9. Would this author find corroborating evidence for his or her perspective in your teaching setting?
As a Spanish teacher, I teach a lot of vocabulary, and I have also been focusing on having the students find their own vocabulary in games and activities to add to a student dictionary that they keep in their notebooks. Last year, I taught vocabulary in explicit thematic units, like foods, clothing, etc. This year, I have asked my students to create their own thematic units to teach to their friends, and they have extracted vocabulary from the lessons taught to them by peers. When I teach new words or concepts, I love to use TPR, or "acting out" methods. The students do a lot of movement in my Spanish class, and I think it is important that they see my special as a time to enjoy themselves and learn through play and real-life experiences. After all, that is how native speakers learn a brand-new language. I have also used word sorts, basic vocabulary flashcards and the 4-quadrant vocabulary cards (vocabulary word, definition, graphic, sentence) in the past. I have never heard of Quiz Me cards, but I absolutely adore this idea. I can already visualize that strategy being a hit with my students and fulfilling many of my current needs for Spanish class. Firstly, the student dictionaries seem sort of useless at this point. I have asked the students to create lists of some words from their dictionaries and to create word searches or crosswords for their friends to solve, but I can see how the students might think that is a waste of their time. If they must practice the words on their own and then ask other adults to quiz them, they could see the importance of sharing their Spanish with the Quest community, which is something I am incorporating little by little (as building relationships among the grade levels and with other staff was a primary need outlined by my Inquiry Study in MLED 510). I could really use a bit more help with thinking of ways to utilize their personal dictionaries and give the students ownership of Spanish extracted from sources outside of my lessons. I want them to be encouraged to explore Spanish in their own ways. I kind of felt a bit dismayed that there were not more strategies outlined in the chapter that gave fresh ideas for a foreign language classroom.
Further, I have never used the visual notebook, word wall or semantic feature analysis. Honestly, I am having a hard time figuring out a way to incorporate those strategies into my teaching, although this class has inspired me to start unit where my students will read personal narratives about Hispanics in Rhode Island using the Nuestras Raices project: http://www.nuestrasraicesri.org/. The visual notebook or SFA strategies might work when we study these local figures. However, a word wall could be hard to create because I push into other classes and do not have my own room. I suppose that is why I decided to create student dictionaries, but as I said, I need to find a way to spruce it up and encourage the students to be more interested in them.
Basically, I completely agree that vocabulary acquisition is important in any subject. It is obvious that it is one of the main focuses of a foreign language classroom. However, I think I could use some more ideas that are specific to my content area, and I would really appreciate some sources that could give me some fresh ideas.
I am also very interested in doing the Quiz Me cards, and for math am exciting to shirt from just defining a vocabulary word to needing to explain to a teacher how to solve a certain problem. Starting next week my coteacher and I are planning on giving each student an index card with a math concept on the front and three signature lines on the back. For our first attempt, we want the students to explain how to divide fractions. We are getting the entire school involved, and are sharing out at our school morning meeting that scholars may be asking them to sign their card. My question about this technique is making sure that the scholars don't lose the card immediately, however I am excited to try it.
Unlike you Corinne, I have tried a visual notebook in the class. We have interactive math notebooks, and have had about 20 classes where we have explicitly taught into how we want the scholars to be defining new vocabulary words, drawing pictures, using color, etc. We originally started these notebooks in order to increase understanding of these math terms and concepts, and letting the scholars express themselves more creatively. This has been a completely failed attempt, as the scholars only fully utilize the benefits of the notebook when we explicitly outline the expectations for them, which seriously reduces the benefit that they can be getting from this notebook format. I think that we are running into some laziness from our students, who are looking for the most direct way to get from the introduction of the objective to the exit ticket. If anyone has used a notebook format effectively and has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate the feedback.
Alyssa, I have just started using the Interactive Notebooks this year and have found them to be successful. Their entries always require some form of foldable. Recently they cut out a list of the Laws of Exponents and the definitions. They had to match the definitions to the correct label, glue it in their note book, then record an example of the Law.
I have purchased a lot of materials from this seller on Teachers Pay Teachers: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/4mulafun Hope this helps!
I find that students are able to acquire word meanings and spelling rather easily. Of course, this is because they have to rely mainly on memorization to be successful at this aspect of vocabulary instruction. I agree with Colleen that it is more challenging to instruct students in the proper usage of words. Students are not able to recognize when to use the word as a noun, verb, adjective, etc. This lack of skill set amongst a majority of students is a clear indication that teachers need to do more in the area of instruction regarding the parts of speech.
