Words: Vocabulary Workshop

Words, Words, Words

Janet Allen

Mayo High School

1420 SE 11th Ave.

Rochester, MN 55904

These materials may be duplicated for non-profit, educational use.

Text notes from Janet Allen’s Words, Words, Words1

Using Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes

Description:Can you figure out what this word means?

pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

If you use your knowledge of prefixes and suffixes, you could break it down into the following parts:

pneumo (air, wind)

ultra (beyond the normal)

micro (small)

scopic (to see)

silico (hard stone)

volcano (fire)

coni (dust)

osis (disease)

You read Latin from right to left, so literally this word means the dust from burning a hard stone and that is too small to see in the air.

This is the longest word in the dictionary, and it is a term for black lung disease. (Miners breathed in a very fine coal dust that coated their lungs and made it difficult for the miners to breathe. Many coal miners died of black lung disease.)

Not only could you figure out this word if you had some knowledge of Greek and Latin prefixes, roots, and suffixes, you could also pronounce it! A college dictionary will give you the etymology of the word, including its roots and their meanings.

Text notes from Janet Allen’s Words, Words, Words1

Why 99% Accuracy?

The man leaned against the current as he waded, waist-deep, upstream. His hands steadied either end of the FURNWUNCH balanced across his shoulders. He had moved about 90 yards from the DNUP where he had entered the stream. A few yards ahead, a part of the wooded bank had been replaced by an ACNRIDFRUD. He came abreast of it, and with effort, pressed the FURNWUNCH up and over his head, and then set it on top of the FRUD. He placed his hands on his hips, pulled his elbows back, and arched his back in an attempt to stretch out muscles that were knotted from long exertion.

He relaxed somewhat and began a visual inspection of the FRUD. He moved closer to it and reached under the water to explore its surface. Moving slowly, he started the search from the downstream end. At about the RONDTIP he stopped and probed one area intently. Satisfied that he had located a GRUNDLE, he continued to the upstream end. There was only one GRUNDLE to contend with. He retrieved the FURNWUNCH and cradled the heavy implement as he made his way back to the RONDTIP. He gingerly lowered the FURNWUNCH, holding it perpendicular to the FRUD. When it reached the GRUNDLE, he slid it in its full length. He held it in place with one hand and turned the expansion lock handle until the instrument was seated tightly in place. His mission accomplished, he was clearly relieved. He waded easily downstream to the DNUP.

From: Harris, C. H. Curriculum Based Assessment: A Primer

297 Words/ 6.4 GE Flesch-Kincaid

Why 99% accuracy? This passage has 16 occurrences of six unknown words, or 93% known words, making it impossible to comprehend. Pre-teach vocabulary words that are essential to comprehension before students read!

Words, Words, Words – By Janet Allen

Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12

Text Notes

“The amount of time spent reading is the best predictor of vocabulary growth.”

Janet Allen Words, Words, Words

(Based on research from Anderson and Nagy 1991; Baumann and Kameenui 1991)

**And this means fiction and nonfiction! Mary Barrett

Stages of vocabulary knowledge:1. First Exposure = partially known

2. Repeated Exposures = understanding

3. Literacy Maturity = concept fleshed out

3 Approaches to Vocabulary Instruction:

1. Incidental

2. Mediated support

3. Direct Instruction

Vocabulary vs. Concept

Teaching vocabulary is teaching new labels for familiar concepts.

Ex.Knowledge of Fair/Unfair can lead to understanding of the vocabulary terms bias, discrimination, stereotyping.

Teaching a new concept requires more time.

Ex.The concept Faithfulness would require several reading, writing, thinking, and exploring activities. Once the concept is in place, students can generalize to loyalty, steadfastness, and commitment as vocabulary terms.

Concept instruction has the most lasting effect.

5 Reasons Supporting Direct Instruction of Vocabulary

Increase reading comprehension
Develop knowledge of new concepts
Improve range and specificity in writing
Help student communicate more effectively
Develop deeper understanding of words and concepts of which students are only partially aware

3 Key Characteristics of Good Vocabulary Instruction

Integration

Vocabulary instruction is part of your everyday lesson, not an add-on that separates the vocabulary from the text.

Repetition

Students need to have multiple encounters with a word before it enters their speaking, listening, and writing vocabulary. Students need to see the words in varied contexts.

Meaningful Use

Multiple and meaningful exposures to words might occur when the teacher

describes words;

supports words with visuals;

connects words to students’ lives;

extends words with anecdotes;

makes associations;

gives definitions;

compares and contrasts;

questions;

charts characteristics;

rephrases sentences;

analyzes word structure;

provides tactile examples; and/or

gives examples of correct and incorrect usage.

DO NOT simply give students word lists and tell them to look up words in the dictionary. Definitions may not have enough information, may not make sense if applied literally, or may be inappropriate for idiomatic usage.

