Active Strategies for Explicit (Direct) Vocabulary Instruction
Read-alouds and the Text Talk strategy
Read-alouds give teachers the opportunity to read to students in books that have more sophisticated vocabulary than what they can read on their own. Teachers can use this read-aloud time to teach key vocabulary and concepts directly to students. The research-based strategy called Text Talk explains a method for this direct vocabulary instruction.
Text talks have six components:
1. Selecting texts that have some complexities of events for children to build meaning
2. Interspersed open-ended questions that require students to explain and describe text ideas
3. Follow-up questions that encourage ellaboration of initial ideas
4. Pictures, which are presented after students have responded to the text
5. Background knowledge, which is used to support meaning building
6. Vocabulary words, which engage students in direct discussion after the story is completed
Read-alouds give teachers the opportunity to read to students in books that have more sophisticated vocabulary than what they can read on their own. Teachers can use this read-aloud time to teach key vocabulary and concepts directly to students. The research-based strategy called Text Talk explains a method for this direct vocabulary instruction.
Text talks have six components:
1. Selecting texts that have some complexities of events for children to build meaning
2. Interspersed open-ended questions that require students to explain and describe text ideas
3. Follow-up questions that encourage ellaboration of initial ideas
4. Pictures, which are presented after students have responded to the text
5. Background knowledge, which is used to support meaning building
6. Vocabulary words, which engage students in direct discussion after the story is completed
Explanation of the Text Talk Strategy | |
File Size: | 2497 kb |
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Lesson Plan from ReadWriteThink.org using Text Talk with Julius, The Baby Of The World by Kevin Henkes
Sentence Starters
Provide sentence starters that require students to think about a word in an expanded context. For example, if the vocabulary word is "tethered", the teacher may say something like "When I went into the store, I tethered my dog to the bike rack to keep her from running away." The teacher would then ask students to contribute their own examples of tethering something by saying, "Think of a situation where you would need to tether an animal. Turn to your neighbor and say, 'I would tether...'"
This is a quick oral activity that gets students thinking about vocabulary sitationally. It is imporant to have students say the vocabulary words when they give their sentences.
Provide sentence starters that require students to think about a word in an expanded context. For example, if the vocabulary word is "tethered", the teacher may say something like "When I went into the store, I tethered my dog to the bike rack to keep her from running away." The teacher would then ask students to contribute their own examples of tethering something by saying, "Think of a situation where you would need to tether an animal. Turn to your neighbor and say, 'I would tether...'"
This is a quick oral activity that gets students thinking about vocabulary sitationally. It is imporant to have students say the vocabulary words when they give their sentences.
Yes or No Examples
Give students scenarios that include the vocabulary word. Have students respond with thumbs up/down, yeah/boo, response cards, etc. whether the scenario is an accurate example of the vocabulary word. For example, the teacher may ask the class to respond with a thumbs up if the scenario describes something being tethered and a thumbs down if it does not.
Example for "tethered"
- a belt around my waist (thumbs down)
- a ball tied to a pole (thumbs up)
- a pony tied to a hitching post (thumbs up)
- a fish in an aquarium (thumbs down)
- an inner tube tied to a boat (thumbs up)
Give students scenarios that include the vocabulary word. Have students respond with thumbs up/down, yeah/boo, response cards, etc. whether the scenario is an accurate example of the vocabulary word. For example, the teacher may ask the class to respond with a thumbs up if the scenario describes something being tethered and a thumbs down if it does not.
Example for "tethered"
- a belt around my waist (thumbs down)
- a ball tied to a pole (thumbs up)
- a pony tied to a hitching post (thumbs up)
- a fish in an aquarium (thumbs down)
- an inner tube tied to a boat (thumbs up)
Activities for In-Depth Study of Word Meanings
* Have students illustrate word meanings. All students benefit when they think about what words mean and use a different modality to draw or symbolize word meaning. Illustrations help students personalize word explanations and definitions and often serve as anchors to help students remember word meanings and uses.
* Ask students to respond to true/false statements by holding up a response card or by saying: “True” or “False.” Example: “Building a sandcastle is an example of a trek on the beach. True or false?” (False) “Riding a horse is one way to tether it.” (False) “You can’t see very far in a dense fog.” (True)
* Pose questions using all or some of the vocabulary words to encourage students to think and make connections. Example:
a) “Why would someone tether their boat along the river and trek through a dense forest?” b) “Would you describe an old, rundown car as dense or dilapidated? Why?”
* Read a sentence and ask students to complete it with the correct vocabulary word. Example: “As we hiked through the _____
forest, the weeds and thorny bushes made the younger children cry out in pain.” (dense)
* Develop sentences for some of the words. Tell students: “If you think a sentence describes ‘dilapidated,’ say ‘dilapidated’: a)
From our hotel window, we saw a new skyscraper.” (no response) b) “Rain and snow fell through the holes in the roof of the old warehouse.” (dilapidated)
* Ask students which words go with the phrases that describe them: a) “Which word goes with an old car with no tires or engine?” (dilapidated) b) “Which word goes with a safari in Africa?” (trek)
* Ask students to answer “Yes” or “No” to questions that include two vocabulary words: a) “Would it be safe to trek to a dilapidated cabin by yourself?” (no) b) “Could you tether your dog to a post to keep him safe in a dense fog?” (yes)
* Have students illustrate word meanings. All students benefit when they think about what words mean and use a different modality to draw or symbolize word meaning. Illustrations help students personalize word explanations and definitions and often serve as anchors to help students remember word meanings and uses.
