Vocabulary instruction plays an important role in a balance literacy classroom. Graves (2006) identified key components of vocabulary instruction as follows:
• Immerse students in words through listening, talking, reading and writing
• Teach specific words through active involvement and multiple encounters with words
• Teach word-learning strategies so students can figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words – this is essential if student are to become independent learners.
• Develop students’ word consciousness, their awareness of and interest in words.
Very often we have willing minds and able bodies but momentarily we may simply forget or run out of ideas. For those times I provide some guidelines for teaching vocabulary as suggested by Thompkins (2010)
Choose key words for vocabulary instruction from books students are reading, from thematic units and high light them on word walls
Engage students in word study activities such as word maps and word sorts so they can deepen their understanding of specific words
Scaffold students as they develop full word knowledge by learning multiple meanings, how root words and affixes affect meaning, synonyms, antonyms, word history and figurative meaning
During interactive read-aloud, focus on specific high utility words
Teach students to use word learning strategies to unlock new words such as use of context clues, analysing word parts and of course the use of the dictionary.
Develop students word consciousness by demonstrating curiosity about words, teach them about words, and involve them in wordplay activities
Finally in the same tone I provide a word for you my reader to explore:
Etymology
syllabicate it, pronounce it and guess the meaning, then use the word in a sentence
Etymology is the origin and history of words; Etymological information is enclosed in brackets in dictionary entries
Hi Ghina,
ReplyDeleteI found this information to be very useful, thanks for sharing! It made me think about the importance of vocabulary instruction in all content areas. Teachers need to incorporate explicit vocabulary instruction in their lesson planning as each content area has its own unique vocabulary and students need to have a clear understanding of what these concepts mean.
Hello Ghina,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic and well researched. I especially like the new word –etymology. I think it’s a great idea to present a new word in your blog. I for one like to learn new words. However, I always wonder if I am saying it correctly. Although this one is somewhat straightforward, many students who are not so good at phonics may experience difficulty saying it. They may need to hear it.
This is where the technology comes in – and eBooks can do it. If you or I wanted to teach a new word, we could use an eBook. Here we would present the word. Break it into syllables, and the audio aspect of the eBook would allow us to do that. Then we could present the etymology (see I used it) of the word, use it in a sentence or whatever genre we choose.
Thank you for a great blog on which I can comment.