Building Academic Vocabulary

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Building Academic Vocabulary

• Based on research
• by Robert Marzano
• Debra Pickering

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Vocabulary Factoids

• Vocabulary assessed in 1st grade predicted over
  30 of reading comprehension in the 11th grade.
• While 4 encounters with a word did not reliably
  improve reading comprehension, 12 encounters did.
• The same student placing at the 50th percentile
  in reading comprehension with no direct
  vocabulary instructions, placed at the 83rd
  percentile when provided specific instruction in
  academic vocabulary.

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Need to Build Academic Vocabulary

• Teaching specific terms in a specific way is the
  strongest action a teacher can take to ensure
  that students have the academic background
  knowledge they need to understand content.

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Need to Build Academic Vocabulary

• The more terms a person knows about a given
  subject, the easier it is to understand and
  learn new information related to that subject.
• This general knowledge about a subject is
  referred to as background knowledge.
• When students have general knowledge of the terms
  that are important to the content taught in
  school, they can be said to have the necessary
  academic background knowledge.

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Need to Build Academic Vocabulary

• Many students acquire background knowledge
  outside of school they come to school with the
  knowledge to succeed in school.
• Students from families with fewer resources may
  have lacked the experiences necessary to acquire
  academic background outside of school.
• As time progresses the gap in academic background
  knowledge grows larger.

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Need to Build Academic Vocabulary

• Given the importance of academic background
  knowledge and the fact that vocabulary is such an
  essential aspect of it, one of the most crucial
  services that teachers can provide, particularly
  for students who do not come from academically
  advantaged backgrounds, is systematic instruction
  in important academic terms.

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Creating a List of Academic Vocabulary Terms

• Vocabulary terms should be divided into 3
  categories
• Critically important
• Useful but not critical
• Interesting but not very useful
• Each school/discipline has developed its list of
  Critically Important Terms

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Teaching the Selected Terms

• Six-Step Process

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Six-Step Process

• Step 1 Provide a description, explanation, or
  example of the new term.
• Step 2 Ask students to restate the description,
  explanation, or example in their own words.
• Step 3 Ask students to construct a picture,
  symbol, or graphic representing the term.

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Six-Step Process

• Step 4 Engage students periodically in
  activities that help them add to their knowledge
  of the terms in their notebooks.
• Step 5 Periodically ask students to discuss the
  terms with one another.
• Step 6 Involve students periodically in games
  that allow them to paly with terms.

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Step 1 Provide a description, explanation, or
example of the new term.

• Students need some initial information about the
  term that they are learning.
• First, try to determine what they already know or
  think they know about the term.
• Listen for misconceptions
• Determine accurate prior knowledge that you can
  build on

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Step 1 Provide a description, explanation, or
example of the new term.

• Help students build an initial understanding.
• Providing information does not mean overtly
  deliver that information.

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Step 1 Provide a description, explanation, or
example of the new term.

• Ways to build initial understanding
• Tell a story that integrates the term
• Use video or computer images as a stimulus
• Ask individual or small groups to do some initial
  investigation of the term and present the
  information in a skit
• Use current events to make the term applicable
• Find/Create pictures that exemplify the term

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Step 1 Provide a description, explanation, or
example of the new term.

• It is important to emphasize that this first step
  does not involve presenting students with a
  definition of a term or asking them to look up
  the definition in the dictionary.
• A description, explanation, or example provides a
  more natural starting point than a dictionary term

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Step 1 Provide a description, explanation, or
example of the new term.

• Example . . . A math teacher introducing function
• A function is a relationship between two things
  like height and weight. As one goes up, the
  other goes down. Isnt it generally true that as
  you have grown in height, your weight has gone
  up? We could describe this relationship by
  saying, your weight is a function of your
  height.

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Step 2 Ask Students to restate the description,
explanation, or example in their own words.

• Students should not copy what you say, it is
  critical that they construct their own
  description, explanation, or example.
• Student constructions dont have to be
  comprehensive, but should lack major errors.
• Monitor student work and clear up any confusion.

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Step 2 Ask Students to restate the description,
explanation, or example in their own words.

