Rich Vocabulary Instruction Michelle Parris

What is a vocabulary? Vocabulary is all about words — the words in a language or a special set of words you are trying to learn. Your vocabulary is the total number of words you know in a particular language. A rich vocabulary supports reading comprehension, learning about the world, encountering new ideas, enjoying the beauty of language.

Why is a rich vocabulary important? Research shows that a rich vocabulary is critical for understanding what we read (reading comprehension). Many studies have proven that a rich vocabulary is highly related to academic success.  We have the opportunity and responsibility to increase our students’ word knowledge to enable them to become highly achieving learners.

Which words make up a rich vocabulary? Tier 1 Words: Basic words: clock, baby, happy, walk Tier 2 Words: Words that occur quite often in written or spoken texts for mature language users across all topics and content areas: require, conceal, enthusiastic Tier 3 Words: Low-use, topic specific: ecosystem, condensation, friction, gravity, velocity, metamorphosis

saunter stroll amble wander prowl patrol march stride plod trudge trek Building our students’ vocabularies. Which words do they need for reading comprehension? Provide explicit instruction of Tier 2 and 3 words. Tier 2 words are often words that provide a more subtle or precise way of saying something relatively simple – for example, there can be many other words that can be used in a text instead of ‘walk.’ saunter stroll amble wander prowl patrol march stride plod trudge trek Consider the subtle differences between these two words that both mean ‘walk.’ 1. We had plenty of time so we decided to amble down to the beach. 2. We trudged wearily up the side of the steep sand dune.

How do we build children’s vocabularies? Use mature words as part of your conversations. Foster a love of words and their origins and meanings. Read books aloud to your child. Support your child to be on the lookout for interesting words in the story. Help them become a Word Wizard …

Example “In “A Pocket for Corduroy” Lisa was reluctant to leave the laundromat without Corduroy.”

Home Learning Task – Fridge Words Fridge Words is not a spelling activity. Your child will bring home 3-4 words he/she has chosen from the classroom Word Wall. These words will be written at the bottom of the strip of paper. For children to remember and use these new words, they should be used in a variety of meaningful contexts 10-15 times