EngEd 370 – Week 7 Part 2 – Nicole Kavajecz
There is much more to learning to read than simply a reductionist view of memorizing definitions and using words in sentences (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 214). Readers need to be involved in constructing meaning from the text they read from the context of those words as well as basic meanings. Increasing the young readers ‘I-know-that-word’ attitude is vital to their development. “Anderson and Freebody (1981) proposed three hypotheses: the aptitude hypothesis, the knowledge hypothesis, and the instrumental hypothesis. All three hypotheses have merit in explaining the relationship between word knowledge and comprehension” (p 215). Aptitude and knowledge refer to the importance of fluency through emersion, while instrumental specifically states that if the meanings of words are taught well enough the student will naturally develop comprehension.
There are many components of vocabulary (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 216). Simply, it could be referred to as the size, scope, and level of understanding of word meanings. There are usually 4 components included: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening and speaking are usually learned before age 4 or the start of school, while reading and writing take shape in the early elementary grades. The concept that words label something is an important jump from simply speaking and listening into the reading world, although teachers of early elementary children may bridge this gap more easily through the use of pictures. Concepts are also influenced by your individual experiences; for example the teacher’s concept of a frog might vary vastly from the students. There are also hierarchy organizations that take place in every individual’s mind when making connections with information.
The principles to guide vocabulary instruction are important to understand for a teacher to do the best they can for the students (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 221). Principle 1: Select words that children will encounter while reading text and content material. Not knowing a word while reading makes the task even more frustrating than most beginner readers can tolerate. Using keywords, useful words, interesting words, and vocabulary-building words for the student to be introduced to before reading a text is vital. Principle 2: Teach words in relation to other words. Making meaningful connections is the natural progression of vocabulary building. Principle 3: Teach students to relate words to their background knowledge. Authentic experiences which a child has been through is the best place to connect new information to. They already have a world of knowledge within them, teachers should add to it. Principle 4: Teach words in prereading activities to activate knowledge and use them in post reading discussion, response, and retelling. Repetition is key to remembering things, so this structure will assist as best possible for students to retain their vocabulary knowledge. Principle 5: Teach words systematically and in depth. Applying knowledge of new words is quite the exhausting task for many young readers. “However, researchers are finding that for students to process vocabulary in depth, they must generate a novel product using the term: they could restate the definition in their own words, compare the definition to their own experiences with the concept, or make up a sentence that clearly demonstrates the word’s meaning” (p 225). Principle 6: Awaken interest in and enthusiasm for words. Help students play with words, use anything and everything they like to peak curiosity, provide as many resources as possible on topics they enjoy, share a plethora of experiences for them to listen to aloud readings and read aloud themselves, and a teacher is on the right track.
Best practice in strategies for vocabulary and concept development starts with the teacher’s commitment to teaching meaning of words well (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 227). Relating experiences to meanings of words and using contexts for reinforcement, combined with explicit instruction of word definitions are ways teachers make this commitment. Naming the part of the sentence or word that they are learning about is another way they form concrete meanings (example: synonym or antonym). Students should classify and categorize words they encounter both with teacher assistance and on their own, so they begin to comprehend on their own. Using word sorts (separation of words on a chart), think sheets (student writes out exactly what they are thinking about the words), concept circles (relating one word to another), and semantic mapping (diagrams the thought process and connections within students’ mind) are all ways in which a teacher can measure the students’ comprehension of vocabulary. The use of analogies is important as well, as the comparison of two events/items creates depth of meaning for students. Paired word sentence generation is often used to test the students’ knowledge, but should also be used in practice to scaffold the skill. The use of a predictogram helps the student sort out their understanding when reading a new story.
Developing independence in vocabulary learning is an essential skill which teachers implicitly and explicitly teach (Vacca, Vacca, Gove, Burkey, Lenhart, & McKoen, 2010, p 240). Dictionary usage is one way teachers can help students gain this independence. Self-selection strategy puts the vocabulary learning as the students’ responsibility, but also allows for teacher influenced learning. Word knowledge rating is a way for students to get involved with their own assessments. Words chosen for the vocabulary activities are presented to students with a continuum of statements which the student rates themselves on understanding from ‘I do not know this word’ to ‘I know more than one meaning’.
Resources
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L., Lenhart, L., & McKoen. (2010). Reading and learning to read. (Tenth Edition). Pearson.
