WelcomeSeminar 5

Unit 8

Reading in the Content Area2/1/10

Dr. Lois Turetzky

1. How would you define concept?

2. Why is direct teaching of vocabulary important?

Vocabulary instruction occurs over a long period of time. It involves the:

• Teaching of Individual words

• Exposure to rich language

• Generative Word Knowledge

Teachers often use ineffective methods for teaching vocabulary. What are they and why should you not use them?

Interactive Approach to Vocabulary Instruction

•Selection of essential content vocabulary. What criteria would you use for selecting essential or key words?

Interactive Approach to Vocabulary Instruction (continued)

•Plan a Contextual Strategy for each vocabulary word.

What are some effective strategies?

Interactive Approach to Vocabulary Instruction (continued)

• Use the vocabulary priming process during the concept development phase of readiness.

What strategies would you use to achieve this objective?

One of the purposes of a vocabulary program is to develop in the students a heightened word consciousness. We want students to become more aware of words in speech and print around them.

There are three general levels of word knowledge:1. Established level: A word at the established level is one whose meaning is easily and rapidly (probably automaticallyaccessed).2. Acquainted Level: A word at the acquainted level is onewhose meaning is recognized but only after deliberate attention has been focused on it.3. Unknown Level: A word at the unknown level is one whose meaning has not been established in semantic memory.

The idea of developing vocabulary is to move the students form the unknown level to the established level of word recognition. The strategies suggested and discussed here today should help you teach vocabulary in a more interesting and meaningful way.

The teaching of reading is divided into two major areas:1. Word Identification or Vocabulary Development2. Comprehension SkillsIn teaching vocabulary or word identification skills, you must teach language generalizations and reading strategies which children may use themselves to increase their reading vocabularies and comprehension skills. Strategies for makinggeneralizations and transferring skills and habits should be developed through:1. Phonic analysis2. Structural analysis3. Contextual analysisVocabulary should be taught through direct instruction but reference materials can also be used.

Sight Vocabulary: One of the ways in which vocabulary is developed and introduced is through sight vocabulary. Sight Vocabulary can be thought of in three ways:

Sight vocabulary refers to words that readers recognize and know when they met a word in context or isolation.

Sight words refer to those new words “whole words” that are taught on a daily basis from content area texts and the basal reader.

•Finally, sight vocabulary refers to those groups of high frequency words which occur in printed matter and are essential to fluent reading, particularly in beginning reading.

Many basic sight words are neither particularly meaningful in and of themselves for example (but, for, to)nor picturable and therefore not very interesting to children but they are the glue works of language which cement meaningful communication.

In teaching sight words, Pearson and Johnson recommend the 5 Step Approach: Seeing, discussing, using, defining and writing.

Five Step ApproachSeeing: Seeing the written word and

spoken in oral context.Discussion: Words are read aloud by theteacher and children. Discuss words in

relation to the environment, experience and interests.

Using: Ask children to generate a sentence or two using the words

Defining: Try to have students’ define the word in their own language

Writing: Encourage students to write the word both alone and in context.

Word meaning should be synonymous with vocabulary development. Meaning vocabulary is the organization of one’s reality into concepts. Most symbols do not represent a unique object or event but rather a general class linked by a common element or relationship. These generalized classes of meaning are called concepts. For example; books, fruits, red objects, males, females etc.

Words stand for concepts. The meaning of a word corresponds to those concepts that are shared by members of the same speaking community. Concepts have properties or attributes. One technique that can be used to teach vocabulary is “concept learning”. Concept learning is characterized by presentation of examples contrasted with non-examples of a concept being introduced, and by classification exercises. These require students to distinguish the critical attributes of a word meaning.

Semantic Mapping

To show relationships that words or concepts have with each other, use a strategy called semantic mapping;

Steps in semantic mapping: from the reader1. Select a word from the reader or any text. For

example: school2. Write the word on board/chart3. Brainstorm: What comes to mind when you

think of “school” -- make list from list -categorize words.

4. Discussion is crucial to the success of semantic mapping. The meanings and uses of new words, new meanings for “know words”, seeing “old words, in a new light, and seeing the relationship among words are the desirable and inevitable outcomes of semantic Mapping.

Multi-meaning WordsMulti-meaning words are another aspect of vocabulary development that we must consider.Take for example the word “run”. Look what happens to the word in different contexts:• James runs quickly• I just got a run in my stockings.

•

•During the depression there was a run on the banks.• He hit a home run.•The car will run better now that it has been tuned up.• I have to run some errands for my mother.• The crossroads run between east and west.• Since I took a sick day, I hope I don’t run into my boss while shopping. • If you are not careful the truck could run you down.• The contract will run out by Friday.• The animals have the run of the house.

Ways in Which Words can be Defined and Presented

1. Usage: Define each word by using it in a sentence: a. rope - she tied the big box with a rope b. smell - we could smell the bacon frying2. Synonym: define each word by writing another word that

has a similar meaning.a. car automobile c. place putb. rock stone

3. Antonym: Define each word that has a meaning opposite to the word.

a. pretty ugly c. high lowb. loud soft

Classification: Define each word by indicating its semantic feature.

a. Man - A man is an adult male human being. b. Watch - A watch is a small time piece,

some of which can be worn on the wrist.Exemplification: Define each word by providing

an example, a picture, or the specific object.a. Animal -one type of animal is a dog.b. Dog - Lassie is a dog.c. Painting - The Mona Lisa is a famous painting.

Comparison: Define each word by providing an example and statement of how the example differs from the referent.

a. Ocean - An ocean is like a lake but bigger

Physical Relationship: Define each word by showing the relationship of a part to the whole and to the other parts which adjoin it.

a. Page: A page is part of a book between the covers and connected to the binding.

Good evening and have a great week.