1. Learning Words Inside and Out: Vocabulary Instruction Grades 1-6
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2009). Learning words inside and out: Vocabulary instruction that boosts achievement in all subject areas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Podcasts, Videos, and study guide available at

2. Today’s Purposes
Discuss the impact of vocabulary on language acquisition and subject area learning
Examine barriers to vocabulary acquisition and instruction
Use a self-assessment rubric on vocabulary development at your school

3. How Often Has This Occurred?
In a 2nd grade Social Studies class studying maps, a student is asked to use the word legend in a sentence:
Native Americans had a legend about coyotes.

4. What led the student to this incorrect response?
Background knowledge?
Understanding of how to use resources?
Background knowledge: he confused his understanding of Native American legends with the map legends used to represent information.
Understanding of resources: he doesn’t know that the dictionary often provides more than one definition, and that you might need to search for the definition that matches the context. He chose the first definition provided.
Lack of feedback: Because the terms are decontextualized, there is no opportunity to gain corrective feedback before turning it in.
Inappropriate instructional routine: Copying words, writing definitions, and using the words in sentences is particularly ineffective (see Fore, Boon, & Lowry, 2007) for a fuller discussion.)

5. Wash is a word. Green is a word. Would is a word. Work is a word.
The students are told to write vocabulary words in the form of a sentence:
Wash is a word.
Green is a word.
Would is a word.
Work is a word.

6. What led the student to
this incorrect response?
Lack of feedback?
Inappropriate instructional routine?

7. Vocabulary’s Impact on Learning
Significant predictor of reading comprehension (Baker, Simmons, & Kame’enui, 1998)
Vocabulary has a large impact on learning, as evidenced by its role as a predictor of reading comprehension. In addition, context-embedded (multiple meaningful experiences with terms, such as in reading, discussion, and writing) were especially beneficial to English learners.

8. Vocabulary’s Impact on Learning
Vocabulary size in kindergarten serves as a strong predictor of reading comprehension level in later grades (Scarborough, 2001)
Vocabulary has a large impact on learning, as evidenced by its role as a predictor of reading comprehension. In addition, context-embedded (multiple meaningful experiences with terms, such as in reading, discussion, and writing) were especially beneficial to English learners.

9. Vocabulary’s Impact on Learning
Context-embedded vocabulary instruction promotes language acquisition for second language learners (Tong, Irby, Rafael, & Mathes, 2008)
Vocabulary has a large impact on learning, as evidenced by its role as a predictor of reading comprehension. In addition, context-embedded (multiple meaningful experiences with terms, such as in reading, discussion, and writing) were especially beneficial to English learners.

10. Vocabulary is Essential

11. Vocabulary is Essential
Role in text complexity
Predictive of student difficulty
Tier 2 words often overlooked in favor of Tier 3
Difference between “words worth knowing” and those that are “essential to understanding”
Difference between knowing the definition and knowing the meaning

12. Children Build Schema Long Before They Begin Reading
Types
Attributes
DOG
Consider the ways a small child builds schema about dogs. Initially, any animal with four legs is a dog, but soon they are able to discriminate according to attributes, behavior, and so on. In time, they can tell the difference between a poodle and a beagle, for instance.
Behavior

13. How Do Young Children Build Schema?
Authentic experiences
Close observation
Dialogue with others
Remind participants that vocabulary is a proxy for schema and conceptual knowledge. It is NOT just learning definitions.
These are the same conditions that
contribute to vocabulary development

15. An Intentional Vocabulary Initiative
Make it intentional through word selection and intentional instruction.
Make it transparent through teacher modeling of word-solving and word learning.
Make it useable with collaborative learning.
Make it personal by fostering student ownership.
Make it a priority with schoolwide practices.
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2009). Learning words inside and out: Vocabulary instruction that boosts achievement in all subject areas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

16. Assessing Our Needs

17. Step 1: Make it Intentional with Careful Word Selection

18. How does your school select vocabulary for instruction?
Our Purpose
How does your school select vocabulary for instruction?

19. Influence of Background Knowledge
Gibbons, G. (1996). Recycle! A handbook for kids.New York; Little, Brown.

20. Possible Vocabulary to Teach
More and more garbage! Every day people throw more trash away. As the world population increases, more people throw trash away. Garbage trucks come to pick it up, but where does all this trash go?
Blue = General vocabulary
Gibbons, G. (1996). Recycle! A handbook for kids.New York; Little, Brown.

