Sandi Yellenberg Santa Clara County Office of Education Strategic Science Teaching © 2012Used with Permission from the Santa Clara County Office of Education Los Angeles County Office of Educationhttp://sst.lacoe.edu

Think-Pair-Share: Think (30 sec.) Pair Share: Choose “A” and “B” “A” shares (30 sec.) “B” shares (30 sec.)

The bad news:  Knowledge gap in SES groups:  High SES 1st grades know twice as many words as low SES classmates  By high school, they know 4 times as many words!  High SES 3rd graders have vocabularies equal to the lowest-performing 12th graders! The good news:  We can make a difference if we begin teaching vocabulary in robust ways... vigorous, strong and powerful in effect  Robust approach includes direct explanation, thought-provoking, playful and interactive follow-up. Beck, et al.

1. “If I speak slower and louder, they’ll learn it.” 2. Have students write the words in their vocabulary lists multiple times. 3. Have students write out vocabulary lists. 4. Use vocabulary words in a sentence. 5. Look up vocabulary words in the dictionary and copy the definitions. Curriculum Leadership Council, A – I’ve seen it done C – I confess – I’ve done it B – I’ve seen it done too often D – Do people really do this?!?

Vocabulary knowledge is the single greatest contributor to reading comprehension and thus a strong predictor of overall academic achievement. --Kate Kinsella, Isabel Beck, Robert Marzano, Doug Fisher, et. al.

Thinking of words as belonging in three tiers—Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3—can help deepen and refine our understanding of academic vocabulary and help us decide which words are worth teaching.

Examples—  table  happy  baby  nose  purple  angry  hamburger

Content specific vocabulary brick words = Tier 3 Transportable vocabulary mortar words = Tier 2 (words that are used across the curriculum in multiple disciplines)

Examples—  carcinogens  mitosis  unhygienic  lithosphere  Kelvin  carbohydrate  potential energy  Doppler effect

Examples—  classify  conduct  monitor  investigate  declaration  harmony  maintain

 Importance and utility: Is it a word that students are likely to meet often in the world?  Instructional potential: How does the word relate to other words, to ideas that students know or have been learning?  Conceptual understanding: Does the word provide access to an important concept?

We teach too many Tier I words, not enough Tier 2 words, and we’re just about right-on with our teaching of Tier 3 words. -- Doug Fisher, “Secondary Literacy Conference Spring 2007”, Anaheim CA

What do you think Doug Fisher means?

 Read assigned text twice First for overall comprehension Second, to select Tier 2 and Tier 3 words.  Circle Tier 2 words, underline Tier 3 words. (or indicate with different color highlighters)

 Identify Tier 2 words you’ve identified, and compare to others in your group. Were there differences?  Report out two Tier 2 words that are most likely to cause student confusion or misunderstanding

The solar system consists of the sun and all the planets and other bodies that revolve around the sun. Planets are any of the primary bodies that orbit the sun. Scientists have long debated the origins of the solar system. In the 1600’s and 1700’s, many scientists thought that the sun formed first and threw off the materials that later formed the planets. But in 1796, the French mathematician Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace, advance a hypothesis that is now know as the nebular hypothesis. From: Holt’s California Edition of high School Earth Science textbook

The solar system consists of the sun and all the planets and other bodies that revolve around the sun. Planets are any of the primary bodies that orbit the sun. Scientists have long debated the origins of the solar system. In the 1600’s and 1700’s, many scientists thought that the sun formed first and threw off the materials that later formed the planets. But in 1796, the French mathematician Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace, advanced a hypothesis that is now know as the nebular hypothesis. From: Holt’s California Edition of high School Earth Science textbook = Tier 2 words = Tier 3 words

 What are the implication of this information?  Does this misunderstanding of Tier 2 words cause a gap in student comprehension?  Is it obvious which are Tier 2 words?

 Word Building: Visuals, Realia, Demonstrations, Text glosses, Personal dictionaries  Word Knowledge: Cognates, Prefixes, Suffixes, Roots, Word generation  Word Practice: Role play, Writing, Vocabulary games, Mix & Match  Word Study: 4 corners vocabulary, Frayer maps, Word sorts  Word Awareness: Familiarity ratings, Shades of meaning, RIP words Source: Dr. Deborah Short, March 7, 2009 Academic Success Conference, SCCOE

 Use visual supports and student-friendly examples  Practice each word times  Teach academic words explicitly  Build in daily vocabulary routines, oral and written reviews  Connect to themes, essential questions  Develop word consciousness  Teach word learning strategies  Be explicit about multi-meaning words Source: Dr. Deborah Short, March 7, 2009 Academic Success Conference, SCCOE