2 TYPES OF CONTEXT

Semantic/Syntactic

cause/effect

compare/contrast

sequence

examples (“such as”)

direct explanation (“in other words”

sentence structure

Typographical

charts

pictures

glossary words

parenthetical definitions

text features (bold, italics, etc.)

BRING VOCABULARY TO A CONSCIOUS LEVEL

Model using context to figure out meanings.

Demonstrate how to use dictionaries, thesauruses, and other resources.

Highlight the importance of specialized vocabulary.

Connect individual words to a larger concept.

Show why some words require deeper understanding than other words.

Create visuals, webs, or organizers to develop memory links for words.

Extend student knowledge by pointing out multiple meanings of words.

Show students how you learn incidental words.

Help students discriminate between common knowledge and specialized vocabulary.

Reading fiction and nonfiction takes different skills and strategies. Tailor your strategies to the content of the text.

POSSIBLE STRATEGIES

#1Access Prior Knowledge

List – Group – Label

List all the words you can think of related to .

(the major concept that you are introducing)

Group the words that you have listed by looking for words that have something in common.
Once the words are grouped, decide on a label for each group.

WORDSTORMING

Write down all the words students can think of related to a given concept, theme, or target word.
When students have exhausted their contributions, help them add to their individual lists by giving some specific directions:
Can you think of words that describe someone without ?
Can you think of words that would show what someone might see, hear, feel, touch, smell in a situation filled with ?
What are other words made from this root word?
Ask the students to group and label their words.
Introduce any words you think should be included and ask students to put them in the correct group.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT

Choose words that you know may present difficulty in the text.
Copy the word and its sentence onto an overhead.
Read the sentence, containing the word in context, aloud to students.
Give the students a KWL-style form to assess what they already know about the word. Students will record the word in the appropriate column as the teacher reads each sentence. (See p. 10)
Words that most students place in the first two columns will need to be explicitly taught; words in the second two columns may be addressed in context.

Here is a sample of what the form’s columns might be:

Geometry: Word Sort

Try to find the 4 headings among the words in the following list. One of the columns contains two sub-headings under it. Then sort the words into columns that fit the headings.

Parts of ShapeslengthSolid Figuressimilardiagonals

Measuresedgesrhombusintersectingbisector

Relationstriangleperpendicularanglesadjacent

ShapespyramidPlane Figurescongruentrays

pointsvolumeradiusoppositesymmetry

verticesperimetercirclecylindercube

parallelsquarecircumferencepointssphere

parallelogramhexagonprismsquarecone

Totally new / Heard before but unsure of meaning / Know one definition / Know several ways to the use word

#2MAKE WORD LEARNING MEANINGFUL

Concept Attainment

Concept
Characteristics
Non-examples
Definition of Concept
Examples
Words that Connect

EXAMPLE: Concept Attainment

Concept / Direct vocabulary instruction
Characteristics / multiple exposures/
multiple strategies
new concept / integrate into lesson
meaningful use
Non-examples / generate word lists
look up words in dictionary and copy definition
Definition of Concept / Good vocabulary instruction is based on integration into a lesson, learning the word in context, and meaningful exposures to the word multiple times.
Examples / Metacognition about Context Clues
Analyzing prefixes, roots, and suffixes
Presenting words in sentences from text
Words that Connect / Strategic Instruction
Scaffolding multiple experiences with increasing student accountability
Word Diary

CONCEPT LADDER

Concept:

What does it look like?

What is it used for?

What are its parts?

What is it made of?

What did it replace or what has replaced it?

It is a kind of

It might also be called

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Connected Concept/
Example / Connected Concept/
Example
CONCEPT
Connected Concept/
Example / Connected Concept/
Example

EXAMPLE: Making Connections

Conductor/
Orchestra / Manager/
Retail Store
Teacher/Classroom
Coach/
Sports Team / Leader/
Youth Group

KNOWLEDGE CHART

Lee Corey

Word/Concept:
Prior Knowledge about / New Knowledge about

COMPARE/CONTRAST

Word:

Definition:

Compare to:Contrast With:

Examples:

EXAMPLE: Compare/Contrast

Word: Democracy

Definition: Form of government in which all people of voting age in the country have an equal voice in how decisions are made and how laws are determined.

Compare to:Contrast with:

family meetingMonarchy

co-operative groupsCommunism

food co-opSocialism

Examples: ancient Greece

United States of America (representative democracy)
ROOTS AND CONTEXT

Target Word in Context:
Word part(s) I recognize: / Meaning(s) of word part(s):
Other words I know with the word part(s):
Definition by analysis:
Target Word in Context:
Word part(s) I recognize: / Meaning(s) of word part(s):
Other words I know with the word part(s):
Definition by analysis:

DIRECT INSTRUCTION WITH CONTEXT

Adams and Cerqui (1989)

Sentence that uses the target word in context:
is not: / New Word / is:
is not: / is:
is not: / is:
Example: / Example: / Example:

EXAMPLE: Direct Instruction with Context

Sentence that uses the target word in context:
The whole situation when the principal accused the student of theft was PREPOSTEROUS since it was obvious that the student was incapable of stealing anything.
is not: realistic / New Word:
Preposterous / is: crazy
is not: serious / is: ridiculous
is not: defensible / is: silly
Ex.: Dennis Rodman / Ex: “Can we have more homework?” / Ex: I just love being tired and hungry!