21. Possible Vocabulary to Teach
More and more garbage! Every day people throw more trash away. As the world population increases, more people throw trash away. Garbage trucks come to pick it up, but where does all this trash go?
Blue = General vocabulary
Green = Specialized vocabulary
Gibbons, G. (1996). Recycle! A handbook for kids.New York; Little, Brown.

22. Possible Vocabulary to Teach
More and more garbage! Every day people throw more trash away. As the world population increases, more people throw trash away. Garbage trucks come to pick it up, but where does all this trash go?
Blue = General vocabulary
Green = Specialized vocabulary
Red = Technical vocabulary
Gibbons, G. (1996). Recycle! A handbook for kids.New York; Little, Brown.

23. The Problem: Too Many Words!
Must be narrowed, but how?

24. Questions for Selecting Vocabulary
Representative
Repeatability
Transportable
Contextual Analysis
Structural Analysis
Cognitive Load
Is it critical to understanding?
Will it be used again?
Is it needed for discussions or writing?
Can they use context to figure it out?
Can they use structure?
Have I exceeded the number they can learn?
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2009). Learning words inside and out: Grades 1-6. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

25. Dolch Sight Words
Foundational Words

26. Analyze the Standards
Foundational words
Content-specific terms

27. Content-specific words
Foundational words
Word Part
Lists
Word derivations

28. Step 2: Make it Transparent with Modeling

29. How do you model your vocabulary thinking?
Check Your Rubric
This section will focus on how teacher modeling (“I do it”) in the gradual release of responsibility model) can be used to foster word knowledge and problem-solving approaches.
How do you model your vocabulary thinking?

30. The Power of Modeling
Mirror neuron systems 30

31. Look Inside the Word: Morphology
Affixes
Root words
Derivations
Cognates for English learners

32. Look Outside the Word: Context
Definition/Explanation
Restatement/Synonym
Contrast/Antonym
Inference/General Context
Punctuation

33. Look Outside the Word: Resources
Peer resources from productive group work
Dictionaries
Bookmark Internet resources
Model how you use these (Phone a Friend, dictionary use on doc camera)

34. Step 3: Make it Useable by Collaborating with Peers

35. Check Your Rubric
How do you foster peer collaboration to allow learners to consolidate vocabulary knowledge?

36. Oral Language and Vocabulary
Learners need to use vocabulary in meaningful exchanges with others.

37. What better way than with word games?

38. Nutrition $25,000 Pyramid Ways to Stay Healthy
Types of Dark Green Members of
Vegetables the Meat and
Beans Group
The next few slides consist of examples from the book on instructional routines for collaborative learning. In this example, pairs of students came up with clues that matched the categories. This served as a review of previously taught material.
Food Groups Types of Whole Grains Things to Avoid

39. Clues Developed by Student Partners
What do these answers indicate about the conceptual knowledge this partner group has developed?

40. Concept Circle for a Dog
Concept circles contain attributes of an object, phenomenon, or idea. They can be constructed with pictures or words.

41. Concept Circle for a Square: Which Attribute Doesn’t Belong?
Four equal angles
Four equal sides
Two lines parallel
Four equal
diameters
Answer: A square does not have diameters.

42. Shades of Meaning cold warm hot Graham’s freezing Second Grade Science
Vocabulary
freezing
cold
warm
hot

43. Step 4: Make it Personal with Individual Activities

44. Check Your Rubric How do you use independent learning
of vocabulary to promote spiral review and metacognition?

45. The teacher states a condition for a sentence, and students compose.
Generative Sentences
The teacher states a condition for a sentence, and students compose.
Briefly explain this instructional routine, then invite participants to compose and share examples of each. Notice how they get more difficult.
This instructional routine allows students to expand their sentences and to be able to use the word choices and mechanics that are necessary in order to convey information. Essentially, the teacher identifies a letter or word and the place in a sentence where the word will be used. Students then write sentences with the given components. The key to generative sentences is to vary the placement of the word (e.g., first position, last position, some numbered position) and the length of the sentence (e.g., exactly x number of words, fewer than x number of words, or more than x number of words). These variations require that students consider the complexity of the word and how it can be used, correctly, in a sentence. For younger children, begin with a letter (“a word that begins with /b/”). Sentences can be converted into topic sentences for a paragraph.

