Strategies for Vocabulary

Development

Middle & High School

Martha Lamb
August, 2010
Get Acquainted
Goals
Each participant will be able to:

• Use research-validated practices for selecting and prioritizing

words for vocabulary instruction

• State the five essential steps for teaching vocabulary to mastery

(A-PREP)

• Name at least three ways of providing a context when teaching

new words

• Identify at least five different activities to use for the

“elaboration” phase of vocabulary instruction

• Access numerous activities to use for the “practice & play” phase
of vocabulary instruction
Turn and Talk

Turn to a partner and

discuss what you
know about how a
child learns to talk.
Functional Vocabulary
Receptive Productive

Oral Listening Speaking

Written Reading Writing

Functional Vocabulary
Receptive Productive
Written
vocabulary

Oral Listening Speaking Spoken vocabulary

Reading vocabulary

Written Reading Writing

Listening vocabulary
Functional Vocabulary
Receptive Productive
Written
vocabulary

Oral Listening Speaking Spoken vocabulary

Reading vocabulary

Written Reading Writing

Listening vocabulary
How is Academic Vocabulary Acquired?

Wide Reading
+ Direct Vocabulary Instruction
Strong Working Vocabulary

Implication for Instruction:

Choose words to teach based on each word’s:
•Frequency of occurrence
•Importance for understanding course content
 Selecting Words for Vocabulary Instruction

Tier 1 words: Basic vocabulary (book, girl, run, orange. . . ) Teach to

ELLs

Tier 2 words: High frequency/multiple meaning words (masterpiece,

fortunate, benevolent, measure. . . ) High priority for
instruction

Tier 3 words: Low frequency/subject specific words (isotope,

cardiovascular, legislative, metaphor, integer . . . )
Should be taught selectively.
Critical terms are essential for
proficiency in content classes.
Brain research tells us we must limit the number of words
we teach at one time. For optimal learning, introduce no
more than 3 – 5 new words per lesson.
 How can I prioritize my vocabulary terms??!?

•Critically important
•Useful, but not critical
•Interesting, but not particularly useful
Effective Vocabulary Instruction: A-PREP

• Access Prior Knowledge

• Teacher Provides a context
• Students Re-state
• Students Elaborate
• Students Practice & play
Access Prior Knowledge

• Paired-Partner discussion
• Vocabulary Self-Awareness Chart
• Prediction chart or foldable
Teacher Provides a Context

• Tell a story
• Share an image
• Relate to a current event
• Provide an experience

Voluminous
Avenue
Turbidity
Viscosity

Classroom Example: Survivalism lesson

Activity
• List five words that you will be teaching in the
coming year
• Turn to a partner and brainstorm ways you
could provide a context for your students when
teaching these words
• Teach one of the words to the group by
providing a context
Students Restate Definition In Their Own Words

• Critical for comprehension & retention

• Must be checked for accuracy**

**Safeguard first-time learning

Students Elaborate on New Vocabulary Terms

• Create a visual: illustration, symbol, icon

• Dramatize (live or with cartoon frames)
• Examples
• Non-Examples
• List synonyms or antonyms
• Word Parts

Tools:
• Jim Burke’s “Vocabulary Squares”
• Frayer Model
• Words Gone Wild
• Expanded Flash Cards
• Word Work Choice Board
Activity
• Move about the room while the music plays. . .
When it stops, partner with the person who is
nearest to you.
• You & your partner will collaborate to answer
questions about content you have learned so far
today
Activity
• Move about the room while the music plays. .
. When it stops, partner with the person who
is nearest to you.
• You & your partner will collaborate to answer
questions about content you have learned so
far today
1. What are the 5 steps for teaching vocabulary and what is the acronym for those 5
steps?
Activity
• Move about the room while the music plays. .
. When it stops, partner with the person who
is nearest to you.
• You & your partner will collaborate to answer
questions about content you have learned so
far today
2. Name the 3 ways that were presented for accessing prior knowledge of
vocabulary words.
Activity
• Move about the room while the music plays. .
. When it stops, partner with the person who
is nearest to you.
• You & your partner will collaborate to answer
questions about content you have learned so
far today
3. Name 4 ways of providing a context when teaching new terms.
Activity
• Move about the room while the music plays. .
. When it stops, partner with the person who
is nearest to you.
• You & your partner will collaborate to answer
questions about content you have learned so
far today
• Name 5 different tasks (not tools) you can have students do to elaborate upon
vocabulary terms.
• soliloquy
• subsidy
• overload (law of)
• biodegrade
• outlier
Activity
Elaborate on three of the terms by utilizing
a different elaboration tool for each
word.

Terms: Tools:

soliloquy Vocabulary Boxes

subsidy Frayer Model
overload (law of) Words Gone Wild
biodegrade Expanded Flash Cards
outlier Word Work Choice
Board
Effective Vocabulary Instruction: A-PREP

• Access Prior Knowledge

• Teacher Provides a context
• Students Re-state
• Students Elaborate
• Students Practice & play
Students Practice and Play With Words

• 10-24-7 rule of practice

• Puzzles
• Random Name Picker (classtools.net)
• Quizlet
• Linear Arrays
• Which One Doesn’t Belong
• Classroom Feud
Goals
Each participant will be able to:

• Use research-validated practices for selecting and prioritizing

words for vocabulary instruction

• State the five essential steps for teaching vocabulary to mastery

(A-PREP)

• Name at least three ways of providing a context when teaching

new words

• Identify at least five different activities to use for the

“elaboration” phase of vocabulary instruction

• Access numerous activities to use for the “practice & play” phase
of vocabulary instruction