1.6 | Vocabulary

Vocabulary

"You can't build a vocabulary without reading. You can't meet friends if you stay at home by yourself all the time.
In the same way, you can't build up a vocabulary if you never meet any new words.
And to meet them you must read. The more you read the better." 
-Rudolph Flesch

The Importance of Vocabulary Instruction

The following paragraphs are excerpts from the article "Teaching Vocabulary" by  Linda Diamond and Linda Gutlohn via Reading Rockets.  Find the full article here Links to an external site..

Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings. As Steven Stahl (2005) puts it, "Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world." Vocabulary knowledge is not something that can ever be fully mastered; it is something that expands and deepens over the course of a lifetime. Instruction in vocabulary involves far more than looking up words in a dictionary and using the words in a sentence. Vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words and intentionally through explicit instruction in specific words and word-learning strategies

According to the National Reading Panel (2000), explicit instruction of vocabulary is highly effective. To develop vocabulary intentionally, students should be explicitly taught both specific words and word-learning strategies. To deepen students' knowledge of word meanings, specific word instruction should be robust (Beck et al., 2002). Seeing vocabulary in rich contexts provided by authentic texts, rather than in isolated vocabulary drills, produces robust vocabulary learning (National Reading Panel, 2000). Such instruction often does not begin with a definition, for the ability to give a definition is often the result of knowing what the word means. Rich and robust vocabulary instruction goes beyond definitional knowledge; it gets students actively engaged in using and thinking about word meanings and in creating relationships among words.

 Six-Step Process for Teaching Vocabulary

Explore Marzano's six-step process for teaching vocabulary Links to an external site. by clicking on the numbers below.


Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content Links to an external site.

Watch The Six-Step Process in Action

Dr. Martinarose Polnitz, teacher at Freedom Park, demonstrating the Six-Step Process

Which Words to Teach

Now that you have explored strategies for teaching vocabulary, let's talk about which vocabulary words to teach. Not all words are the same. Vocabulary words typically fit into three categories.

  • Tier 1 Vocabulary: Every day words that don't usually require direct instruction. The best way to learn these words is through reading and listening. Having a print rich environment is important for building Tier 1 vocabulary.
  • Tier 2 Vocabulary: Words they need to know. In The Vocabulary Playbook, Links to an external site. Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey encourage teachers to select and teach "high utility, transferable words." These are words that refine other words students may already know. For example, try merchant instead of salesperson, required instead of have to, or fortunate instead of lucky. Isabel Beck refers to these words as Tier 2 vocabulary. These are the words that you will want to be intentional and purposeful about teaching. Another Tier 2 approach includes teaching morphology (prefixes, suffixes, and root words) to help students identify word parts.  
  • Tier 3 Vocabulary: Words that would be helpful to know. These are words that are specific to your content and are important for understanding the concepts but are not typically found in daily conversation. 

Memorizing random lists of vocabulary words without context or a clear purpose will have a temporary impact and may not increase a student's ability to comprehend new texts. For more ideas about selecting which words to teach, read Choosing Words to Teach Links to an external site..

Reflection

Project Zero

Think about your classroom. Did anything on this page confirm practices you have in place? Which strategies do you want to keep? Have any of your ideas about vocabulary instruction changed? Identify one new strategy to try.  Tip: Try using this strategy called "I Used to Think, Now I think" frame from the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero Links to an external site. in your class. Click on the image to learn more.

Vocabulary knowledge is the single greatest contributor to reading comprehension and thus a strong predictor of overall academic achievement"

-Kinsella, Beck, Marzano, Fisher

Additional Resources Links to an external site.