I slightly disagree with Colleen’s notion that it is best for students to learn words in the context of reading ONE text. I do think this results in a hodgepodge of words that have no clear connection, as the chapter states. I prefer to give students 3 or more articles on the same topic. This way the vocabulary words are still read in context, but they are all regarding a relatively similar topic.
The chapter offered some useful vocabulary activities. The vocabulary self-awareness chart and the shades of meaning were my favorite.
Another great resource for vocabulary instruction is Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction by Donald Bear, Marica Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, and Fancine Johnston.
First, in response to my classmates who posted above, like Corinne, I agree that vocabulary acquisition is very important. Like Colleen, I find teaching vocabulary can be a challenge, especially in engaging students in the task. Lastly, I liked Amanda's suggestion of teaching vocabulary using different texts on a related topic and also appreciated the vocabulary resource she listed.
My experience of teaching vocabulary has been a mixture of two methods. Primarily, vocabulary was taught in context of whatever literature was being read, and words were extracted from the text and further examined. Students also utilized a vocabulary workbook and completed exercises with a random selection of words. The two texts that were most often used were Sadlier Oxford’s Vocabulary Workshop (http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/vocabulary/) and Wordly Wise 3000 (http://www.wordlywise3000.com). (As an aside, while both of these texts provide vocabulary enrichment, I think that Wordly Wise provides some more rigorous exercises). Students practiced the vocabulary - whether from the enrichment book or those associated with a literary text - quite begrudgingly most of the time. I often felt puzzled as to how to generate more interest in vocabulary.
After attending a middle school conference where some vocabulary strategies were taught, I encouraged my students to draw vocabulary pictures that would be displayed in the classroom for others to see. Students were put in groups, given a selection of words, and then I explained the instructions for the illustration activity. Students had an opportunity to brainstorm with a buddy and complete the picture within the pre-set time limit. During the activity, I witnessed my students show the first glimmer of enthusiasm for vocabulary as they opened up the classroom’s art boxes and drew detailed, colorful pictures. While that was a great experience, in my opinion, it is not effective, nor does it elicit the same response from the students, to do the same exercise over and over again.
Therefore, I am glad to have been exposed to some new methods, such as the semantic feature analysis example. I think it would be a great way for me to work with other faculty, such as the Social Studies or Science teachers, to support interdisciplinary connections on a middle school team. I think that knowing how to teach vocabulary is very important for all teachers because each subject has its own discourse and there is a vast world beyond using flashcards.
4. How does the central or supporting ideas of the author intersect with other voices in the field?
I believe that the central idea of this chapter was the importance of teaching vocabulary beyond word, definition, and sentence. While it is important for students to know the meanings of the words in order to use them within the classroom. it is also important for them to understand different parts of that word for use in multiple contents. The different approaches to teaching vocabulary - word walls, quiz me cards, word parts, shades of meaning, etc. all build to the idea of being able to use the word, not just know it. As well, these instructional techniques all speak to the idea of explicitly teaching into the vocabulary, not just assuming that students will figure it out from hearing the words. This quote "One of the most crucial services that teachers can provide, particularly for students who do not come from academically advantaged backgrounds, is systematic instruction in important academic terms". (Marzano & Pickering, 2005) is a representation of another voice in the field of vocabulary instruction. This quote appears on the website of a "direct vocabulary instruction" website that outlines 8 different best practices of vocabulary instruction, many of which overlap with the ideas in the chapter. The 8 characteristics of direct instruction can be read here. As you can see, there is an emphasis on vocabulary instruction involving more than just wrote memorization of definitions and uses.
Another voice in the field is that of Isabel Beck. Beck has broken down words into three tiers to highlight the words that she thinks give the "biggest bang for their buck" and are most worthy of teaching into. Similar to the idea in the chapter that words with multiple meanings are often those that trip up students (especially English language learners), Beck makes lists of words that are basic, are rigorous academic words seen in multiple contexts, or our context specific. She then delves further into these lists to determine which could be seen as the most important for teaching. Where the text might veer from Beck's ideas is that the text focuses also on teaching the content specific words, where Beck focuses more on words that cross contents. However, it seems perfectly feasible that you could use any of the techniques in the textbook to teach all tiers of Beck's vocabulary. In short, the textbook mirrors these ideas, and many more ideas out their in education about the importance of vocabulary instruction, and that the techniques and pedagogy described in the book can easily compliment the numerous vocabulary approaches and practices that are being discussed in different schools.
