STRATEGY FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY WORDS
Your Enthusiasm for word study is crucial. You, the teacher, are the single most important factor in whether or not a student will master new words. What you do with a word when a student first meets it largely determines whether the student sees a need to learn the word and remember it.
Four Steps for Introducing a New Word:
I. Introduce
the word in meaningful context:
Show the word on a card or on the chalkboard
(visual clue). Then use the word in a
sentence (auditory clue) which gives a contextual example of the word.
Example:
Sailor Jack dropped the heavy fustian, rolled it out, and cut a new sail.
Even though the word “fustian” is new, the
example sentence contains context clues to shed light on the meaning of the
word.
You will often find contextual example
sentences in you teacher’s manuals, but you may need to evaluate the examples
given to determine whether they highlight the meaning of the word.
II. Point out
the PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS of the word:
Point out prefixes, suffixes, root words,
syllables, unusual vowel patterns, etc.
pest- root word, means
something bothersome
pester- er
suffix, one who is a pest
pestered- past tense
III. Give
additional CONTEXTUAL EXAMPLES of the word:
Use
both SYNONYM and ANTONYM examples that show what the word is and what it is
not.
Sailor
jack dropped the heavy fustian, rolled it out, and cut a new sail. (What is
fustian)
The king and
queen wore clothes made of fabrics other than fustian. (What fustian is not)
At this point, ask students to make sentences using the new word. Students retain 70% of what they verbalize. By making up their own sentences they demonstrate their understanding of the word and develop a frame of reference.
IV. Give the new words FREQUENT EXPOSURE
Practice…Practice…Practice !!!!!! Words
that are met more frequently are mastered faster, provided there are not too
many new words.
These four steps for teaching vocabulary words are particularly necessary for teaching poor readers, since these students have not yet mastered word identification skills and need direct vocabulary instruction. Without specific instruction, the word identification burden makes reading assignments a frustrating experience. This strategy directly teaches students how to decode words using phonic, structure, and meaning clues.
For slow readers, spend as much time as necessary going over the new
vocabulary words before making the reading assignment. This may mean devoting an entire reading
group session solely to vocabulary instruction before students begin to read
silently. With the low group, this time
is well spent.
Reminders:
1.
Classify
the words: concrete, semi-concrete or abstract. Concrete words are relatively easy to learn because they can be
directly experienced through the senses. They can be seen, heard, smelled,
touched or tasted. Abstract and
semi-concrete words must be given more teaching time to allow for concept
development.
2.
How
fast a student learns a word depends on:
-The word (concrete or abstract)
-The students’ background
-The teacher (how it’s presented)
3.
If
a word is completely new to average readers, they will need 7 exposures to the
word before being able to read it in the text.
Students with reading difficulties will need substantially more
exposures.
4.
In
summary, focus your teaching time on the words students will have most trouble
with (abstract words or those that are unfamiliar to their experience or
background) and those that students will encounter most frequently and
therefore should have as a permanent part of their reading vocabularies. Words like because, was and from
are ABSTRACT. They have no inherent
meaning. This is why many basic sight
words are so difficult for students to master.