• Student initial understanding may be quite
  rudimentary.
• If students struggle with restating the
  description, explanation, or example
• Provide additional descriptions, explanations, or
  examples
• Allow the students to discuss the term with a
  partner or in small groups
• Move on to Step 3, but then go back to the
  linguistic description

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Step 2 Ask Students to restate the description,
explanation, or example in their own words.

• Ask students to record their descriptions,
  explanations, and examples in their academic
  notebooks.
• By design, if the program is used district wide,
  the students academic notebooks will eventually
  contain all of the important terms taught in
  every subject at every grade level.

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Step 3 Ask students to construct a picture,
symbol, or graphic representing the term or
phrase.

• Students are forced to think of the term in a
  different way
• Linguistic and nonlinguistic thinking
• Academic notebooks include a place for students
  to draw their nonlinguistic representations
• If students arent accustomed to creating
  pictures, they may need significant guidance and
  modeling

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Step 3 Ask students to construct a picture,
symbol, or graphic representing the term or
phrase.

• Challenges to Step 3
• Students believe they cannot draw
• Model
• Provide examples of students drawings and your
  own drawings
• Allow students, at first, to work together
• Students try to overdraw
• Model
• Play Draw Me
• Talk about the differences between drawing
  sketching

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Step 3 Ask students to construct a picture,
symbol, or graphic representing the term or
phrase.

• Challenges to Step 3
• Students would just copy the written definition
• Discuss the power of pictures
• Allow students to work together
• Ask students to share personal stories of how
  pictures have helped them learn
• The students and you are having trouble
  depicting the term
• You might have to practice
• Use the internet to search for images of the term

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Step 3 Ask students to construct a picture,
symbol, or graphic representing the term or
phrase.

• Challenges to Step 3
• Some terms are more difficult to depict than
  others
• Sometimes you can draw the actual thing that is
  represented

diameter
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Step 3 Ask students to construct a picture,
symbol, or graphic representing the term or
phrase.

• Challenges to Step 3
• Some terms are more difficult to depict than
  others

justice
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Step 3 Ask students to construct a picture,
symbol, or graphic representing the term or
phrase.

• Challenges to Step 3
• Some terms are more difficult to depict than
  others
• Its not necessary to draw everything free-hand

India
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Step 4 Engage students periodically in
activities that help them add to their knowledge
of the terms in their notebooks

• Research shows that understanding deepens over
  time if students continually reexamine their
  understanding of a given term.
• Activities should be planned that engage students
  explicitly in the focused review of targeted
  terms.
• Students should be able to revise their academic
  notebooks as they review.

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Step 4 Engage students periodically in
activities that help them add to their knowledge
of the terms in their notebooks

• Students might use the extra space provided in
  the bottom right side (3.1) to highlight new
  information
• Highlight a prefix or suffix
• Identify synonyms or antonyms
• Draw addition picture or graphic
• List related words
• Write brief reminders or cautions
• Translate into another language (ELL students)

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Step 5 Periodically ask students to discuss the
terms with one another.

• Research shows that interacting with other people
  about what we are learning deepens the
  understanding of everyone involved.
• Think-Pair-Share strategy
• Helps clear up misconceptions and confusion

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Step 6 Involve students periodically in games
that allow them to play with terms.

• Games are the most unused instructional tool in
  education.

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Time

• Where do I find time to use the Six-Step Process?

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Monitoring the Accuracy of Student Work

• Whenever students are working with their
  notebooks, move around the room and look at their
  work.
• Periodically check students notebooks to
  determine the level of accuracy and clarity in
  their work.
• During the review activities and games, listen
  for misconceptions and areas of confusion.
• Encourage students to collaborate as a class to
  ensure that everyone is learning the terms
  accurately.

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Step 4 Activities

• It is important to give students opportunities to
  reexamine their understanding of academic terms

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Games for Step 6

• Games provide opportunities to review terms as
  well as interject an energizing break into the
  routine of the day.

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On-Line Vocabulary Tools

• Academic Vocabulary Games
• Quizlet
• Vizuwords
• Questions and Answers from Experts
• Hangman

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Questions