Academic Vocabulary Workshop
1. Vocabulary Quiz- True or False
a. Review 5 vocabulary statements
b. Decide whether statements are true or false
c. Discuss correct answers
2. Shift 6 Video
a. Play video
b. Discuss comments/questions
c. Overview of tiered vocabulary
3. Jigsaw Reading: Chapter 2 Bringing Words to Life
a. Assign sections of chapter to each group
i. Grade 3- pgs 15-22
ii. Grade 4- pgs. 22 (bottom)- 30
iii. Grade 5- Article # 1
iv. Specialists- Article # 2
b. Groups will summarize section on chart paper
c. Groups will share information from their section
4. Grade-Level Activities: Identifying Tier Two Words for Instruction
a. Each group will receive a sample passage (grade/content specific)
b. Groups will read the passage once
c. Groups will underline all words they consider tier 2
d. Groups will narrow down their words to create a list of 5-10 teachable vocabulary words
e. Discuss word choice
5. Center Rotations: Examples of Instructional Activities
a. Create 7 Vocabulary centers
i. Example/Non Example
ii. Word Associations
iii. Generating Situations, Contexts, and Examples
iv. Word Relationships
v. Writing
vi. Returning to Story Context
vii. Puzzles
b. Groups will rotate to each center and complete each sample activity
c. Hand out Appendix A with more information about Instructional Activities
6. Reflection/Closure
a. Whole group comes back together
b. Overview of what we worked on
c. Questions- next steps??
True or False????
Read the following statements about academic vocabulary. Decide with your group whether each statement is TRUE or FALSE.
1. _____Vocabulary is learned primarily from CONTEXT
2. _____ School age children are naturally learning words, so we don’t need to worry too much about adding words to their vocabulary.
3. _____ There are just too many words to teach, so there is virtually no choice but to learn from context.
4. _____ Students can learn word meaning from dictionary definitions
5. _____ We can understand texts in which we know 75% of the words
6. ____ Students know when they don’t know words.
7. _____ Explicit teaching does not work.
CCLS Appendix A outlines a three-tier model for vocabulary
· Tier 1 Words
- Everyday speech
- Not the focus of instruction
· Tier 2 Words
- Words that are far more likely to appear in written texts than in speech
- Often represent subtle or precise ways to communicate relatively simple ideas
- Found across many types of text
- Are not specific to any one discipline
· Tier 3 Words
- Specific to a domain or field of study
- Key to understanding a new concept within a text
- Often explicitly defined by an author
- Often heavily scaffolded in text.
Some Criteria for Identifying Tier Two Words
· Importance and Utility
- Words that are characteristic of mature language users and appear frequently across a variety of domains
· Instructional Potential
- Words that can be worked with in a variety of ways so that students can build rich representations of them and of their connections to other words and concepts
· Conceptual Understanding
- Words for which students understand the general concept but provide precision and specificity in describing the concept.
What words would you choose?
**This story is intended for 3rd or 4th grade students
Johnny Harrington was a kind master who treated his servants fairly. He was also a successful wool merchant, and his business required that he travel often. In his absence, his servants would tend to the fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of his mansion. They performed their duties happily, for they felt fortunate to have such a benevolent and trusting master.
Example/Non-Example
Variation 1
Whole-Group Activities: Present descriptions of situations and ask students to respond to each as to whether or not it illustrates the target word. Students should always be asked “why” they responded as they did
Teacher says: If I say something that sounds precarious, say “precarious”. If not, don’t say anything.
· Walking over a rickety bridge that spans a deep canyon
· Exploring a new school
· Standing on a tall ladder on one foot
· Working on math homework
Teacher says: If any of the things I say are examples of places where it might be frigid, say “Brrr”. If not, don’t say anything.
· Antarctica
· Florida
· Mexico
· New York in January
Teacher says: If any of the things I say are things that might be sleek, say “Smooth, man”. If not, don’t say anything.
· Porcupine
· Duck
· Leaf
· Car
· Cactus
Example/Non-Example
Variation 2
Independent/Small Group Activity: Students will choose which of two alternatives illustrates the target word.
Directions: Which sentence uses the word correctly? Circle that sentence.
Word / Example 1 / Example 2Reluctant / Noreen was reluctant to cross the river / The hungry kittens were reluctant to eat
Inspecting / Tony is inspecting his hair as he runs out the door / The firefighter is inspecting the ruins for hot ashes
Taut / Pull the string taut to loosen the knot / Pull the string taut to tighten the knot
Untangled / Ryan untangled the knots in the kite string / Amy untangled the dishes from the dishwasher
Resounded / Tim leaped up and resounded the bell / Tim’s shouts resounded through the woods
Lurked / The cat lurked under a tree, waiting for a bird / Elena lurked onto the shore after her swim in the lake
Surge / Ben held a surge of squirming puppies on his lap / Ben felt a surge of joy when he held his new puppy
Rumpled / I took out a rumpled pen and a clean sheet of paper / I unfolded the rumpled sheet of paper and pressed it flat.
Example/Non-Example
Variation 3
Independent/Small Group Activity: Students will choose which of two target words represents a situation that is described OR decide which situation matches the vocabulary word.
Directions: Use your knowledge of the vocabulary questions to answer the questions below.
1. Would you want the people who cook the school lunch to be frugal or versatile? Why? ______
______
2. If you didn’t buy a pair of shoes until you wore out the ones you had, would that be frugal or industrious? Why? ______
______
3. If you just won the lottery, would you be jubilant or melancholy? Why? ______
______
4. If you were going to an assembly, would you expect to see one person or many people? ______
5. If my little brother was squirming at the doctor’s office, was he sitting quietly or did he move around a lot? ______
______
6. If you brought an abundance of food to a picnic, would there be not enough food, or more than enough? ______
______
Word Associations
Variation 1
Students will read and/or listen to comments. They will decide which of their vocabulary words goes with each comment.