While reading Chapter 3, I was looking forward to the math strategy that would be suggested by Fisher & Frey. I struggle with the technical vocabulary required in the mathematics classroom. As Fisher and Frey explain content specific vocabulary can be “difficult to teach because of little background knowledge and connection to key vocabulary.” (43) I was disappointed to find the strategy for teaching vocabulary in the math classroom focused on a geometry example. Geometry is the strand of mathematics in which I find it easiest to teach vocabulary because of the context. Geometry terms can easily be translated into visuals and diagrams. I was hoping for a strategy that might work with one of the other strands. Right now, I am teaching students the Laws of Exponents. To understand each law requires students to know what the law means, the key vocabulary used to describe it, and then to understand how to use the law to simplify expressions. For example, the quotient rule is defined as: Quotient Rule: to divide two exponents with the same base, you keep the base and subtract the powers. Students are expected to know the rule and be able to apply it to simplify expressions. To understand the definition they must comprehend other key content vocabulary such as base, exponent, powers. Without a clear understanding of those terms they cannot truly understand the law itself. This unit is very dense with vocabulary and require students to have a strong background in other mathematical vocabulary. Fisher and Frey explain that explicit instruction, practice through word sorts and role plays, and application of the words in writing improve vocabulary acquisition. I find that in math students do not often apply the terms in writing; they are asked to use the knowledge of the terms to solve problems, but rarely are they asked to use the terms in writing. I have been trying to integrate more writing and set the expectation that they use the terms correctly to explain solutions to problems. Using the Frayer model is one strategy that I have found to be effective with math vocabulary across the strands. Frayer Models involve students recording not only the definition, but also characteristics, examples, and non-examples of the term. I used this model at the elementary level in science and reading. Here is a link to some templates: http://www.phs.d211.org/science/filipekcj/Bio138/frayer%20cards%20template.pdf I have also been integrating the use of an interactive notebook where the students record vocabulary and examples. Here is a blog from a teacher who uses the notebook and the Frayer Model. http://mathequalslove.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-peek-at-my-algebra-1-interactive.html I am looking forward to discussing/reading about other strategies that have been successful. I would love some recommendations.
Thank you for suggestions to my interactive notebook issue. I was also frustrated to see that geometry was used as the vocabulary example for the exact same reason. The vocabulary for geometry is also very visual, and while you have definitions to memorize you also have very concrete pictures to draw. My best attempts at vocabulary often come with examples and non examples, and the students write them in their notebooks in different charts or organizers. Colors seems to make the words stay in their brains the best, or maybe they just are the happiest when I let them work in colored pencil. My new attempts at vocabulary instruction now fall under a sort of word wall. We are currently working on expressions and equations as well, and I just have labeled different parts of equations to show students terms, coefficients, constants, etc. It is nearly impossible to get through a lesson without needing to refer to these posters at least once. For homework, I have them draw mock posters with these terms, and then we vote on our favorite one in the class. This gets all students involved in the vocabulary process and gets them to look back into their notebooks to make sure they are making their mock posters correctly. To your point about needing them to use these terms in writing, I also emphasize to them that they need to RTQ (restate the question) when they answer questions in class. This helps them to use the vocabulary (we also push "scholarly language"), and gives other scholars a chance to tune back in.
With practice, it is easy to memorize vocabulary words and anything else for that matter. It's the comprehension piece that needs to be incorporated into a classroom. When students are given a list of vocabulary words and are asked to find the definitions or to use each word in a sentence, they need to know why this is important and why it will help them. When I teach any subjectwhere reading is involved, I find myself asking students if ey understood what was just read. Between each sentence or paragraph, I like to compile words that students do not know or do not understand. First, we try to draw meaning of the word based on the surrounding words and text. If we still cannot figure out a definition, we then have a word finder find us the definition. The definition is then rewritten by students in their own words. Now that the students have the definitions, I like to give the a lank piece of paper folded into four columns. Efforts column is labeled 'word'. The second section is titled definition, the third is a picture of the word, and the last column is for a sentence. I find this effective in any subject area.
Like Colleen, I agree that vocabulary is a tougher subject to teach, but I believe visuals and constant examples are key to students remembering. I liked reading about her informal experiment and couldn't agree more.
