Words, Words, Words: Vocabulary Instruction in the Common Core MCLP Technical Assistance Calls Facilitator: Katanna Conley

Purpose Build an understanding of vocabulary instruction aligned to the CCSS. Ask specific questions about things you’re tackling and get support.

A Focus on Academic Language Academic language gives students power. Literary terms are important for literary discussions, but they are not a course of study in themselves Tier 2 words ( like appearance or consequential or deliberate) pervade complex texts of all types Tier 2 words (unlike Tier 3 words) are rarely bolded on the side of the page.) Lack of knowledge of Tier 2 words “builds a wall around complex text that many of our students cannot penetrate.” (Coleman) A strong focus on Tier 2 words empowers our neediest students to read and understand more complex text.

Academic Vocabulary Tiers 2 & 3 Building students’ rich and flexible word knowledge is key to students’ vocabulary development. Teachers often single out Tier 3 words –usually academic terms that are key and relevant to a course of study, and students learn them as they are defined and used across multiple texts.

Tier 2 Vocabulary Words Tier 2 words are not often singled out because we assume students know them – with the exception of analytical words like “discuss, explain, analyze.” They are commonly used in many different texts about widely different topics and content. But students often have a surface understanding or no real knowledge of the words as they are used in different texts and with different meanings.

3 Categories of Vocab to Think About Key Concepts (e.g., democracy, renewable energy, character flaw, exponent Technical Vocabulary (e.g., lithium battery onomatopoeia, quadratic equation Academic Vocabulary (e.g., analyze, compute, summarize, evidence

Vocabulary Instruction in the CCSS Teach words in context – using them in discussions and seeing them multiple times in different contexts helps cement understanding. Not word lists with the requisite quiz following Not pre-teaching all the difficult words Not teaching every unknown word: make some decisions based on the utility of the word. Empower students to figure out words in the text by using the context of the sentence and paragraph.

Student-Generated Word Questions What words or phrases stand out to me as I read? are powerful or unique do I need to define to better understand the text? are critical for my understanding of the text? are repeated?

Examples from CCSS Excerpt from Simon Seymour, Volcanoes (2006) “ In early times, no one knew how volcanoes were formed or why they spouted red-hot molten rock. In modern times, scientists began to study volcanoes. They still don’t know all the answers, but they know much about how a volcano works. Our planet is made up of many layers of rock. The top layers of solid rock are called the crust. Deep beneath the crust is the mantle, where it is so hot that some rock melts. The melted, or molten rock is called magma. Volcanoes are formed when magma pushes its way up through the crack in Earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption. When magma pours forth on the surface, it is called lava.”

Examples from CCSS Excerpt from Simon Seymour, Volcanoes (2006) “ In early times, no one knew how volcanoes were formed or why they spouted red-hot molten rock. In modern times, scientists began to study volcanoes. They still don’t know all the answers, but they know much about how a volcano works. Our planet is made up of many layers of rock. The top layers of solid rock are called the crust. Deep beneath the crust is the mantle, where it is so hot that some rock melts. The melted, or molten rock is called magma. Volcanoes are formed when magma pushes its way up through the crack in Earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption. When magma pours forth on the surface, it is called lava.” Critical? Define in Context? Provide?

Building Academic Vocabulary in the CCSS Use text dependent questions to help students define words (context clues) Remind students to use Words/Concepts posted on walls in their essay, discussion, etc. Remember to do word work – word parts synonyms, shade of meaning, connotative, denotative meanings, antonyms, etymology, Latin/Greek roots Use opportunities to build vocabulary with word families – e.g. determine, determination, determined, terminate, termination Use Thinkquiry Strategies to reinforce vocabulary

Leveraging Thinkquiry Coding-Comprehension Monitoring Knowledge Rating Guide Quick Writes Interactive Word Walls Triple Entry Vocabulary Journal Word Analysis Word Sort Frayer Model

Text and Task Analysis Name of text…Demands of the text – what will students need in terms of the following areas in order to understand the text? Word Knowledge… World Knowledge… Schema knowledge… Genre knowledge…

Thanks for Participating! What resonated with you today? Are there learning takeaways for you that you could share? Is there something you wanted to know more about?

Resources for Teaching Vocabulary (Vocabulary background and research) (Free curriculum and videos on CCSS) (Info about Basal Alignment Project) &Vocabulary-for-the-Common-Core (2013 book by Robert Marzano) &Vocabulary-for-the-Common-Core (Word Selection Links)

Words, Words, Words: Vocabulary Instruction in the Common Core MCLP Technical Assistance Facilitator: Katanna Conley