Directions: Read the comments below. Select a word from the word box that matches each comment.
1. I spent all day coloring each tiny section of the picture ______
2. You are so lucky that I am a part of your team. ______
3. My sister gave me a special keychain from her vacation. ______
4. I just can’t face another minute of this! ______
5. I hope we have enough food for all these people. ______
6. We put up colorful decorations for the holiday. ______
Word Associations
Variation 2
Students will come up with an association (person, place, experience) to target words, and explain the connection they see. This will need to be done under teacher guidance at first.
Word / Associations / Reasons/ExplanationEloquent
Pervasive / Computer viruses / Viruses seem to be all over the place and you always have to be on the watch for them.
Fidelity
Communicate
Word Associations
Variation 3
Students will listen to (or read) a sentence that has something to do with one of their words. They will need to indicate which word it is, and revise the sentence in a way that includes the word.
Directions: Decide which word from the word box below is associated with each sentence. Then, rewrite the sentence using the vocabulary word.
Example:
I didn’t want to answer his questions so I pretended I didn’t hear him.
Which new word goes with this sentence? Evade
I didn’t want to answer his question so I evaded him.
1. Milk is something that babies have to have
Which new word goes with this sentence? ______
______
2. I didn’t plan to see my friend at the mall.
Which new word goes with this sentence? ______
______
3. My mother said I worked really hard when I cleaned the house.
Which new word goes with this sentence? ______
______
Word Associations
Variation 3
Students will identify a vocabulary word that is associated with other groups of words.
Directions: Pick the word from the word box that best fits with each group of three words. Write the word on the line.
Generating Situations, Contexts, and Examples
Variation 1 & 2
Students will apply different vocabulary words to the same situation.
Whole class questioning:
What would make a teacher say this to her class?
· What an industrious class you are!
· What a clever class you are!
· What a splendid class you are!
· What a versatile class you are!
OR
Students will apply knowledge of vocabulary words to develop situations across various contexts.
Partner/Small group questioning:
· What might a clever dog learn to do when his owner comes home?
· What would a splendid day for ducks look like?
· How would someone who is versatile react to a change in his/her schedule?
· What might an industrious person do if they had a messy room?
Generating Situations, Contexts, and Examples
Variation 3
Students will develop comments that people might make that are associated with target words
Directions: Use your knowledge of the vocabulary words to answer the following questions:
1. What might an audience say about a splendid musician?
______
2. What might a generous person say to a miser?
______
3. What might someone who is exuberant say about your new bike? ______
______
4. What might someone who is frugal say when looking at the price tag on a coat? ______
______
5. What might an organized person say if they saw your cluttered room? ______
______
Generating Situations, Contexts, and Examples
Variation 4
Variations within this format are great for small-group collaborative work.
Hand out an activity card to each group. They will work together to complete the assignment.
Generating Situations, Contexts, and Examples
Variation 5
Variations within this format are great for small-group collaborative work.
Directions: Hand out an activity card to each group. They will work together to complete the assignment.
Front: Write the Back: Write the Instructions
Vocabulary Term
Word Relationships
Variation 1
Students will describe how two vocabulary words might be connected or related.
Directions: Look at the words paired below. Think of what each of the word means. Then, describe how the two vocabulary words are connected or related.
1. Conscientious/Haphazard
______
2. Compassionate/Advocate
______
3. Curious/Nuisance
______
4. Meticulous/Vulnerable
______
5. Industrious/Versatile
______
Word Relationships
Variation 2
Students will work with analogies. To begin, you can develop your own analogies and leave one part for students to fill in. Eventually, students will be able to construct their own analogies (either complete or with a part missing for other students to complete.
Directions: Complete the analogies below:
1. A determined person is someone who is really set on getting something done, while a person who is wavering is……….
______
2. You could describe someone as morose if he always saw the bad side of things. On the other hand, you could describe someone as jovial if she….
______
3. A meticulous person would be very careful and thorough when completing a math problem, while a lackadaisical person would…..
______
4. Someone who is articulate could deliver a very powerful speech, while someone who is often mumbling might….
______
5. A person would be described as conscientious if they were diligent and hard-working. On the other hand, a person would be described as imprudent if they…..
______
Word Relationships
Variation 3
After students have been introduced to a number of words, encourage them to sort the words into various categories- any categories they can think of (that are logical) will do.
Directions: Sort the words below into at least two different categories. Rewrite the words on the lines below
Determined Tranquil Eerie Charming
Monotonous Meek Exotic Eminent
Impatient Rustic Unique Eloquent
Category 1: Category 2: Category 3 (optional)
______
______
______
______
______
______
Word Relationships
Variation 4
Students will place phrases (by number) on a word line that represents a continuum and then explain their placement.
Directions: Read the statements below. Using the word line, write in how surprised you would be if the following events occurred. Record the number that matches each statement on the word line.
Example:
How surprised would you be if:
An impatient person waited on line for two hours to see a movie.
Least Surprised ______#1______Most surprised
How surprised would you be if….
1. An extremely fragile plant survived in an arctic region?
2. An enthusiastic teacher came to school dressed in a pirate costume?
3. A determined student gets an excellent grade?
Least Surprised ______Most surprised
______
Could you handle the following situations???
1. Having to evade someone you dislike every single day
2. Everyone in the class thinks your outfit is appalling
3. Being vulnerable to a stomach flu
4. Your best friend is suddenly reluctant to talk to you