Small-Group Instruction Targeting Vocabulary and Comprehension

1
Small-Group Instruction Targeting Vocabulary and
Comprehension
Sharon Walpole University of Delaware
Michael C. McKenna University of Virginia
2
Todays Goals

• Review the case for extensive vocabulary and
  comprehension instruction in GARF
• Revisit Bringing Words to Life in fiction and
  nonfiction read-alouds
• Describe current research efforts
• Learn to use a storybook reading intervention
  designed for ELLs

3
Back in School . . .

• Identify a group of children for small-group
  vocabulary work
• Pilot the storybook intervention plan you design
  today
• Prepare a reflection to share with the group at
  our next meeting.

4
Influences on Reading
Whitehurst Lonigan, 2002
5
Developmental Paths

• PreK oral language skills have strong connections
  to PreK literacy skills both are related to
  Kindergarten language and literacy

We should focus on oral language development
during PreK oral language in PreK will influence
literacy in Kindergarten
Whitehurst Lonigan, 2002
6
Developmental Paths

• Kindergarten literacy skills (which we measure
  with DIBELS) have strong connections to literacy
  skills in first grade and in second grade, but
  the influence of oral language on literacy is not
  as strong in K.

We should not assume that if we develop oral
vocabulary in Kindergarten, literacy will take
care of itself. We need to teach both!
Whitehurst Lonigan, 2002
7
Developmental Paths

• Oral language skills in each year of schooling
  are strongly related to oral language skills the
  next year

If we want to build word knowledge, conceptual
knowledge, and text structure knowledge, we have
to do it every year!
Whitehurst Lonigan, 2002
8
Researchers React
Coyne, Simmons, Kameenui, 2004
9
Some GARF Assumptions

• Read-alouds have potential to build word
  knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and text
  structure knowledge.
• Our ideal read-alouds come from childrens
  literature, taken from inside the core and from
  additional high-quality texts.
• These read-alouds are interactive.
• Teachers model comprehension strategies that have
  been taught already in the core.
• Teachers explain many word meanings briefly
  during reading, and then select a small number of
  words to teach and reteach after reading.
• Some teachers are better at this than others.

10

• How did your teachers respond to the Beck,
  McKeown, and Kucan study group?
• To what extent were ideas from this book
  incorporated into your read-alouds?

11
For a fiction read-aloud, how do I know which
words to teach?
Target what Beck and colleagues call Tier Two
words.
12
Characteristics that make a word appropriate for
teaching

1. The students dont know exactly what the word
   means.
2. You can define the word in terms that the
   students do know.
3. The students are likely to find the word useful
   or interesting and to meet it again in another
   context.

Beck, McKeown, Kucan (2004)
13
Bringing Words to Life Three Tiers
Tier 3 Rare words 73,500 word families
K-12 Often content-area related Examples
isotope, estuary Tier 2 Important to academic
success 7,000 word families Not limited
to one text Examples fortunate, ridiculous
Tier 1 The most familiar words 8,000 word
families Known by average 3rd grader
Examples happy, go

14
Beck and McKeowns Three Tiers
Tier 2 Important to academic success 7,000
word families Not limited to one text
Examples fortunate, ridiculous

15
For a fiction read-aloud, how and when do I
teach these words?
Teach them after reading. You can use the same
procedure each time!
16
Steps for Bringing Words to Life Vocabulary Lesson

1. Say the word. Children repeat.
2. Tell how the word was used in the text.
3. Tell a child-friendly definition.
4. Give examples of the word used in multiple,
   unrelated contexts.
5. Invite the children to construct an example,
   perhaps providing a frame sentence
6. Have children repeat the word.

17
Whats the difference between a fiction and a
nonfiction read-aloud?
You may need to teach Tier 3 words before
reading. You can still teach Tier 2 words after
reading.
18
Coaches Corner

• Has anyone been successful in supporting teachers
  to use these techniques? What are your secrets?

19
Thats whole-group work. What about small-group
work?
Lets read about a strategy for targeting
vocabulary and comprehension during needs-based
time.
20
Storybook Reading and ELLs

• Hickman, P., Pollard-Durodola, S., and Vaughn, S.
  (2004). Storybook reading Improving vocabulary
  and comprehension for English-language learners.
  The Reading Teacher, 57, 720-730.

Read this article. It introduces another
application of these vocabulary concepts.
21
Lets Try to Plan . . .
What to do Why
Choose a book and break it into 200-250 word segments. This small-group intervention extends over several days and includes talk and rereadings.
Choose 3 Tier 2 words from each segment. We want to use the text as a context to teach new word meanings.
Prepare a definition and some frame sentences for those words We want to teach the words so that they are connected to the story and to the childrens existing knowledge.
22
Now You Try It!

• For each text segment (30 minutes)
• Preview the segment
• Introduce the new words
• Read the text aloud
• Ask the children to retell (who, what, when) and
  to interpret (why, how)
• Review the vocabulary words
• Reread the segment
• Once youve read all the segments . . .
• Review three or four of the words
• Reread the whole story
• Help the children to discuss both the words and
  the story

23
Back in School . . .

• Identify a group of children for small-group
  vocabulary work. They could be ELLs, or they
  could be native speakers with weak vocabulary.
• Pilot the storybook intervention plan you
  designed today.
• Prepare a reflection to share with the group at
  our next meeting.

24
References

• Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., Kucan, L. (2002).
  Bringing words to life Robust vocabulary
  instruction. New York Guilford Press.
• Coyne, M. D., Simmons, D. C., Kameenui, E. J.
  (2004). Vocabulary instruction for young children
  at risk of experiencing reading difficulties
  Teaching word meanings during shared storybook
  readings. In J. F. Baumann E. J. Kameenui
  (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction Research to
  practice (pp. 41-57). New York Guilford Press.
• Whitehurst, G. J., Lonigan, C. J. (2002).
  Emergent literacy Development from prereaders to
  readers. In S. B. Neuman and D. K. Dickinson
  (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp.
  11-29). New York Guilford Press.