Strategic Vocabulary Selection: Choosing Words From Narrative & - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Strategic Vocabulary Selection: Choosing Words From Narrative & Informational Texts

Elfrieda H. Hiebert University of California, Berkeley www.textproject.org

Aims of Today’s Presentation

• 1. A four-part vocabulary program
• 2. Background on English vocabulary
• 3. How the words in informational &

narrative texts are the same and different and what these similarities and differences mean for instruction

The Four Vocabulary Components* of Classrooms Where Students Receive the Gift of Words**

*Graves, M.F. (2009). Teaching individual words: One size does not fit all. Newark, DE: IRA. **Scott, J.A., Skobel, B.J., & Wells, J. (2008). The word-conscious

• classroom. NY: Scholastic.

Component #1: Opportunities for scaffolded silent reading

That include forms of vocabulary logs (Illustration of a vocabulary log in the primary grades)

Component #2: Rich language by teachers through read-alouds

www.textproject.org

AND: Rich Teacher Talk in Everyday Events

Components #3 & #4: Receiving the gift of words involves direct instruction as well:

• Direct instruction of thematic

groups of words from informational text

• Direct instruction of semantic

clusters of words from literary/narrative texts

2. Background on English Vocabulary:

a. English vocabulary is huge: 290,500 entries in the OED; with variant spellings, obsolete forms, combinations and derivatives over 616,500 words. b. Gap in students’ vocabularies on school entry is extensive (Hart & Risley, 1994) c. Content of Vocabulary Curricula in English/Language Arts is ill-defined as evident in:

• State Standards (& Assessments)
• Core Reading Programs

d. Sources of English

WordZonesTM

Zeno et al., 1995

• 2a. Words in American Schoolbooks

3 4 5 0-2 6

(from Calfee & Drum, 1981)

Anglo-Saxon Common, everyday, down-to-earth words EX: cold, sweat, dirt New Words through compounding: cold-blooded, cold-natured, cold-drink, cold-running

• d. Sources of English

Greek/Latin Specialized words used mostly in science EX: thermometer, geography New Words through compounding

• f word parts:

thermosphere, geopolitical Romance 1066 (Norman Conquest)-1399 (Henry IV, a native Anglo-Saxon speaker assumes throne): French is spoken by upper classes; English by lower-classes. French loan words remain. EX: frigid, perspiration, soil New Words through derivations: frigidity, frigidness, refrigerator

• 3. What’s the same?
• The core vocabulary
• Linguistic challenges with the core

vocabulary: Idioms & Compound & Polysemous Words

• Instructional challenges with the

core vocabulary

• Solutions

WordZonesTM

Zeno et al., 1995

Words in American Schoolbooks

3 4 5 0-2 6

Narrative Text

Far out at sea, a great Russian icebreaker named the Moskva picked up the faint signal. "We read you," the captain radioed back. "We're

• n our way, but it may take us several weeks to

reach you. Can you keep the whales alive until then? Some of the people from Glashka's village started setting up a base camp near the whales. Others set out by dogsled to alert the surrounding settlements.

Informational Text

Even after stirring, sugar sometimes drops to the bottom. This is evidence that not all of the sugar is dissolved. When all the sugar dissolves, you can’t see it. If the sugar isn’t all dissolved, you can try stirring some more. You can also try adding more

• water. Sometimes you can make all the

sugar dissolve. Sometimes you can’t.

• 3. What’s different?
• a. Ratio of difficult to familiar

The ratio of difficult to familiar vocabulary needed to be “high” (i.e.,

• ne substance word in three) before

reliable effects on comprehension were evident (Freebody & Anderson, 1983)

• 3. What’s different?
• b. Conceptual difficulty of words

Of numerous factors, only conceptual difficulty was significantly related to learning from context (with conceptually difficult words less likely to be known than words with known concepts) (Nagy, Anderson, & Herman, 1987)

• 1. Known concepts with one-word synonym (e.g.,

altercation=fight)

• 2. Known concepts that can be expressed in a familiar

phrase (e.g., apologize=to say you’re sorry)

