Recently, a reader asked great question about how to teach vocabulary words in context, specifically within novels or primary source documents.
If you’ve read my other posts on vocabulary, you know that I am a huge proponent of teaching students Latin origins to build their vocabulary skills.
The thing is I don’t rely on Latin words chunks as the be-all-end-all of vocabulary instruction.
It’s still necessary to identify terms and phrases that are critical to understanding a given topic. My students are still going to come across words in a novel or Article of the Week that they need to know, and the Latin origin may not help them.
When it comes to this kind of academic or conceptual vocab, we have a big job before us. Before we begin instruction, we have to determine the right terms.
Narrow your content down to the essentials.
On your own or within your common course team, ask:
“What are the essential topics students need to know for this course?
It’s difficult, but try to limit yourself to less than ten items. This goes back to Mike Schmoker’s notion of “less is more” in his book Focus. We honestly cannot teach all of the standards that are given to us, so he suggests that team members map out the essential ½ to ⅔ of standards that should be guaranteed across your course.
If we simply follow our textbooks as a guide for what we should teach, we’d never get through everything nor do they cover all that our students should know. We have to dig in to what really matters.
Beware this can be a difficult and emotional dialogue with your colleagues. Each person should come to the table with non-negotiables, and be prepared to defend their arguments calmly and professionally. Veterans teachers: careful not to toss around the “we’ve always done it this way” argument. Newbies: listen to their experience, and don’t feel like you need to shake everything up. Neither burn-out beast has a place here.
Determine the essential vocabulary for each unit/topic of study.
The next step is to look beyond the bold words in the textbook or the lists in the Fahrenheit 451 Teacher Instruction Guide.
With your team, determine an appropriate number of words per unit, and slim those words down to the essentials.
For me, the specific number is fluid and depends on the length of the unit.
In English, our shared novel studies might have 1-2 words per chapter; however, these words don’t have to show up in the text itself. For example, readers need to understand the concepts of “materialism” and “objectification” to truly understand The Great Gatsby; however, Fitzgerald never uses those words in the book.
In my history classes, each unit has between 20-35 specific words. Certainly, we discuss more topics than this, but these are essentials.
With your team, it’s important to consider these terms in the context of learning a foreign language. Ask:
What are the vital words our students need to know in order to navigate the foreign land of this unit of study?
What vocabulary would help them communicate with a native/expert speaker on this topic?
I might ask: “If my students are going to be successful talking about The Other Wes Moore or the Cold War, what words do they need to carry in order to successfully move around in this text or unit?”
To help, I suggest checking out Robert Marzano’s vocabulary lists in Building Academic Vocabulary. And if you’re at the high school level, you could also reference the Advanced Placement course outlines for a top-down view. This helped me see where my students are going as they hopefully move up to APUSH and APLit.
The schools I’ve worked with in my workshops always benefit from this challenging process. I love coaching teacher teams as they focus on what really counts for long-term student growth.
Follow the step-by-step process to specifically teach essential vocabulary.
Like the Make it Stick meta-analysis, we cannot deny the research evidence in Marzano’s Classroom Instruction that Works. When it comes to what works in the classroom, Marazno’s research is where it’s at.
Once your team has boiled it down to what matters, he suggests we use the following six-step process of instruction:
Step 1: Provide a description, explanation, or example of the term.
Step 2: Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words.
Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic of the term.
Step 4: Engage students periodically in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the term in their notebooks.
Step 5: Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.
Step 6: Involve students periodically in games that allow them to play with terms.
Next week, I’ll break down these six steps providing more specific examples of how I apply them in my classroom. {Be sure to join the mailing list in the sidebar or bottom of the screen, so you don’t miss out!}
Reflect and refine after each unit.
As my unit ends, the anchor charts are mounted on the walls, and essays are returned. I reflect on my students’ usage of our essential vocabulary.
I notice that when my team rushes through the selection process or I skip one of the instructional steps, my students’ understanding of not just the vocabulary but the topic itself is diminished.
It’s about finding that appropriate balance, which—keep in mind—will change each year.
Some teachers get frustrated that their curriculum is never “finished” with this in-constant-make-over-mode mentality; however, that’s what makes this job interesting. Like the Constitution, our curriculum is a living document that is refined and adjusted as we more forward and grow.
Your Turn . . .
How do you determine the appropriate number of vocabulary terms for your students? When do you know enough is enough?
What resources or strategies has your team used to support vocabulary instruction?
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