* Ask students to respond to true/false statements by holding up a response card or by saying: “True” or “False.” Example: “Building a sandcastle is an example of a trek on the beach. True or false?” (False) “Riding a horse is one way to tether it.” (False) “You can’t see very far in a dense fog.” (True)
* Pose questions using all or some of the vocabulary words to encourage students to think and make connections. Example:
a) “Why would someone tether their boat along the river and trek through a dense forest?” b) “Would you describe an old, rundown car as dense or dilapidated? Why?”
* Read a sentence and ask students to complete it with the correct vocabulary word. Example: “As we hiked through the _____
forest, the weeds and thorny bushes made the younger children cry out in pain.” (dense)
* Develop sentences for some of the words. Tell students: “If you think a sentence describes ‘dilapidated,’ say ‘dilapidated’: a)
From our hotel window, we saw a new skyscraper.” (no response) b) “Rain and snow fell through the holes in the roof of the old warehouse.” (dilapidated)
* Ask students which words go with the phrases that describe them: a) “Which word goes with an old car with no tires or engine?” (dilapidated) b) “Which word goes with a safari in Africa?” (trek)
* Ask students to answer “Yes” or “No” to questions that include two vocabulary words: a) “Would it be safe to trek to a dilapidated cabin by yourself?” (no) b) “Could you tether your dog to a post to keep him safe in a dense fog?” (yes)
Extend vocabulary learning by placing additional practice activities in literacy centers or stations. Include opportunities for students to discuss and work with vocabulary words in pairs or small groups. A variety of vocabulary word sorts, semantic maps, and writing activities can help students make connections between new words and concepts and their existing vocabularies.
Categorizing words, by either sorting or mapping, and using new words in their speaking and writing, deepen students’ word knowledge.
Categorizing words, by either sorting or mapping, and using new words in their speaking and writing, deepen students’ word knowledge.
Ideas for Vocabulary Card Activities | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Graphic Organizers for Recording Vocabulary
Four Square Vocabulary
Four Square Vocabulary allows students to create a kid-friendy definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples of a word.
Four Square Vocabulary allows students to create a kid-friendy definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples of a word.
Four Square Vocabulary | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
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Example of Four Square Vocabulary Using the Word "Voyage" | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Vocabulary Recorder
This organizer has students write the vocabulary word, their kid-friendly definition, and draw an illustration of the word. This is intended for multiple words.
Blank Vocabulary Sheet | |
File Size: | 32 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Indirect Vocabulary Instruction
Research suggests that students learn vocabulary indirectly in one of three ways: by engaging in daily oral language with teachers and peers, by listening to adults read to them, and by reading extensively on their own.
Wide Reading
The amount reading students do is closely related to their vocabulary knowledge. Students learn new words by encountering them in text, either through their own reading or by being read to. Teachers should give students the opportunity to read often and in a variety of materials, which will increase students’ vocabulary knowledge, which in turn improves their ability to read more complex texts. Students should read texts at both their independent and instructional levels. Independent level texts help students to build fluency and sight word accuracy while instructional level texts expose students to new vocabulary. Additionally, listening to read-alouds can be just as good a source of word meanings as reading, especially for students with learning disabilities. Stahl, Richek and Vandevier (1991) found that sixth-grade children learned word meanings from a read aloud at the same rate that children typically learned words from written context. Listening to stories can be a rich source of word learning because teachers can read to students text that they are unable to read themselves. Usually these texts have richer, more complex vocabulary.
Multiple Exposure to Words
Every time students encounter a word in context, they remember something about the word. As they encounter a word repeatedly, more and more information accumulates about that word until we have a vague notion of what it means. As we get more information we are able to define that word. “Vocabulary knowledge seems to grow gradually moving from the first
meaningful exposure to a word to a full and flexible knowledge” (Stahl, 1999).
It is helpful for students to understand how they gradually learn words. Teachers should encourage students to actively construct links between new information and previously known information about a word. Being active and cognizant of this process will result in better memory about new words.
Dale and O’Rourke (1986) proposed a model of four levels of word knowledge characterized by the following phrases: 1) I never saw the word before, 2) I've heard of the word, but I don't know what it means, 3) I recognize the word in context, and it's related to..., 3) I know the word. Students can be metacognitive about their vocabulary knowledge by completing this chart for vocabulary words in a reading selection.
Wide Reading
The amount reading students do is closely related to their vocabulary knowledge. Students learn new words by encountering them in text, either through their own reading or by being read to. Teachers should give students the opportunity to read often and in a variety of materials, which will increase students’ vocabulary knowledge, which in turn improves their ability to read more complex texts. Students should read texts at both their independent and instructional levels. Independent level texts help students to build fluency and sight word accuracy while instructional level texts expose students to new vocabulary. Additionally, listening to read-alouds can be just as good a source of word meanings as reading, especially for students with learning disabilities. Stahl, Richek and Vandevier (1991) found that sixth-grade children learned word meanings from a read aloud at the same rate that children typically learned words from written context. Listening to stories can be a rich source of word learning because teachers can read to students text that they are unable to read themselves. Usually these texts have richer, more complex vocabulary.
Multiple Exposure to Words
Every time students encounter a word in context, they remember something about the word. As they encounter a word repeatedly, more and more information accumulates about that word until we have a vague notion of what it means. As we get more information we are able to define that word. “Vocabulary knowledge seems to grow gradually moving from the first
meaningful exposure to a word to a full and flexible knowledge” (Stahl, 1999).
It is helpful for students to understand how they gradually learn words. Teachers should encourage students to actively construct links between new information and previously known information about a word. Being active and cognizant of this process will result in better memory about new words.
Dale and O’Rourke (1986) proposed a model of four levels of word knowledge characterized by the following phrases: 1) I never saw the word before, 2) I've heard of the word, but I don't know what it means, 3) I recognize the word in context, and it's related to..., 3) I know the word. Students can be metacognitive about their vocabulary knowledge by completing this chart for vocabulary words in a reading selection.