Dont Forget the Vocabulary: Effective Vocabulary in Elementary Classrooms

Jimi Cannon
Comprehensive Literacy Support
What Works in Urban Schools
January 21, 2012 NYU Kimmel Center www.whatworksined.org

Dont Forget the Vocabulary!

Effective Vocabulary in Elementary Classrooms
January 21, 2012 Jimi Cannon

Objectives
Participants will understand the importance of read alouds in vocabulary development. Participants will be able to use read alouds to develop childrens vocabularies.

Pre-assessing Vocabulary
Oral Discussion:
In small groups, discuss what you know about weather?

List all the words you know about weather.

What role do read alouds play in vocabulary development?

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

So, Why Read Alouds?

Teacher talk usually involves concrete talk i.e. What color is this? How many are there? Which character in the story got what he wanted?
most oral language the kind of language we use in daily conversations with people we know lacks the varied word use found in written language.
(Lehr, F., Osborn, J., & Hiebert, E. H. 2004)

So, Why Read Alouds?

Adapted from Vocabulary Simplification for Children: A Special Case of Motherese, by D. P. Hayes and M. Ahrens, 1988.

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit
Blachowicz, C. L. Z. & Obrochta, C, 2005

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit
Blachowicz, C. L. Z. & Obrochta, C, 2005

Research Project

Blachowicz, C. L. Z. & Obrochta, C. (2005)

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit

Preparation: Text Set

Preparation: Core Words

precipitation thunderstorms climate blizzard hurricanes thermometer water cycle evaporation condensation

Preparation: Poster

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit

Pre-assessing Vocabulary
Oral Discussion:
In small groups, discuss what you know about weather?

List all the words you know about weather.

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit

Group Talk
What do you see?

What do you feel?

What do you hear?

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit

Read Aloud
Reading does not need to be dramatic. There should be a few brief pauses to clarify meaning of words and concepts. Have students use thumbs up to increase listening activity.

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit

After Read-Aloud
Add new words from learning and discussion
rain wet
precipitation ping ping

snow

cold

thermometer

lightening

climate

storm

waves crash scared

wind

boom

thunder

Group the words from our poster. Label them with a title that identifies why you put them together. AFTER READ-ALOUD: WORD SORT

After Read-Aloud
Add new words from learning and discussion
precipitation climate thermometer

rain
ping ping

snow
wet cold wind

storm
lightening thunder

waves crash

boom

scared

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit

These steps are repeated for each small book in your text set.

Vocabulary Visits
1. Preparation
2. First Write (Pre-assessment) 3. Group Talk

4. Read Aloud
5. After Read Aloud 6. End of Unit

End of Unit
A writing project to show what students have learned.
A pattern book about weather with illustrations. The three most interesting things I learned that

Final Write (Post-assessment)

Students list all the words they know about the topic.

My Thoughts
Can you see yourself using Vocabulary Visits? What do you find most powerful about it? What obstacles do you see in implementing it?

References
Blachowicz, C. L. Z. & Obrochta, C, 2005. Vocabulary Visits: Virtual field trips for content vocabulary development. The Reading Teacher, 59.3 Newark, Del: IRA Lehr, F., Osborn, J., & Hiebert, E. H. 2004. A focus on vocabulary. Honolulu, HI: Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved July 7, 2009, from http://www .prel.org/products/re_/ES0419.pdf