Maine Department of Education 2006 Maine Reading First Course Session #13 Vocabulary Research and Assessment

Maine Department of Education 2006 Key Learning Goals Session 8 Vocabulary Research and Assessment To provide a theoretical understanding of the research supporting vocabulary development in children, including: identification of the four types of vocabulary (listening, speaking, reading and writing) the connection of oral vocabulary development to reading comprehension indirect and direct methods of vocabulary acquisition the use of varied techniques for vocabulary instruction before, during, and after reading principles for word selection for vocabulary instruction reasonable goals and expectations for learners at various stages of reading development. To enable class participants to use both scientifically based assessments to determine vocabulary development in students. To enable class participants to use assessment data to inform instruction that meets the diverse needs of students.

Maine Department of Education 2006 Discussion Starters 1. Low socioeconomic students enter school with about _______ words in their vocabulary and middle class students enter school with about ______ words (Graves, Brunette, & Slater, 1982). 2. The proficient elementary student learns about ______ words per day (Beck and McKeown, 1996). 3. The typical 3 rd grader knows about ______ words (Nagy and Anderson, 1985). 4. Teaching _______ words explicitly to elementary students per year will result in knowledge and comprehension improvements (Beck, et al, 1982). 5. It is estimated that _______ minutes of reading a day could lead to an incidental gain of 1000 words or more per year (Nagy, Anderson, and Human, 1987). 6. English language learners can learn conversational English in two years of less; but may require from _____ to _____ years to catch up with their monolingual peers in academic vocabulary. 7. The __________ most frequently used words in the English language constitute 90% of the words in average school texts. 8. I spend an average of __________ minutes per day teaching or supporting vocabulary activities.

Maine Department of Education 2006 What is Vocabulary? (Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001) Vocabulary refers to the words we must know to communicate effectively. It includes the words…. we need to know to understand what we hear we use when we speak we need to know to understand what we read we use in writing

Maine Department of Education 2006 What are the Types of Vocabulary? (Bromley, 2002) Receptive Vocabulary Words recognized through listening and reading. Expressive Vocabulary Words used to communicate ideas through speaking and writing.

Maine Department of Education 2006 Changing Emphasis of Five Essential Elements

Maine Department of Education 2006 Size of Vocabularies Across Life Span (Bromley, 2002) All four vocabulary types increase in size as children develop into adults. The relative size of each vocabulary changes over time as well. Children typically add 2,000-3,000 words a year to their vocabularies. Listening and speaking vocabularies are the largest types for young children. Reading and listening vocabularies are the largest types for adults.

Maine Department of Education 2006 Why Is Vocabulary Development Important? (Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001) Vocabulary development is an essential component of comprehension. Beginning readers use their oral vocabulary to make sense of the words they see in print. Readers must know what most of the words mean before they can understand what they are reading. Vocabulary has a long-term impact upon individual powers of communicating, learning, understanding, and applying information.

Maine Department of Education 2006 Vocabulary Development (Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001) Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly through: Interacting with others daily in oral language, Listening to adults or older students read to them, and Reading extensively on their own. Vocabulary should also be taught directly. Teaching key words before reading helps vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. Providing instruction promotes active engagement with words. Expose children to vocabulary in a variety of ways over time. Create word awareness by calling attention to words and playing with words.

Maine Department of Education 2006 What are Some Principles of Research- based Vocabulary Instruction? (NRP, 2000) Vocabulary should be taught directly and indirectly. Repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary across contexts maximizes vocabulary growth. Use of a single vocabulary instructional method will not result in optimal learning. How vocabulary is assessed can have effects on instruction.

Maine Department of Education 2006 Levels of Word Knowledge (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002) Established Acquainted Unknown

Maine Department of Education 2006 Methods of Assessing Basic Vocabulary Knowledge Picture Labeling (PPVT) Knowledge Rating Chart Semantic Maps Cloze Procedures Yea/Nay Procedure Sentence generation Definitions and descriptions Continuums DIBELS—Word Use Fluency

Maine Department of Education 2006 DIBELS Word Use Fluency Say these specific directions to the student: Listen to me use a word in a sentence, “green”. (pause) The grass is green. Here is another word, “jump” (pause) I like to jump rope. Your turn to use a word in a sentence (pause) “rabbit”. Count the number of words the student uses in sentences in which word use is correct (meaningful).

Maine Department of Education —2—1 3—things worth remembering 2—things to learn more about 1—burning question