Discovering Meanings of Unfamiliar Words

Althea W. Peak2nd Grade

SWP Summer 2013

Digging Deep:

“Turn and Talk”Children don’t have full vocabularies that

they need, so word study and strategies are imperative

Cover up unfamiliar words and let kids use photos and illustrations to figure out the meaning

Even in content studies, vocabulary can be taught through visuals and through experiences (ie. Science)

How do you teach students meanings of unfamiliar words?

I found that during and after reading texts many of my students did not understand what they read. Many of the students in my school do not have the background knowledge they need to be equipped for the understanding of vocabulary they will encounter in books they read independently for pleasure or for information. When giving assessments like the Dominie, I found that the most commonly missed questions were questions that asked students about word meaning within the context. So, I asked the question, “How do I strengthen how I teach students the meanings of unfamiliar words?”

My Roadblock

The CCSS require the teaching of phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and other foundational literacy skills in Grades K–5. This makes sense since research has demonstrated the value of explicitly and systematically teaching these skills. In order to meet the requirements of the Standards, teachers will need to continue to provide high quality explicit and systematic instruction in these foundational skills if students are to succeed in learning to read.

www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RF/2

Should strategies to figure out meanings of vocabulary be taught?

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4e  Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5b Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g.,toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny).

  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g.,When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

Common Core Standards.

The lungs’ main air pipes, the bronchi, branch many times until they form hair-thin tubes, terminal bronchioles. Those end in grape-like bunches of air bubbles, called alveoli.

Nonfiction Craft Lessons: Teaching Information Writing K-8 by Joann Portalupi and Ralph Fletcher

What strategies do you use to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word?

Re-readUse schema: look for familiar terms or wordsPay attention to the wordsTake time ThinkLook for punctuation helpersUse context cluesPay close attention to the pictures

Strategies for figuring out meanings of unfamiliar words

Research has concluded that systematic vocabulary instruction is one of the most important instructional interventions that teachers can use, particularly with low-achieving students.

Students who received direct instruction of vocabulary words critical to learning new content had an increase of 33 percentile points in summative assessments. Direct instruction enhances achievement.

Students that were taught vocabulary through direct instruction also had a 12% increase in comprehension of new material. Their ability to comprehend new vocabulary increased as a result of direct instruction.

Classroom Instruction that Works

By Robert Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock

Why Systematic or Direct Instruction of Vocabulary?

Vocabulary instruction is the strongest action a teacher can take to ensure that students have the background knowledge they need to understand the content they will encounter in school.

(Marzano, Pickering, 2005)

Systematic and Explicit Teaching

"Direct instruction on words that are critical to new content produces the most powerful learning."

 —Robert Marzano

. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OetbzrP2QUU

What are some Techniques you use to teach meanings of unfamiliar words?

Mini- lesson: Choose a Read Aloud that has rich vocabulary. Read aloud the first few pages by using the think aloud method. Think aloud about the meanings of words from the page(s). When talking out loud ask questions, refer to your background knowledge(schema), re-read, look at the picture and talk about it.

Model other wordsAsk students to think about what they heard

you doChart what they noticed

Teaching unfamiliar vocabulary using mentor texts.

Then tell students it’s their turn to listen carefully

Raise their hand when they don’t understand a word

Record their unfamiliar word(s) on a chart “What can you do to help yourself figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word?”

Next have students to work with partners using other texts to find unfamiliar words and record their findings on the chart

Come back together and share findings

Using mentor texts continued….

Unfamiliar Word What I think it means?

What helped me?

collected To have a lot of something, same thing but different colors or sizes

Pictures, schema

Example of chart …

Mini-lesson- identify important vocabulary from content area/unit. Show students the word(s) that they are expected to understand in order to master the lessons objective.

Review vocabulary words or concept list with the class before students read the selection.

Students may work in groups on the vocabulary words. Have students read the assigned text selection and

carefully define the key concepts after talking about the vocabulary . Have each group of students complete the four-square chart for each concept word.

Have the groups to share what they learned when they come back together.

Teaching unfamiliar words using the Frayer Model as an instructional strategy.

Example of Frayer Model

Content-Word BoardsWritingOpen word discussionsUse concrete objects

Other Strategies for Vocabulary Building

What to do when you can read a word but you don’t know what it means:1. Cover it up.

2. Read all around the word.

3. Think about a word that would make sense in its place.

4. Read the sentence again using the new word instead.

5. That’s probably what the hard word means.

6. It works most of the time, but not all the time.

Context Clues Chart

Created by Daisy Bokus and Her Third GradersOne Child at a Time by Pat Johnson

Mentor Texts with rich vocabulary

Turn and talk

How does teaching strategies to understand unfamiliar words impact student learning?

Promotes critical thinkingDiscuss meaning of unfamiliar wordsOpportunities to clear up misconceptionsFamiliarizes students with unknown

vocabularyGives visual representationImageryBuilds connections to new conceptsDeeper understanding

Benefits of Strategies

Fountas, Irene and Pinnel, Gay Su. Guided Reading. Heinemann, Portsmouth,NH. 1996.

Johnson, Pat. One Child at a Time. Stenhouse Publishers, Porland, Maine. 2006.

Marzano, Robert, Pickering and Pollock. Classroom Instruction that Works. 2001.

Miller, Debbie. Reading with Meaning. Stenhouse Publishers. Portland, Maine. 2002.

Parker, Steve. “Brain Surgery for Beginners and Other Major Operations for Minors.” Brookfield ,CT:Millbrook Press. 1995.

Portalupi, Joann and Fletcher, Ralph. Nonfiction Craft Lessons-Teaching Information Writing K-8. Stenhouse Publishers. 2001.

www.worksheetworks.com /Frayer model. Zimmerman, Susan and Hutchins Chryse. 7 Keys to

Comprehension. Three Rivers Press, NY,NY. 2003

Resources