BY: AMY LINGENFELTER

Teaching Independent Vocabulary Strategies

Discuss With a Partner: Why Did You Come to This SIPS?

Our students’ vocabulary knowledge and use (spoken & written) is simply. . .

Why? There are usually 2 reasons. . . Students are E.L.L.s Students don’t read except for

school All of the above

One of the Biggest Challenges We

Face as Teachers Is…

One of the Biggest Challenges We

Face as Teachers Is…

Students crave and learn language through meaning and context, not isolated rules, definitions, or labels.

Reading (anyway, anywhere) is the KEY to developing ALL tiers of vocabulary!

A reader should be able to understand roughly 80% of the words in a sentence or text in order to generally comprehend.

General Truths to Keep in Mind:

More General Truths to Keep in Mind:

Have you seen this on

the wall outside my

door?

Non-native speakers primarily get school time to acquire vocabulary in English.

By the time native speakers enter kindergarten, they know around 5,000 spoken words.

More General Truths to Keep in Mind:

Students need to be exposed to a word and its collocations in context 7 times before they actually learn it.

In multi-level classrooms, expose students to vocab at their level of development.

Students will naturally learn Tier 1 words first, then Tier 2, then Tier 3.

All levels can learn all types of words simultaneously, but amount will be tier-specific.

More General Truths to Keep in Mind:

Vocabulary Tiers:

TIER 1: Common, conversational language

Native speakers and Advanced (developing)

Advanced and Intermediates (developing)

Advanced, Intermediates, and Beginners (developing);

Example: Counsel, Patronage

Example: Assist, Support

Example: Help

TIER 2: Academic, less common, lower frequency, but used in cross-

curricular settings

TIER 3: Content vocab,

uncommon, low-

frequency, domain-specific

Now please do what I say…

Let’s Put Ourselves in Students’ Shoes:

Baba lulu gaga jeje shan gloglo hihi!

Follow These Directions Please. . .

Baba lulu gaga jeje shan gloglo hihi!

Open book the you 5 page now!

1) Baba = Open

2) Gaga = article (like “the/a”)

3) Lulu = Book

4) Jeje = You

5) Shan = 5

6) Gloglo = page

7) Hihi = now, in this/that moment

Now draw a picture of each word!!!

What the Heck Do These Words Mean?

Now I’m going to read a passage to you outloud (and please do the following when

you read the word “nanao”):

Drum Roll….

1. Jenny babava lulu her and saw on shan gloglo wuwu gaga of a naonao.

2. The naonao made her ververva. Hihi she started crying ververfofo.

3. After that, Jenny didn’t want to fadifadi the lulu anymore. She maymayva the lulu and yoyova it on the quiqui.

4. Jenny’s teacher sarsarva her for maymay the lulu. She made her baba shan gloglo again, but Jenny still ververva from the nanao.

Read and Then Discuss With a Partner-

What Do These Words Mean?Group 1

Group 2

How Do You Feel?

1) Wuwu = image/photo/picture

2) Naonao = ghost

3) Verver = scared

4) Va = past tense/adjective marker (like “ed”)

5) Maymay = close

6) Fadifadi = read

7) Yoyo = throw/hurl/destroy

8) Quiqui = floor

9) Sarsar = scold/yell

Heeeeere’s Johnny…!!

1. Jenny open book her and saw on 5 page image the of a ghost.

2. The ghost made her scared/fearful. At this point, she started crying ververfofo.

3. After that, Jenny didn’t want to read the book anymore. She closed the book and threw it on the floor.

4. Jenny’s teacher scolded her for close the book. She made her open page 5 again, but Jenny still was still scared from the ghost.

Group 1 share with Group 2 What You Read, and What “Fofo”

Means. . .Group 1

Group 2

Quiz a Partner on These Words Using:

Guessing games “I am thinking of a word”

Use in a sentence without saying the word

Charades Pictionary And more!

So: what did I do to make you understand this gibberish?

Pre-taught the most important words for understanding Gestured/used exaggerated body language and facial

expressions Exaggerated intonation Repetition, repetition, repetition: Repeated the same

language several times in the same way Pointed to the difficult words as I read them out loud and

objects that I was referring to Used graphic organizers Drew a picture of the word and had you do the same Used Total Physical Response (TPR) for un-known words

that were related to the meaning

Some Vocabulary-BuildingReading Strategies

Explicitly had you infer meaning from context Used guessing activities Modeled reading outloud first, then had you do pair

outloud reading Did strategic pairing based on level/knowledge Modeled how to do the activity with student

volunteers Did Jigsaw reading based on level/knowledge Did “Think-Pair-Share” Used communicative, student-centered strategies Explained grammar in context through patterns

Some Vocabulary-BuildingReading Strategies

Independent Vocabulary Strategies:

Give all students the opportunity for daily vocabulary development according to their level:Minimum of 5 words per day or

activity/class Highlighting techniques in text Fill in word chart and/or notebook after

they read and highlight

Which Words Should Students Choose?

Words in context from reading (esp. repeated) Pre-taught words important for comprehension Words, phrases, or phrasal verbs they can’t

define or use clearly Unit/content/classroom words:

Beginner and intermediate students should focus on Tier 1 & 2 words with most important content vocab

Intermediate and advanced students should focus on Tier 2 & 3 words with all content vocab

Highlighting Strategies that Work for All:

WORDS I DON’T KNOW AT ALL (YELLOW)

WORDS I’VE SEEN BUT I WOULDN’T KNOW HOW TO USE (GREEN)

WORDS THE BOOK OR TEACHER WANTED ME TO KNOW (BLUE)

BEGINNERS (TIER 1)

Prepare Cook Rotisserie

INTERMEDIATES (TIER 2)

Argumentative Aggressive Belligerent

ADVANCED (TIER 2-3)

Gracious Charitable Benevolent

Which Words Should Students Choose?

Language vs. Content vocabulary objective:Language objective: general language skills

For example: use sequence words in writing

Content objective: content/knowledge skillsFor example, describing the process of cell

division

70% general language (tier 1-2) words30% content (tier 3) words

Example of Language vs. Content words for Earth Science

LANGUAGE WORDS WITH COLLOCATIONS/GRAMMAR

CONTENT WORDS WITH COLLOCATIONS

To wear out (something) / the wear (of something)

erode / erosion (rock, land)

To stand (something) weathering (building, land, rock)

earthquake (there was/is an) tectonics (plate)

To melt (into something) glaciers (mountain, landslide)

To tilt or rotate (on or around something)

axis (earth, globe, wheel)

To change (into something) metamorphic (rock) / metamorphose (into something)

To separate (from/into something) diverge (from/into something)

Which Words Should Students Choose?

Be aware of false cognates (false friends!) and teach differences explicitly:Embarazada vs. EmbarrassedRealizar vs. RealizeActualmente vs. ActuallyExito vs. ExitSensible vs. Sensible

They can translate any word into L1 but always also include an English definition.

Independent Vocabulary notebook 3-ringed folder containing vocab graphic

organizers Accompanying flashcards (can include

pictures) Partner up students with a “vocabulary

buddy”Helps both partnersCan be mixed or similar ability depending

on objectiveUse guessing games, charades,

Pictionary, etc.

Independent Vocabulary Strategies:

Complete Example of Content of Graphic Organizer/Vocab

Notebook:Name ______________________________________________ Reading Assignment_____________________________________________

Vocabulary Word / Phrase

Part of Speech

Definition / Meaning / Synonym

Drawing Antonyms Collocations 1. The sentence from the text goes here

2. Your own sentence goes here

Create Verb

Make, produce, especially

from nothing Destroy Nothing, OR By

1. When Leonardo DaVinci created the “Mona Lisa,” it was not famous at first.

CREAR

2. I like to create my own stories.

1.

2.

1.

2.

Part/s of Speech Synonym Antonym

Definition/s: (Include part of speech and two complete definitions from the dictionary) 1)

2)

Use the word in 2 sentences:

1) 2)

Draw a Picture:

Word

Write the word six times: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

Other Examples of

Graphic Organizers:

Other Examples of

Graphic Organizers:

Definition and/or Synonyms of the word:

Warm and comfortable; snug

Word used in a sentence you read:

Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we. . .

A picture/ image that reminds you of the word:

My bed feels really cozy when I put my velvet blankets on top of it.

Word used in your own sentence:

Definition and/or Synonyms of the word:

Word used in a sentence you read:

A picture/ image that reminds you of the word:

Word used in your own sentence:

Word:

COZY

Word:

______________________________________

Great Websites:

www.dictionary.com / www.thesaurus.com http://www.wordandphrase.info/frequencyList.asp

- it shows frequency lists, what types of writing the word is used for, and primary collocations.

www.onelook.com- you type in the word at the top and choose any dictionary definition. Sound is available.

www.vocabulary.com- you can quiz yourself or look up words.

http://peopleleap.com/resources/links/- my website with tons of vocabulary and other resources

Assessment of Independent Vocabulary:

Weekly quizzes given between vocab buddies: Can be on all words chosen- yellow, blue, or green Will be based on activities, similar sentences, and

definitions, that the student himself wrote and teacher/partner corrected

Should be based on a mixture of definition and USE

Partners can correct each other Partner must be held accountable for correct

administration

Teacher chooses 10-20 words from each student’s weekly flashcards/list for quiz

Example of Student-Prepared Quiz:

Fill in the blanks:

1. The pencil _______ into two pieces last night. (snapped)

2. The movie was ________on a true story. (based on)

Match the words with the definitions:

1. Fermentation-

2. Brittle-

Write this word in a complete sentence:

1. Blend-

Easily damaged and weak but dry and hard.

A change caused in a food or other substance by a group of living organisms, molds, and certain bacteria.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Questions?Comments?