SENSORY LANGUAGE CHART

Word/Phrase in context:
What does the word make you:
See?
Hear?
Smell?
Feel/Touch?
Taste?

EXAMPLE: Sensory Language Chart

Word/Phrase in context: “She frowned so hard her face could not unfrown itself.”
What does the word make you:
SEE /

crabby, angry woman
wrinkles
wild hair

pursed lips
hands on hips
pointing finger

HEAR /

Grrrrr
yelling
“You did WHAT?!?!”

SMELL /

fear

FEEL/TOUCH /

wall behind my back
angry breath on my face

TASTE /

anger

UNDERSTAND WORDS AS CHARACTER TRAITS

Text Title/Author:

Trait / Character / Character / Character / Character
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

EXAMPLE: Understanding Words as Character Traits

Text Title/Author: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

TRAIT / Scout / Atticus / Jem / Boo Radley
1 honest
2 reliable
3 mysterious
4 noble
5 selfless
6 stern
7 imaginative
8 optimistic

#3Make Word Learning Fun

WORD WALLS

J. Green

The most important thing about a word wall seems to be to keep the walls accessible and organized!

Cut out the letters of the alphabet to head columns of words. You can also create word walls by using themes or concepts.
Separate columns with narrow strips of construction paper on which students can write words.
Put new vocabulary on the wall (initially by the teacher, ultimately by the students).
Change the words on the wall as you enter a new unit or topic. You may want to archive the words for future reference.

Encourage student use of the word wall.

Require word use in student writing.
Give extra credit for student use of words in writing.
Play a game with a Nerf ball in which the person throwing the ball has to ask a question about words (What two words describe ?) The person catching the ball has to answer the question and then generate the next question or task as s/he throws the Nerf ball.
Have “Word Bees” with meanings or synonyms or antonyms.
I have used word walls with homophones, giving each class one section of the bulletin board and making the gathering into a contest.

WORD JARS

Allen and Gonzalez 1998

The purpose here is to get students to pay attention to words that they have read, seen, or heard.

On slips of paper, students write down a word and indicate where they read/saw/heard the word.
The slips of paper go into a large jar (such as a pickle jar from the cafeteria.
Each day, the teacher pulls a word or two from the word jar.
The class discusses the meaning of the word and how it was used.

Variation:

Create several word jars that represent categories from a novel or poem, historical era, math concept, etc.

Collect words in each category.

Put the words into categories on the Word Wall when it is time to discuss them.

Have students use the words in writing about the topic.

LA Ex:Words that describe a characterSoc. St. Ex:Words related to war

Words that expressed a character’s emotionsWords related to peace

Words that describe the settingWords related to battles

Words that evoke sensory imagesWords related to soldiers

Words that represent themes in the novel or poemWords related to weapons

EXAMPLE: Word Jar

Geometry Words

CREATING SLANG DICTIONARIES

Margaret Meek 1988

“Slang is language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands, and gets to work.” Carl Sandburg

This strategy can be used in two ways. First of all, it allows students to bring their own language into the classroom, empowering them as sophisticated users of vocabulary. Secondly it allows the teacher to focus on formal language and discuss the times and places where slang and formal language are appropriate.

Here is how it works:

Write the slang word.
Write the definition for the slang word.
Use the slang word in a sentence.
Write a formal language synonym for the word.
Give the history of the slang (if applicable).

Slang Word
Definition:
Sentence:
Formal Language Synonym
Word History

EXAMPLE: Slang Dictionary

Slang Word / Flapper
Definition: / A young woman in the 1920s who wore short skirts, wore make-up, cut her hair, and defied society’s rules.
Sentence / With short hair and a short skirt, with turned-down hose and powdered knees – the flapper must have seemed to her mother (the gentle Gibson girl) like a rebel.
Formal Language Synonym /

brazen hussy
flirt

rebel

Word History / FLAP – slang for a “loose or flighty girl”
Flapper – British slang for a “very young female prostitute”

Text notes from Janet Allen’s Words, Words, Words1

Semantic Map for Plane Figures

Concept Vocabulary

Text notes from Janet Allen’s Words, Words, Words1

Word DiaryName Hour Dates: to

Date / Unfamiliar Word / Context: Sentence in which you found the word / Guess
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Your grade depends on the following: 1) The word is spelled correctly; 2) the word is used in the sentence in which you found it; 3) the word is highlighted or underlined within the sentence; 4) your handwriting is legible; and 5) your guess makes sense when it is substituted for the new word in the context of the sentence.

Your Word Diary is due after each 10 diary entries. Thanks!Due Date:

Words Vocabulary Workshop1