Vocabulary Tips from Dr. Marzano

The following tips are listed from Dr. Marzano's book Vocabulary Games for the Classroom by Linday Carleton and Robert J. Marzano, 2010.  Each are summarized briefly in this article but expanded more fully in the book.  The list is long and your questions aren't answered here.  Please read the article.

• Use data from student responses during game play to guide a three-step process of direct vocabulary instruction. The three-step process helps teachers apply direct instruction postgame to improve student understanding of specific terms.
• The first two steps of the three-step process involve (1) identifying difficult vocabulary terms and (2) clarifying their definitions
• The last step of the three-step process involves students amending previous entries of a vocabulary notebook—a space for students to track understanding of specific terms as definitions are learned and expanded upon.
• To be effective, vocabulary games should be based on relevant topics that students understand.
• When creating new vocabulary games, each game should be constructed into five categories.
• Classroom games can be adapted for younger students in the following ways:
• Ideally, after each game is played, students should review the terms in their vocabulary notebooks that were addressed in the games.
• Only teachers know their class well enough to decide how much competition is appropriate.
• Teachers should identify what students know and do not know about the difficult terms.
• There is an effective six-step process for teaching new terms.
• Direct vocabulary instruction is fundamental to effective teaching.
• Note:  Data collected as far back as 1941 indicates there is roughly a 6,000-word gap between students at the 25th and 50th percentiles on standardized test in grades 4–12.

Have you used any of these tips in your classroom?  What have worked well?  Not so well?  What changes might you make the next time?  After reading the article, share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Tips From Dr. Marzano - Vocabulary Games for the Classroom.  12.14.  Marzano Research
http://www.marzanoresearch.com/resources/tips/vgftc_tips_archive

A Neat Way to Help Students Find the 'Right Word'

The sample exercises in this article may be too difficult for many or our Title I studnets, but the princple is the same.  Using a thesearus may be cumbersome and take an extra step, but it is really worth it to find exact meanings for what the student or (author) intends.  In the sample exercise, the teacher swaps out key words with similar words, but 'not quite' the original intent.  The best way to teach kids to find the right word is to read before and after examples.  There is also a list of 5 questions that teachers can use for students.  Also, an online thesaurus is compared to the print Roget's thesaurus.

Thank you, Thesaurus:  Experimenting With the Right Word vs. the Almost-Right Word.  Amanda Christy Brown and Katherine Schulten.  11.15.12.  The New York Times - The Learning Network
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/thank-you-thesaurus-experimenting-with-the-right-word-vs-the-almost-right-word/?_r=0

Vocabulary is Essential for Common Core Success

Catherine Gewertz responds to Sarah Sparks article, "Students Must Learn More Words, Say Studies" which I have posted on 2/7 /13.  She connects one of the six anchor standards for the language strand of the standards to success in Common Core.  Gewertz translates this to what teachers can do in early elementary school with specific examples teachers can use from K to grade 5.  Great examples!

What do you do in your Title I groups to improve academic vocabulary?  Share your comments.

Building Vocabulary Cruial to Common-Core Success, New Research Says.  Catherine Gewertz. 2.12.13.  Education Week - Curriculum Matters
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/02/building_vocabulary_is_key_new.html?qs=common_core&cmp=ENL-CCO-NEWS2

Our Kids Need to Learn More Words - What can T1 do?

This must read article states difficulties, realities, and potential ways of changing the low vocabulary levels of our disadvantaged students who have limited vocabulary.  Not only does the article describe the dismal state of language in so many impoverished children, but the lack vocabulary instruction is evident even in kindergarten.  Informal teaching of vocabulary has led to major discrepancies in the number and difficulty of vocabulary words.  Haphazard teaching occurs at best.  Very discouraging
Noteworthy in this article is the 3 tier system developed by Isabel L. Beck

• Tier 1: basic words that can be learned without instruction
• Tier II:  academic words used over many subject areas
• Tier III:  Difficult, content - specific words.

What do we as Title I teachers do?  Common Core is pushing teachers to do 2 things:  Don't neglect vocabulary in the text you are reading, but at the same time you, as the teacher, are responsible for expanding students' vocabulary.  We also need to collaborate with our classroom teachers about vocabulary that is being used in the classroom so that our work reinforces vocabulary and makes it more relevant to our students.  Above all we need to engage parents with greater success in helping their children develop vocabulary skills

Excellent article, yet quite discouraging.  What are your views?  What have you done that really helped your students?  What ideas do you have to engage parents?    Please share your ideas.

This article first appeared as a subscription only to read the whole post.  Because the content is so important, Education Week has now posted it as a Premier Article.  It also contains a correction made 2/12/13 and so the date and url have been changed in this blog post.


Students Must Learn More Words, Say Studies.  Sarah K. Sparks. 2.12.13. Education Week - Premium Article.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/02/06/20vocabulary_ep.h32.html?tkn=PLQFQaV7iAn1UMneOfuEhiptOtFbFkgkvbL3&cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS1

Don't Teach Vocabulary Like This

Featured article in the June 2012 Educational Leadership, the monthly journal for ASCD.  All of us I'm sure have used these 5 traditional ways of teaching vocabulary.  Read this article to learn new approaches to familiar practices.  This is a important article for all our reading Title I teachers.

The authors also recommend certain online resources for word games and puzzles.  The links are embedded for these websites: MindFun; Gamequarium; Funschool.com;Vocabulary.co.il' and MyVocabulary.  Check our these games and rate them in our game rubic on the intranet.  What other ideas have you gotten from reading this article?

Vocabulary:  Five Common Misconceptions.  Padak, Bromley, Rasinski, Newton.  June 2012. Educational Leadership, ASCD
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/jun12/vol69/num09/Vocabulary@-Five-Common-Misconceptions.aspx