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teach vocabulary explicitly for 2 weeks.
I gave her a scripted weekly lesson
Students with a larger vocabulary plan that began with a pre-assessment
to determine a baseline for tabulating
lexicon are better equipped to decode growth data. The pre-assessment was a
unfamiliar words and to comprehend list of 10 words, given each Monday, to
determine whether the students already
passages in more detail... knew any of the words. These words
were taken from a list of Tier 2 and Tier
3 academic vocabulary terms relating to
reading, math, and science. I chose an
academic vocabulary list from Vocabulary.com for each grade level. These were
words that each student should know at that grade level. No student knew more than
one of the words, and most just handed in a blank paper because the vocabulary was
all new to them. The lessons for the week were as follows:
Monday: For the pretest, to determine a baseline of how many words the students
already knew, each student was given a list of 10 words and asked to define each in
their own terms and use it in a sentence. They were required to do both for full credit,
but partial credit was given if they were only able to use the word in a sentence.
Students then listened to the teacher pronounce each word, choral pronounced each
word, and then pronounced it on their own. They clapped the syllables and discussed
the morphological origin of each word, looking at roots, suffixes, and affixes. The
teacher then used a visual to help the students comprehend and retain the meaning
of the word. Each student created a “Dictionary of Academic Vocabulary” as they
proceeded. The word was written at the top of the page as a header, and all notes
about that word were on that page. The student wrote how many syllables were in
the word and the origin of the word and then drew a picture/image for each word.
Tuesday: Led by the teacher, students worked as a group to create a student-
friendly definition for each word. The teacher helped them refine the definitions;
when they were accurate, students added them in their notebook pages. Students
created a semantic map for the first five words by following these steps: In the
middle of the page, they wrote the word in a circle, and five rays extended out from
the circle to boxes. The first box listed synonyms, the second contained examples,
the third had antonyms, the fourth listed multiple meanings, and the fifth gave words
sometimes confused with this word.
Wednesday: The students repeated the steps to create a semantic map, but on this
day they focused on the last five words in the list. These new words were mapped
out and were added to their notebooks.
Thursday: Using individual word cards, students worked in pairs to sort words
into categories of their own choosing. They created category headings, and each
group told the class how they categorized the words and why they chose that
approach. Following the discussion, students glued a set of the words into their
notebooks. A second set had been precut so that each student had a set to glue into
his or her notebook.
Friday: For the posttest, students were once again given a page listing the same
10 words they had been given on Monday. They were asked to write a definition in
their own words and use the word in a sentence. When the task was completed, some
students were asked to read their definitions to the class.
40 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators