Frayer Model
By Jennifer Cleveland
Description of the Frayer Model
Developed by Dorothy Frayer, the Frayer Model is a type of graphic organizer that focuses on helping students understand new vocabulary and concepts in reading material by defining them in a novel way. It consists of four boxes grouped together and a circle in the middle. The circle in the middle is where the students will place the vocabulary word. The boxes ask the students to provide a definition of the term in their own words, characteristics of the term, examples of the term, and non-examples of the term. These boxes can be completed using words if an ELL student is Intermediate level English Language Development (ELD) or pictures if the student is an Early Intermediate ELL.
Note: Do not use this strategy with every new vocabulary term. ELL's at the Early Intermediate ELD level can read and understand a good portion of Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS). ELL's at the Intermediate level ELD can decipher many new words using pictures for contextual clues and the text around it. Use this strategy to introduce particularly challenging BICS terms with which ELL's will most likely struggle.
Instructional Steps
To introduce the Frayer Model into the classroom for vocabulary instruction:
1. Model - Model how to use the graphic organizer using a sample vocabulary term they already know well. As you complete the sample Frayer Model graphic organizer, display it using a projector or Smart Board camera so this sample is visible to every student in the classroom.
2. Introduce the new vocabulary - Introduce the new vocabulary you plan to cover. Only introduce one or two new terms or concepts at once because this strategy is time-consuming. Have these vocabulary terms displayed on a chart at the front of the classroom.
3. Read the sample paragraph - The term chosen for the Frayer Model should be one that is used in a reading selection the students will be reading that day for an assignment. Before releasing them to fill out the Frayer Model graphic organizer, read aloud the paragraph that contains that term. Ask them questions about what the story is discussing and what the accompanying picture tells them. This will help them begin to consider the context of the word and examples of it.
4. Fill it out - Have the students fill out the Frayer Model for each new term displayed on the chart. They may work individually or in pairs. They may fill out each section using words or pictures or both. Have them complete the chart in this order: characteristics, examples, non-examples, definitions. Definitions come last because they need to build their own context of the term before they can develop their own definition.
Implications for Classroom Management
Materials needed: Frayer Model graphic organizer handouts; new vocabulary terms chart; reading selection that uses the new vocabulary term(s)
Student groupings: Give students the option to work individually or in pairs with their elbow partner.
Time needed to teach: 30 minutes
Description of Comprehensible Input to Be Included When Teaching the Strategy
When teaching this strategy, comprehensible input will naturally be included. According to Suzanne F. Peregoy and Owen F. Boyle, Dr. Stephen Krashen's theory of achieving comprehensible input happens when students use "context, extralinguistic information such as gestures and pictures, and general background knowledge" (2013, p. 65). It offers students material they can understand while pushing them to learn a concept that is just beyond their realm of knowledge and understanding. When teaching the Frayer Model strategy for vocabulary acquisition, encourage students to look at the reading selection that contains the new word, using the surrounding text and accompanying picture to determine the context of the word. If they know a simpler synonym, encourage them to list that synonym in their Example box of the Frayer Model graphic organizer. For the characteristics, examples, and non-examples boxes, encourage the students to draw pictures. This strategy allows ELL students to gain a thorough comprehension of a difficult new vocabulary word rather than trying to memorize the term and its written definition, which is a more commonly used method of vocabulary instruction.
Description of Language Use
This EL strategy helps ELL students with reading and speaking. It helps with reading by giving students a comprehensive way to learn new vocabulary terms. It shows students how to use context clues, prior knowledge, examples, and non-examples when reading to identify new terms they encounter in their reading materials. Thus, students can build upon their knowledge of BICS. Such vocabulary instruction is proven to improve ELL's reading comprehension and fluency. As students learn these new words, they should be encouraged to use them in the classroom, thus learning to use more descriptive BICS in their speaking.
How This Strategy Meets the Needs of the EL Population
The Frayer Model is an excellent EL strategy because it allows ELL students to activate prior knowledge of an English term from their own language or from other ways they have heard the term used in English. At the Early Intermediate ELD level, an ELL student struggles with grammatical rules but can understand "basic vocabulary." At the Intermediate ELD level, an ELL student is able to read and write simple sentences as well as make basic comparisons. They use high frequency words when writing and ought to be encouraged to begin to develop and use more descriptive terminology. Also, they are highly interested in determining the definitions of new words and will use story illustrations to give them context clues about an unfamiliar term (Boyd-Batstone, (2006), pp. 175-176). Thus, direct instruction on new terms using the Frayer Model is excellent for Early Intermediate and Intermediate level EL students. It allows them to activate prior knowledge of a term or one that is similar, compare it, identify its characteristics, describe examples of it in use, and non-examples of it. Filling out the Frayer Model graphic organizer helps them fully put a new vocabulary term in its context so that when they read the term again, they immediately recognize its meaning. This improves their reading comprehension and fluency by helping them immerse the word into every aspect of its context (characteristics and examples) as well as helping them rule out non-examples.
References:
Boyd-Batstone, P. (2006). Identifying proficiency levels. In Azusa Pacific University, English language learner and diversity manual (pp. 173-188). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.
Peregoy, S. F. and Boyle, O. F. (2013). Reading, writing, and learning in esl. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.