Session Objectives Participants will increase their knowledge of: The importance of syntax and vocabulary as elements of text complexity.

Model for English Language Arts Common Core State Standards Florida Department of Education2

Vocabulary and Syntax The educational implications of the measures of text difficulty include: Single biggest predictor of student achievement is vocabulary and syntax. Need to be addressed throughout schooling (kindergarten through 12 th grade). Schools and districts should plan a coherent, intensive and systematic program for vocabulary and syntax. Syntax is one of the most powerful predictors of difficulty. Some features of text are more important than others—syntax and vocabulary are an example of two essential text features to pay particular attention to during instruction.

Exploring Syntax Select a juicy, rich sentence(s) to explore and post on chart paper or on an interactive SMART board.

Secondary Example

Practice with a Partner…. On the next slide, look at the posted sentence and the questions. Deconstruct the sentence using the probes to guide your thinking.

“When the founding fathers used this phrase in 1787, they did not have in mind the majority of America’s citizens…the men who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 could not have imagined, nor would they have accepted, that the document they were drafting would one day be construed by a Supreme Court to which had been appointed a woman and the descendant of an African slave.” Count the number of words. What does this sentence mean? Identify/underline the important nouns. Circle the important verbs. Tell us WHY you marked the noun or verb as important. What is the purpose of the “” marks? What do the ellipses mean? Find the “juicy words” in the sentences and discuss their meaning. What part of speech is Supreme Court? Discuss the grammar – is it written in present tense? Past tense? How do you know? Add a short sentence and compare and contrast the two sentences.

Elementary Example

Syntax- analyzing a sentence What does this sentence mean? Count the number of words. Identify/underline the important nouns. Circle the important verbs. Tell us WHY you marked the noun or verb as important. What is the purpose of the “” marks? What does the apostrophe in Ping’s signal?

Syntax- analyzing a sentence Dogs are our “best friends,” but all the dogs in the world are descended from wolves that were domesticated more than ten thousand years ago. What does this sentence mean? Count the number of words. Identify/underline the important nouns. Circle the important verbs. Tell us WHY you marked the noun or verb as important. What is the purpose of the “” marks? What do these marks signal?

Syntax- analyzing a sentence “I admire Ping’s great courage to appear before me with the empty truth, and now I reward him with my entire kingdom and make him emperor of all the land!” What does this sentence mean? Count the number of words. Identify/underline the important nouns. Circle the important verbs. Tell us WHY you marked the noun or verb as important. What is the purpose of the “” marks? What does the apostrophe in Ping’s signal?

Suffix: /or/ - a person or thing who does the aforementioned Success + or = successor

Word Study – “successor” Suffix: /or/ - a person or thing who does the aforementioned inspector actor navigator aggressor editor generator debtor successor creditor connector counselor escalator decorator propellor governor conveyor emperor People Who DoThings That Do Discuss with the students the word meanings, then provide opportunities for students to sort a collection of words.

Possible Steps – Exploring Syntax Write a long sentence on the board or chart paper. – Ask students, what do you think these sentences mean? – Count the number of words. – Compare the longer sentence versus the shorter sentence – discuss the differences. Ask why? – Find the “juicy words” in the sentences. – Discuss grammar – is it written in present tense? past tense? – Examine the punctuation. Why did the author use this comma? – Examine parts of speech within the sentence. – Add a short sentence and compare and contrast the two sentences.

School Wide Approach to Vocabulary and Syntax Our school articulates essential vocabulary across the grades. Students learn words relevant to important content areas; words they will encounter frequently in curriculum and instructional materials in the future. Our school/district articulates the prefixes, suffixes and root words students will learn in each grade level. Our school promotes wide reading and word consciousness.