REMEDIAL STRATEGIES

in VOCABULARY

DEVELOPMENT

REPORTED BY: EDSEL R. ALAPAG

1. Majority of classroom teachers use the basal reader as the primary source for reading instructions.

2. The majority of teachers are not liberty to discard the basal program, whether it works or not.

The six (6) basic assumptions about the average classroom are follow:

3. Student workbooks are no longer used on a massive scale since funds for purchasing such materials have been withheld by the many states.

4. The average classroom is limited in the amount of reading materials available to supplement the basal.

5. The average classroom teacher does not have the training to individualize instruction nor would most administrators feel comfortable with such procedures.

6. Most teachers are looking for reasonable methods for improving skills that are logical, manageable, inexpensive, compatible with the required program, and conducive to large and small group instruction.

What are the characteristics of good

reading remedial instruction?

Good READING remedial instruction is...

1. Diagnostic and Prescriptive.

2. Allowing the same class to operate on different levels of achievement and work in their instructional level.

3. Providing positive atmosphere of acceptance and succeed well.

4. Building success into the program and

rewarding positive behavior. 5. Believing that all students are readers and providing time for recreational reading. 6. Happening with few instructional materials. Accommodating individual differences.

7. A combination of whole class direct teaching, small group instruction, peer teaching and individual work.8. Involving the home as

as long as the family iswilling to cooperate with the remedial program.

SIGHT VOCABULARY: What should be

taught?

According to Fitzsimmons and Loomer, 1978; Horn, 1924.

The most frequently used 1,000 words account for 90% of the total running words used in writing, in speech, and in print. This small core of 1,000 words is used nine times as often as all other words.

Thorndike (1921)

◦Completed one of the first major studies of this century by recording 1.5 million running words from which the 10,000 most frequently used were contained in his Teacher’s Word Book.

1936 = Dolch’s list of 220 sight words 1935 = Gates’ 1,811 words for primary

students 1967 = Kucera and Francis’ 50,406 words

of highest frequency 1979 = Sakiety and Fry’s 3,000 Instant

Words (more recently developed)

Research that concerned with word frequency studies in printed materials.

1926 = Horn’s 10,000 words 1945 = Rinsland’s list of 14,571 words 1954 = Greene’s list of 5,507 words

Words most often used in children’s and adults’ handwriting.

Basal spelling programs usually come from a combination of these three studies.

1928 = International Kindergarten Union List of 2,596 words of kindergarten and first graders’ speech.

1931 = Dale’s 769 Easy Words 1969 = Wepman and Hass’ 2,621 words

commonly used among children between the ages of 5 and 7

1975 = Moe and Hpkins’ 250 most often spoken words among children in kindergarten to second grade

1966 = Howes; Jones and Wepman (adults)

Frequency studies with speaking vocabulary.

Observations about

Word Frequency Studies

There appears to be relatively little difference in high frequency words list between those compiled from children and those compiled from adults, particularly the first 500 to 1,000 words.

Several observations should be made concerning word frequency studies.

There is relatively little difference whether the lists are compiled from print materials, speech or handwriting.

In other words, the majority of studies report similar word lists, regardless of the type of vocabulary or the age of the population used in the study, particularly the most frequently used 500 to 1,000 words.

Most of the studies are too massive to be manageable in school curriculum.

According to White,1979 , Out of 33 word count studies, 23 contained 1,500 to 86,000 words, 7 had fewer than 500 words and only 3 contained 600 to 1,500 words. If 1,000 words of highest frequency can account for 90% of the language used or encountered. This suggests that most of the word lists available for classroom instruction are either too short and of narrow scope or too long and too broad in scope to use for instruction.

A basic high frequency word list need not to contain several thousand words to be both accurate an broad in scope. ( Horn, 1926; McCarthy, 1977)

The rationale of evidence presented... develop word list that is appropriate

for all students to master. broad enough to span several years of

difficulty short enough to be manageable

Development ofREADING-SPELLING VOCABULARY

PROGRAM

SOURCE WORDS IN SOURCE

WORDS SELECTED FOR RSVP

In Print

Dolch (1936) Thorndike (1921) Fry (1957) Kucera and Frances (1967)Durrell (1956) Olson (1965)Fullmer and Kolson (1961)

22010, 00

60050, 406

75492

184

22086048089653490

155

SOURCE WORDS IN SOURCE

WORDS SELECTED FOR RSVP

Handwriting

Horn (1926) Rinsland (1945) Greene (1954)

10,00014,5715,507

870860822

Speaking

Wepman and Hass (1969) Jones and Wepman (1966) Dale (1931) Howes (1966)

2,6211,102769

4,097

668829593321

Criteria for Word Selection

Words appearing in the largest number of the 14 word lists ha highest priority. Words appearing in lists representing all the three types of vocabulary received priority over words appearing in two or only one type of vocabulary. Within the parameters of the first two criteria, words selected should represent a broad range of difficulty. Thus, 50% of the vocabulary should be considered primary level of difficulty; 25% should be considered intermediate level; and 25% should be considered middle and second level.The total number of words selected should not exceed 800 to 1,000.

Selection and Distribution of Words

923 words were selected from 14 word lists.Word were randomly arranged and distributed to 15 teachers at the Houston University.

Guidelines in rearranging the words:

It must be distributed in 4 levels with 23o words each. It should be in ascending order of difficulty (e.g level 1= easiest and level 4 = difficult) It must be arranged approximately 15 lessons that is in ascending arrangement.

Thus, 900-word list divided in into 4 levels of 15 lessons each, a total of 60 lessons.

Validation of RSVP

What is the range of difficulty for RSVP ?

Are the lesson s and levels generally in ascending order of difficulty?

(a) GRAD

E LEVEL

(b)N

(c)GRADE

SCORE ON THE WRAT

(d)RAW

SCORE ON THE RSVP

(e)PERCENTAGE SCORE ON THE

RSVP (%)

1 29 1.5 10 8

2 27 2.4 34 28

3 30 3.5 67 59

4 24 4.4 93 77

5 31 5.4 100 83

6 36 6.5 112 93

7 27 7.6 114 95

8 30 8.3 118 97

9 32 9.0 119 99

Mean scores of all Subjects taking the Reading Subtest of The Wide Range Achievement and the 120- Word RSVP TEST: (N=266)

CONCLUSIONS OF WHITE (1979)

Each test is more difficult than the preceding one. The 2 exceptions are test 4, which is slightly easier than test 3, and test 6 which is slightly easier than test five.

It can be predicted that each group of five lessons ascends in level; of difficulty with the same 2 exceptions identified above.

When the 12 test are regrouped so that the item difficulty for all 3 tests comprising an entire level are combined, it is clear that each of the 4 levels of the RSVP increases in difficulty from level 1 through level 4.

Some Consideration about the RSVP

The RSVP is a list of 900 words that are representative samples of the most frequently used words in print, in speech, and in writing. Its level of difficulty ranges from grade 0ne to grade nine. No attempt have made to rearrange it in strict manner.

Advantages of RSVP

The formal teaching of core vocabulary should continue well beyond the primary grades.

It joins Fry 600 Instants Words and Sakiety and Fry’s 3,000 Instant words as the only lists with a criterion or screening test, an important timesaver in placing students at an appropriate level of for instruction.

Is the only high frequency word list with two equivalent forms of a screening test.

“A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life”