins (signal)
Let’s see what this word looks like. See the two parts: (point) pan try
Say each part when I point to it. (point). Now read the whole word. (signal)
What is a pantry? (signal)
Turn to a neighbor and use pantry in a silly sentence.
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Networking or Linking the Lexicon Tools for Building Academic Language
• Use Semantic Maps
“There is considerable evidence that words, both spoken
– various graphic organizers
and written, are remembered in relation to other words
and that word meanings are not stored in our memory as
isolated wholes that resemble separate entries in a verbalize
dictionary”
Moats, 2000, p. 72 rel j oy
ate en
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11. Interactive Semantic Sorting
English language learners benefit from
instruction that shows how words can be
• Use relevant vocabulary
grouped together in meaningful ways, including
• Sort words with a peer
synonyms, antonyms, and word family
– build networks of related words
associations.
• Verbalize it
(Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2004; Gorgnet et al., 2000) • Defend or justify word placement
• Enjoy
• Not a right/wrong proposition
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Animals Machines Semantic Feature Analysis
stampede blast off Teach “How To” with Known Words
swoop tow
soar movements
explode
slither spin Partners discuss answers and justify responses. Verbalize it!
swarm percolate
gallop calculate mammal reptile bird
hare
Toys/Objects Nature
bounce blow asp
twirl rustle vulture
roll flutter
buzz erupt coyote
tick tremble owl
spin splash
chameleon
Lehr, Osborn, & Hiebert. A Focus on Vocabulary. PREL, 2004. Product # ES0419
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Semantic Feature Analysis #2 Word Relationships
speaks sings acts
Partners discuss answers and justify responses
president
nearly the nearly the belong not related
diva same opposite together
professor homage-respect
fealty-loyalty
soloist
serf-lord
mime moat-tower
pastor knight-tapestry
rabbi knight-night
clown crusade-crusader
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12. Frayer Model
Frayer, Frederick, & Klausmeier, 1969
Action verb: to -friendly
make someone -kind
who is sad feel -sympathetic
better
• Graphic organizer console
• May help the learner
process information
• Verbalize it -a hug -a kick in the teeth
-a bunch of flowers when someone is down
-a sympathy card -rubbing it in
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Your Own Modification
Modified Frayer Model (use words from text excerpts)
definition
-to forgive someone
-to ask for
forgiveness
pardon
three phrases related words
pardoned
pardon me pardoning
presidential pardon pardonable
a pardonable offense unpardonable
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definition definition
A break, a breaking away, a part.
root antonym root antonym
target word word
fract build, repair, heal
fracture sketch sketch
affixes affixes
part of speech part of speech
--ure
noun
related words related words
fraction, fractional, cognate cognate
fractionalize, fractal fractură
sentence sentence
Jorge fell from the tree; he has a cast on his fracture.
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13. Distributed Encounters with Words
Meaning Expands One Exposure at a Time
“There is a mountain of evidence
suggesting that spacing study time • Readers need at least 6 exposures
to learn the new word
leads to better memory of the material” – Jenkins, Stein, & Wysocki, 1984
• Better results with 12 exposures
– McKeown, Beck, Omanson, & Pople, 1985
Daniel Willingham, 2002 • Even better with 20 exposures
– Beck & McKeown (2004)
• Some of the primary-grade students
still did not learn all the new words
• This varies
– By word and learner characteristics
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Promote Word Consciousness
Distributed Practice
or Linguistic Awareness via Books
The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter
Ongoing review is much better than cramming
(Willingham, 2002)
– Student notebooks The Unbreakable Code
– Word walls portrays the quiet pride of a
– Flashcards Navajo code talker as he
– Daily conversation explains to his grandson
– Ongoing context in varied content how the Navajo language,
faith, and ingenuity helped
win World War II.
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• Sunshine, Moonshine Promote a Rich Verbal Culture
– by Jennifer Armstrong
• Cryptomania! • The Important Book
– by Edith Hope Fine – by Margaret Wise Brown
• Fortunately • Miss Alaineus
– by Remy Charlip – by Debra Frasier
• Pig, Pigger, Piggest
– by Rick Walton
• Why the Banana Split
– by Rick Walton
• Once there was a Bull…
(frog)
– by Rick Walton
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14. Professional Vocabulary Guides Professional Morphology Resources
• Bringing Words to Life
– Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002
• The Vocabulary Book
– Graves, 2006
Moats, 2000 Henry, 2003 Moats, 2009
LETRS Module 4
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Wrap-Up THANK YOU & BEST WISHES!
• Email: susan@readingway.com, sebbers@berkeley.edu
Summarize the most • Website: www.readingway.com
useful information • My Sopris West Publications:
gained from this – Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for
session Intermediate Grades
– Power Readers (consumable interactive decodables with pre-reading and
Explain the three post-reading material)
“global” ideas for – Turbo Readers (in press) advanced interactive decodable chapter books
teaching vocabulary – Daily Oral Vocabulary Exercises: A Program to Expand Academic Language
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