9. Would this author find corroborating evidence for his or her perspective in your teaching setting?
ReplyDeleteAs a Spanish teacher, I teach a lot of vocabulary, and I have also been focusing on having the students find their own vocabulary in games and activities to add to a student dictionary that they keep in their notebooks. Last year, I taught vocabulary in explicit thematic units, like foods, clothing, etc. This year, I have asked my students to create their own thematic units to teach to their friends, and they have extracted vocabulary from the lessons taught to them by peers. When I teach new words or concepts, I love to use TPR, or "acting out" methods. The students do a lot of movement in my Spanish class, and I think it is important that they see my special as a time to enjoy themselves and learn through play and real-life experiences. After all, that is how native speakers learn a brand-new language. I have also used word sorts, basic vocabulary flashcards and the 4-quadrant vocabulary cards (vocabulary word, definition, graphic, sentence) in the past. I have never heard of Quiz Me cards, but I absolutely adore this idea. I can already visualize that strategy being a hit with my students and fulfilling many of my current needs for Spanish class. Firstly, the student dictionaries seem sort of useless at this point. I have asked the students to create lists of some words from their dictionaries and to create word searches or crosswords for their friends to solve, but I can see how the students might think that is a waste of their time. If they must practice the words on their own and then ask other adults to quiz them, they could see the importance of sharing their Spanish with the Quest community, which is something I am incorporating little by little (as building relationships among the grade levels and with other staff was a primary need outlined by my Inquiry Study in MLED 510). I could really use a bit more help with thinking of ways to utilize their personal dictionaries and give the students ownership of Spanish extracted from sources outside of my lessons. I want them to be encouraged to explore Spanish in their own ways. I kind of felt a bit dismayed that there were not more strategies outlined in the chapter that gave fresh ideas for a foreign language classroom.
Further, I have never used the visual notebook, word wall or semantic feature analysis. Honestly, I am having a hard time figuring out a way to incorporate those strategies into my teaching, although this class has inspired me to start unit where my students will read personal narratives about Hispanics in Rhode Island using the Nuestras Raices project: http://www.nuestrasraicesri.org/. The visual notebook or SFA strategies might work when we study these local figures. However, a word wall could be hard to create because I push into other classes and do not have my own room. I suppose that is why I decided to create student dictionaries, but as I said, I need to find a way to spruce it up and encourage the students to be more interested in them.
Basically, I completely agree that vocabulary acquisition is important in any subject. It is obvious that it is one of the main focuses of a foreign language classroom. However, I think I could use some more ideas that are specific to my content area, and I would really appreciate some sources that could give me some fresh ideas.
I am also very interested in doing the Quiz Me cards, and for math am exciting to shirt from just defining a vocabulary word to needing to explain to a teacher how to solve a certain problem. Starting next week my coteacher and I are planning on giving each student an index card with a math concept on the front and three signature lines on the back. For our first attempt, we want the students to explain how to divide fractions. We are getting the entire school involved, and are sharing out at our school morning meeting that scholars may be asking them to sign their card. My question about this technique is making sure that the scholars don't lose the card immediately, however I am excited to try it.
DeleteUnlike you Corinne, I have tried a visual notebook in the class. We have interactive math notebooks, and have had about 20 classes where we have explicitly taught into how we want the scholars to be defining new vocabulary words, drawing pictures, using color, etc. We originally started these notebooks in order to increase understanding of these math terms and concepts, and letting the scholars express themselves more creatively. This has been a completely failed attempt, as the scholars only fully utilize the benefits of the notebook when we explicitly outline the expectations for them, which seriously reduces the benefit that they can be getting from this notebook format. I think that we are running into some laziness from our students, who are looking for the most direct way to get from the introduction of the objective to the exit ticket. If anyone has used a notebook format effectively and has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate the feedback.
Alyssa, I have just started using the Interactive Notebooks this year and have found them to be successful. Their entries always require some form of foldable. Recently they cut out a list of the Laws of Exponents and the definitions. They had to match the definitions to the correct label, glue it in their note book, then record an example of the Law.
DeleteI have purchased a lot of materials from this seller on Teachers Pay Teachers:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/4mulafun
Hope this helps!
I find that students are able to acquire word meanings and spelling rather easily. Of course, this is because they have to rely mainly on memorization to be successful at this aspect of vocabulary instruction. I agree with Colleen that it is more challenging to instruct students in the proper usage of words. Students are not able to recognize when to use the word as a noun, verb, adjective, etc. This lack of skill set amongst a majority of students is a clear indication that teachers need to do more in the area of instruction regarding the parts of speech.
ReplyDeleteI slightly disagree with Colleen’s notion that it is best for students to learn words in the context of reading ONE text. I do think this results in a hodgepodge of words that have no clear connection, as the chapter states. I prefer to give students 3 or more articles on the same topic. This way the vocabulary words are still read in context, but they are all regarding a relatively similar topic.
The chapter offered some useful vocabulary activities. The vocabulary self-awareness chart and the shades of meaning were my favorite.
Another great resource for vocabulary instruction is Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction by Donald Bear, Marica Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, and Fancine Johnston.
First, in response to my classmates who posted above, like Corinne, I agree that vocabulary acquisition is very important. Like Colleen, I find teaching vocabulary can be a challenge, especially in engaging students in the task. Lastly, I liked Amanda's suggestion of teaching vocabulary using different texts on a related topic and also appreciated the vocabulary resource she listed.
ReplyDeleteMy experience of teaching vocabulary has been a mixture of two methods. Primarily, vocabulary was taught in context of whatever literature was being read, and words were extracted from the text and further examined. Students also utilized a vocabulary workbook and completed exercises with a random selection of words. The two texts that were most often used were Sadlier Oxford’s Vocabulary Workshop (http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/vocabulary/) and Wordly Wise 3000 (http://www.wordlywise3000.com). (As an aside, while both of these texts provide vocabulary enrichment, I think that Wordly Wise provides some more rigorous exercises). Students practiced the vocabulary - whether from the enrichment book or those associated with a literary text - quite begrudgingly most of the time. I often felt puzzled as to how to generate more interest in vocabulary.
After attending a middle school conference where some vocabulary strategies were taught, I encouraged my students to draw vocabulary pictures that would be displayed in the classroom for others to see. Students were put in groups, given a selection of words, and then I explained the instructions for the illustration activity. Students had an opportunity to brainstorm with a buddy and complete the picture within the pre-set time limit. During the activity, I witnessed my students show the first glimmer of enthusiasm for vocabulary as they opened up the classroom’s art boxes and drew detailed, colorful pictures. While that was a great experience, in my opinion, it is not effective, nor does it elicit the same response from the students, to do the same exercise over and over again.
Therefore, I am glad to have been exposed to some new methods, such as the semantic feature analysis example. I think it would be a great way for me to work with other faculty, such as the Social Studies or Science teachers, to support interdisciplinary connections on a middle school team. I think that knowing how to teach vocabulary is very important for all teachers because each subject has its own discourse and there is a vast world beyond using flashcards.
4. How does the central or supporting ideas of the author intersect with other voices in the field?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the central idea of this chapter was the importance of teaching vocabulary beyond word, definition, and sentence. While it is important for students to know the meanings of the words in order to use them within the classroom. it is also important for them to understand different parts of that word for use in multiple contents. The different approaches to teaching vocabulary - word walls, quiz me cards, word parts, shades of meaning, etc. all build to the idea of being able to use the word, not just know it. As well, these instructional techniques all speak to the idea of explicitly teaching into the vocabulary, not just assuming that students will figure it out from hearing the words. This quote "One of the most crucial services that teachers can provide, particularly for students who do not come from academically advantaged backgrounds, is systematic instruction in important academic terms". (Marzano & Pickering, 2005) is a representation of another voice in the field of vocabulary instruction. This quote appears on the website of a "direct vocabulary instruction" website that outlines 8 different best practices of vocabulary instruction, many of which overlap with the ideas in the chapter. The 8 characteristics of direct instruction can be read here. As you can see, there is an emphasis on vocabulary instruction involving more than just wrote memorization of definitions and uses.
Another voice in the field is that of Isabel Beck. Beck has broken down words into three tiers to highlight the words that she thinks give the "biggest bang for their buck" and are most worthy of teaching into. Similar to the idea in the chapter that words with multiple meanings are often those that trip up students (especially English language learners), Beck makes lists of words that are basic, are rigorous academic words seen in multiple contexts, or our context specific. She then delves further into these lists to determine which could be seen as the most important for teaching. Where the text might veer from Beck's ideas is that the text focuses also on teaching the content specific words, where Beck focuses more on words that cross contents. However, it seems perfectly feasible that you could use any of the techniques in the textbook to teach all tiers of Beck's vocabulary. In short, the textbook mirrors these ideas, and many more ideas out their in education about the importance of vocabulary instruction, and that the techniques and pedagogy described in the book can easily compliment the numerous vocabulary approaches and practices that are being discussed in different schools.