• 3. Unknown concept that can be learned from available

experiences & information (e.g., naïve)

• 4. Unknown concept that is based on new factual

information or a related system of concepts (e.g., divide as “boundary between drainage basins” requires knowing about river systems)

Conceptually Complex Words from Grade 6 Narrative & Science Texts

36% (e.g.: fermentation, cytoplasm) Category 4 64% (absorb, microscope) Science 100% (slithering, wincing, kindling, gestures) Narrative Categories 1-3

3. What’s different

• c. Rare words are repeated more frequently in informational

than narrative texts

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

HM2-HM4 HM4-HM6 SF2-SF4 SF4-SF6 Across HM & SF

Reading/Language Arts

5 10 15 20 25 30 35

HM2-HM4 HM4-HM6 SF2-SF4 SF4-SF6 ALL HM-SF

Science

• 3. Informational Vocabulary: What

to teach

• a. Content-specific [emphasis of this

presentation]

• Many words have Romance-based

morphology (e.g., combine/combination; solution/dissolve)

• b. General academic--words such as system,

process, form

Electricity & Magnets

• pole
• attracts
• repels
• magnetic field
• magnetic
• nonmagnetic
• compass
• electric

charges

• static

electricity

• electrical

discharge

• negatively

charged

• atoms
• electric

current

• conductors
• electric cell
• electric circuit
• insulators
• parallel circuit
• series circuit
• simple circuit
• switch
• circuit breaker
• fuse
• magnetic poles
• temporary

magnet

• permanent

magnetic

• electromagnet
• generator
• motor
• volt
• amperes
• voltage
• alternating current

(AC)

• direct current (DC)
• circuit breakers
• armature
• commutator
• cathode ray tube
• negative terminal
• electrons
• phosphor
• steering coils
• pixels
• positive terminal
• anode
• magnetic data storage
• magnetic dipoles
• magneto-optical disks

Grades 2, 4, & 6

Designing Mixtures

substance property dissolve abrasive acid ingredient combine solution soluble mixture pure chemical

absorb

• dor
• 3. What to teach: Vocabulary for

core concepts

• 3. Informational Vocabulary: How to

teach it

• Indepth experiences with concepts are

required--not simply vocabulary exercises

• The sequence that follows illustrates the

nature of vocabulary/concept learning embedded in literacy/science content (from Lawrence Hall of Science Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading Program: www.seedsofscience.org)

Do it

Students test ingredients and mixtures to learn more about possible glue ingredients and to select those that are stickiest

Talk it

Students evaluate results and decide which ingredients to use to make glue

Students read a book that models the design process.

Read it

Write it

Students use their records from first and secondhand sources to decide what combination of ingredients best meets their design goals.

• 3. Literary vocabulary: What to

teach

• a. Synonyms (remember the Anglo-

Saxon/French alternatives)

rumpus disturbance trouble riot fracas disorder commotion turmoil upheaval furor ruckus to-do bother brouhaha brawl free-for-all melee fuss excitement argument protest ado bustle stir hue and cry hullabaloo noise racket hubbub din uproar clamor tumult mayhem chaos turbulence

gingerly cautiously: guardedly watchfully vigilantly warily with care delicately: precisely skillfully dexterously deftly adroitly tentatively: hesitantly uncertainly timidly shyly sheepishly carefully: suspiciously charily circumspectly gently: quietly softly lightly kindly smoothly soothingly tenderly

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LIKE/DON"T LIKE *perfect *wonderful *favorite FEELINGS *happy *excited *pleased *scared *worried *cross *angry *furious *frowning OTHER GROUPS: *crowded *flat *steep *graceful *bushy *strong *tough *barely NOISES

*noisy

*whisper *clomping *sizzles *swooch *crackle *whisper *clomping *sizzles *swooch *crackle *clang *whisper *clomping *sizzles *swoosh *crackle *clang

WORD GROUPS CLOTHES *costume *apron *sombrero *sarape JOBS *mayor *guard *cobbler PEOPLE *gentleman *master *grown-up *kindergartner PLACES *apartment *subway *restaurant *station *booth FOOD *cereal *seafood BODY *fist

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