Dr. Robert J. Marzano’s Six-Step Process for Effectively Teaching Academic Vocabulary Elizabeth Russell – November 2010

Step 1:  The teacher provides a description, an explanation, or an example of the new term. For example: OBSTREPEROUS The teacher might say: obstreperous means unruly and rambunctious; he or she might give the example of a large group of unsupervised five year children visiting the zoo.

Step 2:  Next, the teacher asks the student to give a description, or explanation, or example in his or her own words. For example: My little brothers are obstreperous when I am trying to sleep on the week-end.

Step 3:  The teacher will then ask the student to draw a picture or symbol or to locate a graphic to represent the new term. For example: The student draws a picture of two small children jumping up and down on a bed.

Step 4:  The students will participate in additional activities that allow them to interact with the new vocabulary they are learning. For example: The teacher will use and will encourage the students to use the vocabulary words whenever possible in the classroom.

Step 5:  The student will discuss the term with others in a cooperative group setting. For example: The students will be heterogeneously grouped and each will share his or her explanations and pictorial representations of the term.

Step 6:  The learner will participate in games that will provide additional reinforcement of the new term. For example: The Great American Fly Swat, Around the World, Group Relay Races, Vocabulary Bees

An Important Point:  On a regular and ongoing basis, the teacher permits the students to go back and revise and elaborate on their original descriptions and symbols, as their understanding of the term deepens. For example: If this process was being used in a science class, the term might be transpiration.

 The student might have started the unit of study with a very limited background knowledge or understanding of the process of transpiration.  As the days pass, he or she is given multiple opportunities to interact with the term, facilitating a deeper understanding.  Research shows that this six- step process results in an enduring understanding of new vocabulary.

Warning…………… …. RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS THAT HAVING STUDENTS LOOK UP WORDS IN A DICTIONARY AND COPY DOWN THE DEFINITIONS IS: AN INEFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE!