A New View on Academic Vocabulary in Middle

School

Sheleen DeLockery, Curriculum CoordinatorLori Ann Greidanus, Literacy Coach

ILLINOIS READING COUNCILSPRINGFIELD, ILMARCH 19, 2011

Goals for Today

•Increase knowledge of research supporting explicit vocabulary instruction.

•Increase knowledge of best practices for vocabulary instruction.

•Provide a variety of vocabulary activities.

District 62• 4,749 students in

eight elementary buildings, two middle schools, and one year-round K-8 school

• Five Title I Schools• 40% Low-Income

district-wide• 7 Schools meeting

AYP

White45%

Black3%

Hispanic37%

Asian11%

Multiracial4%

Our District’s Journey

Why Academic Vocabulary?

020406080

50

83

Percentile Rank on Test

• Student before and after explicit content area vocabulary instruction

-Marzano, 2005

Skiing and Math

• The more terms a person knows about a given subject, the easier it is to understand – and learn – new information related to that subject.

• Children with limited vocabulary knowledge grow much more discrepant over time from their peers who have rich vocabulary knowledge.

• An average student in grades 3 through 12 learn approximately 3,000 new words per year, assuming he/she reads between 500,000 to a million words of text.

-Hart and Risley, 1995

In a typical hour, the average child hears:

Family Status Actual Differences in Quantity of Words

Welfare 616 words

Working Class 1,251 words

Professional 2,153 words

Marzano’s Six Steps to Academic Vocabulary

1. Provide a description, explanation, or example of the new term to students.

2. Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words.

3. Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representing the term or phrase.

4. Engage students periodically in structured vocabulary discussions.

5. Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.

6. Involve students in games that allow them to play with terms.

Step 1: Provide students with a description, explanation or example.

•Personal Story or Anecdote•Notebook Page

Step 2: Ask students to restate in their own words or provide an explanation of their own.

•Notebook Page•Motivational Posters

Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representing the term or phrase.

•Picture Cube•Trading Cards

Step 4: Engage students periodically in structured vocabulary discussions.

•Creating Metaphors•Word Walls Learning

New Words* Say them* See them* Use themMultiple Times!

Step 5: Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.

•Skits•Word Walls

Step 6: Involve students in games that allow them to play with terms.

•Bingo•Rivit

Sheleen DeLockery – delockerys@d62.orgLori Ann Greidanus – greidanusl@d62.org