While reading Chapter 3, I was looking forward to the math strategy that would be suggested by Fisher & Frey. I struggle with the technical vocabulary required in the mathematics classroom. As Fisher and Frey explain content specific vocabulary can be “difficult to teach because of little background knowledge and connection to key vocabulary.” (43) I was disappointed to find the strategy for teaching vocabulary in the math classroom focused on a geometry example. Geometry is the strand of mathematics in which I find it easiest to teach vocabulary because of the context. Geometry terms can easily be translated into visuals and diagrams. I was hoping for a strategy that might work with one of the other strands.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I am teaching students the Laws of Exponents. To understand each law requires students to know what the law means, the key vocabulary used to describe it, and then to understand how to use the law to simplify expressions. For example, the quotient rule is defined as:
Quotient Rule: to divide two exponents with the same base, you keep the base and subtract the powers.
Students are expected to know the rule and be able to apply it to simplify expressions. To understand the definition they must comprehend other key content vocabulary such as base, exponent, powers. Without a clear understanding of those terms they cannot truly understand the law itself. This unit is very dense with vocabulary and require students to have a strong background in other mathematical vocabulary.
Fisher and Frey explain that explicit instruction, practice through word sorts and role plays, and application of the words in writing improve vocabulary acquisition. I find that in math students do not often apply the terms in writing; they are asked to use the knowledge of the terms to solve problems, but rarely are they asked to use the terms in writing. I have been trying to integrate more writing and set the expectation that they use the terms correctly to explain solutions to problems.
Using the Frayer model is one strategy that I have found to be effective with math vocabulary across the strands. Frayer Models involve students recording not only the definition, but also characteristics, examples, and non-examples of the term. I used this model at the elementary level in science and reading. Here is a link to some templates:
http://www.phs.d211.org/science/filipekcj/Bio138/frayer%20cards%20template.pdf
I have also been integrating the use of an interactive notebook where the students record vocabulary and examples. Here is a blog from a teacher who uses the notebook and the Frayer Model.
http://mathequalslove.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-peek-at-my-algebra-1-interactive.html
I am looking forward to discussing/reading about other strategies that have been successful. I would love some recommendations.
Thank you for suggestions to my interactive notebook issue. I was also frustrated to see that geometry was used as the vocabulary example for the exact same reason. The vocabulary for geometry is also very visual, and while you have definitions to memorize you also have very concrete pictures to draw. My best attempts at vocabulary often come with examples and non examples, and the students write them in their notebooks in different charts or organizers. Colors seems to make the words stay in their brains the best, or maybe they just are the happiest when I let them work in colored pencil. My new attempts at vocabulary instruction now fall under a sort of word wall. We are currently working on expressions and equations as well, and I just have labeled different parts of equations to show students terms, coefficients, constants, etc. It is nearly impossible to get through a lesson without needing to refer to these posters at least once. For homework, I have them draw mock posters with these terms, and then we vote on our favorite one in the class. This gets all students involved in the vocabulary process and gets them to look back into their notebooks to make sure they are making their mock posters correctly.
DeleteTo your point about needing them to use these terms in writing, I also emphasize to them that they need to RTQ (restate the question) when they answer questions in class. This helps them to use the vocabulary (we also push "scholarly language"), and gives other scholars a chance to tune back in.
With practice, it is easy to memorize vocabulary words and anything else for that matter. It's the comprehension piece that needs to be incorporated into a classroom. When students are given a list of vocabulary words and are asked to find the definitions or to use each word in a sentence, they need to know why this is important and why it will help them. When I teach any subjectwhere reading is involved, I find myself asking students if ey understood what was just read. Between each sentence or paragraph, I like to compile words that students do not know or do not understand. First, we try to draw meaning of the word based on the surrounding words and text. If we still cannot figure out a definition, we then have a word finder find us the definition. The definition is then rewritten by students in their own words. Now that the students have the definitions, I like to give the a lank piece of paper folded into four columns. Efforts column is labeled 'word'. The second section is titled definition, the third is a picture of the word, and the last column is for a sentence. I find this effective in any subject area.
ReplyDeleteLike Colleen, I agree that vocabulary is a tougher subject to teach, but I believe visuals and constant examples are key to students remembering. I liked reading about her informal experiment and couldn't agree more.