46. Writing Frames
Students integrate academic language with vocabulary knowledge about animal habitats:
I knew that ______ live in _____. I learned some new facts about _____. I learned that _____ live in ____. I also learned that _____ do not like to live _____. Another fact I learned was ____. The best thing I learned was _____.
This is an example of a simple writing frame. How could it be used in primary and intermediate classrooms? Could writing frames be used as a shared writing experience for younger children?

47. Alphabet Vocabulary Chart
Bald Eagle
Bell
C-D
E-F
Flag
G-H
I-J
K-L
M-N
Mount Rushmore
O-P
Q-R
S-T
U-V-W
X-Y-Z
An A-Z chart, adapted from the work of Janet Allen, is an effective tool for gauging progress during a unit of instruction. Here is one student’s pre-assessment about national symbols. The teacher asked them to write down anything they could think of that would be a national symbol. She collected them and used this information to understand the baseline knowledge of the class.

48. Declaration of Independence
A-B
Bald Eagle
Bell
America the Beautiful
C-D
Dollar
Capitol building
Declaration of Independence
E-F
Flag
G-H
I-J
Jefferson Monument
K-L
Lincoln Memorial
Liberty Bell
M-N
Mount Rushmore
National Anthem
O-P
Pledge of Allegiance
Q-R
S-T
U-V-W
White House
Washington Monument
X-Y-Z
The teacher returned the alphabet vocabulary chart to each student near the end of the unit. How much did the student learn? What evidence do you have?

49. Students assess themselves to see their own progress.

50. by Creating a Schoolwide Focus
Step 5:
Make it a Priority
by Creating a Schoolwide Focus

51. How could you use a schoolwide approach for promoting
Check Your Rubric .
How could you use a schoolwide approach for promoting
vocabulary learning?

52. Use English, Science, and
Social Studies content to
make the most of
vocabulary instruction.

53. Use gateway affixes to increase access to unfamiliar vocabulary
-s, -es, -ed, and -ing account
for 65% of all suffixed words
Re-, dis-, un-, in-/im- account for 50% of all the prefixed words readers will ever see
Cunningham, 2002

54. Words of the Week Five words a week (Port: to, out )
airport, transport, portable, port, report
Grouped by affix or derivation
Grade levels propose words
Goal is to build vocabulary and teach patterns for unfamiliar words
Consider creating separate K-2 and 3-6 lists.
Primary lists can draw from Dolch and Ogden Basic English word lists

55. Ideas for Extending WOW Efforts
Post the words on classroom word walls
Extra credit for using WOW words in writing
Post words each week on school website and in newsletter
Use words in games
(Bingo, Password,
Concentration)

56. Incidental Learning Through Wide Reading
Cumulative effect of reading: 60 minutes per day x 5 days a week= 2,250,000 words per year
2,250 words learned per year this way (Mason, Stahl, Au, & Herman, 2003)
A bargain, considering that only words can be directly taught each year
A second schoolwide vocabulary initiative is wide reading. This is the practice of encouraging children to read a wide range of texts of their own choosing. Wide reading contributes positively background knowledge, interest and attitude toward reading, and incidental vocabulary learning.

57. Revisiting the Rubric
You can use each component of the rubric to gauge success. For example, if you targeted teacher modeling you might have periodically asked teachers to complete that section of the rubric after reading the chapter in Learning Words Inside and Out, observing videos of other teachers, participating in demonstration lessons, and receiving peer coaching. If the professional development plan has been working, the average self-assessment score should be increasing. As it does, you can recognize effort and celebrate success.

59. Intentional Word Selection

60. Intentional Word Selection
Transparent Modeling

61. Intentional Word Selection
Transparent Modeling
Useable through Peer Collaboration

62. Intentional Word Selection
Transparent Modeling
Personalized Individual Activities
Useable through Peer Collaboration

63. Intentional Word Selection
Transparent Modeling
Personalized Individual Activities
Priority on Content
Useable through Peer Collaboration

64. Learning Words Inside and Out
Intentional Word Selection
Transparent Modeling
Learning Words Inside and Out
Personalized Individual Activities
Priority on Content
Useable through Peer Collaboration

66. Learning Words Inside and Out: Vocabulary Instruction Grades 1-6
Podcasts, Videos, and study guide available At
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2009). Learning words inside and out: Vocabulary instruction that boosts achievement in all subject areas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.