The number one predictor of occupational success is vocabulary. |
Building Our Students' VocabularyVocabulary acquisition is one of the key cognitive components of reading. When a student possesses a large vocabulary, there is ample evidence that shows they are better able to comprehend the text they are reading. Since vocabulary is the foundation of comprehension, all teachers at Agora must commit to vocab instruction and retention, with a focus on tier two and three vocabulary. According to DeVries, students build their vocabulary through life experiences, vicarious experiences, and explicit instruction. While many students come to Agora with limited life and vicarious experiences that reduce their ability to comprehend grade-level texts, it is our job to provide them with the skills and ability to build their vocabularies despite where they began their educational journey. Utilizing some of the ideas below will allow you to begin forming a library of resources that benefit you and the learners in your classroom.
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Previewing VocabularyWhy vocabulary?Existing background knowledge is a critical component for comprehension, and word meanings are part of larger knowledge structures about a topic. Knowing the words associated with the given topic enables students to connect their background knowledge to what they are reading, but what if they are unfamiliar with the words? There are several ways that teachers can work to build vocabulary acquisition within their courses to ensure that learners are getting the most out each learning opportunity.
What words should be previewed?Joan Sedita, literacy expert and founder of the Keys to Literacy web site suggests these guidelines when choosing vocabulary to focus on in your classroom:
Additional guidance can be found reviewing David Liben's 2013 article: Which Words Do I Teach and How? shared on the right of this screen. In the article, Liben considers three tiers of words (tier 1: words needed to fully comprehend the text, tier 2: words lively to appear in future texts from any discipline, and tier 3: words that are a part of a word family or semantics network) and discusses how this classification can help us effectively plan our vocabulary instruction. Word checklists, like the examples to the right, take this a step further by allowing teachers to decide which words to spend class time on instructing by providing learners with a self-assessment. Consider the two simple rating lists developed by Blachowicz (1986) and Beck, McKeown, and Kucan (2002). Each example can be easily adapted into your lessons via handouts, google docs, whiteboard slides, or surveys. Which one do you see yourself incorporating more in your daily instruction? |
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Learning From OthersLinked below are common core based lesson plans using a volume of reading on specific topics to support all learners in building background knowledge and vocabulary. While we don't advocate using one of these lessons as is (it's unlikely that they will directly align with your course, content, or student learning styles) we do feel that there is benefit from studying how other teachers incorporate vocabulary and literacy in their classrooms. For now, choose one lesson to focus on and share your questions, interests and "wow" moments with your team, instructional coach, PLC, or Supervisor to further the conversation.
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