What can teachers do to help students develop stronger vocabulary knowledge?
Page 6: Pronounce and Define Words
When the selected words are presented to students, they will not be marked as unfamiliar or familiar but simply presented as one list.
Notice that all of these terms are multisyllabic and some have letter sequences that do not seem to match their pronunciation (e.g., soldier). So although the teacher expected that students would already know this word, it may only be in their oral vocabulary and not in their print vocabulary. In addition, the teacher can anticipate that most of the unfamiliar words will be in neither the students’ oral or print vocabularies.
Given the word identification barrier these long and difficult words pose to many adolescents, the teacher can begin her instruction with a short review of how to pronounce each term, as demonstrated in the two videos below.
Vocabulary Words
abolish
agricultural
civilian
independent
industrial
militia
secede
slavery
soldier
strategy
unconstitutional
The first video explains how to teach students to break apart multisyllabic words (time: 1:53).
Transcript: Developing Student-Friendly Definitions
Narrator: The teacher can demonstrate how to break a word down into parts by drawing arcs under the pronounceable parts of the word as the students read them aloud. The teacher asks the students to follow along with him as he acknowledges each word part and pronounces it. He uses his finger to trace an arc under each word part as he and the students pronounce that part in unison.
Teacher: What part?
Teacher/Students: Ah.
Teacher: What part?
Teacher/Students: Bol.
Teacher: What part?
Teacher/Students: Ish.
Narrator: Finally, they say all the parts together to form the entire word. The teacher moves his finger from left to right, directly under the word, as he and the students chorally pronounce the entire word.
Teacher: The word is?
Teacher/Students: Abolish.
Narrator: The teacher should keep in mind that not every dictionary will show the same syllabication of a given word. Some dictionaries, for example, might show the syllable division to be a-bo-lish.
However, if the teacher used these syllable divisions, there is a strong chance that the students would mispronounce the second word part as “bo” with a long o.
In cases where the prescribed syllable divisions might lead students to mispronounce a word, the teacher should adjust the word breakdown to make sure the students are saying the word correctly.
Narrator: If the teacher hears any mispronunciations, he merely needs to tell the class…
Teacher: This word is pronounced a-bol-ish. Say it with me.
Teacher/Students: Abolish.
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The second video shows Dr. Anita Archer implementing this word identification step with a class of sixth-graders preparing to read about Harriet Tubman. Notice how Dr. Archer moves quickly through the list and provides cues and supports to prevent mispronunciations (time: 2:11).
Video is courtesy Anita L. Archer.
Transcript: Demonstrating Teacher-Led Vocabulary Instruction
Teacher: We have already learned some background information so we have an idea of the time, place and what was happening, and we are going to look at some words. Now some of these you know right away, but I just want to be sure certain we have the correct pronunciation. So we’re going to actually read these words by part and pencils down. You’re not going to write any of these down. I’m going to move my finger underneath the part and you’re going to read it, then the next part, the next, and then the word.
Teacher: [points to intention] So everybody what part?
Class: in.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: ten.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: tion.
Teacher: And the word is?
Class: Intention.
Teacher: Intention, excellent.
Teacher: [points to immediately] And first part?
Class: Im.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: E.
Teacher: And say e.
Class: E.
Teacher: And the next part?
Class: N.
Teacher: And?
Class: Ly. Immediately.
Teacher: But we say what everyone?
Class: Immediately.
Teacher: When we have to do it right now it is done immediately. [points to reluctant]. And first part?
Class: Re.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: Luc.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: Tant.
Teacher: And the whole word?
Class: Reluctant.
Teacher: [points to plantation]. And first part?
Class: Plan.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: Ta.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: Tion.
Teacher: And the word is?
Class: Planation.
Teacher: Excellent.
Teacher: [points to persuade]. And first part?
Class: Per.
Teacher: Last part is suade. What part?
Class: Suade.
Teacher: And again?
Class: Persuade.
Teacher: Oh to really convince someone they should do it you…
Class: Persuade.
Teacher: …them. [points to ordinary] And first part?
Class: Or.
Teacher: Next part?
Class: Din.
Teacher: And last part is ary.
Class: Ary.
Teacher: Good and say the whole word.
Class: Ordinary.
Teacher: You’re just very plain you are…
Class: Ordinary.
Teacher: [points to elude]. Say the name here and first the name is?
Class: E-lude.
Teacher: Elude. The real way we pronounce it is elude. What do we say?
Class: Elude.
Teacher: [points to jostle]. And first part?
Class: Jost.
Teacher: And last part.
Class: Le.
Teacher: And the word is?
Class: Jostle.
Teacher: Okay, so when you wrestle with someone you?
Class: Jostle.
Teacher: [points to the first word on list and then continues down the list]. Okay and so everybody what word?
Class:
intention
immediately
reluctant
plantation
persuade
ordinary
elude
jostle.
Teacher: Perfect.
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It should take only seconds to implement this approach for each academic vocabulary word. The key to success is to keep it brief and to conduct the activity with confidence. If the teacher seems uncomfortable breaking apart the words and pronouncing them, the students who most need this assistance will be even less inclined to take advantage of the review. In addition, teachers need to be sure that they can break the words apart appropriately before they actually demonstrate doing so in class. They should also take care that they are themselves pronouncing the words correctly (e.g., the teacher who says “nucular” for the word nuclear).
After the teacher has selected the unfamiliar and familiar terms from the text and provided instruction in pronouncing each term, she can begin to build students’ academic vocabulary by:
- Asking them if they can define any of the terms (activating their prior knowledge)
- Providing student-friendly definitions for the remaining words
As students go about suggesting definitions for familiar words, teachers should remind them about the topic being studied and encourage them to predict how the terms will relate to the content and concepts. This will help them to anticipate how the words will be used in the text they are about to read. It is also important for teachers to point out those instances when familiar terms have multiple meanings, such as the words strategy and independent from the sample Civil War unit. By orienting the students to the content they have been studying, teachers can help ensure that the definitions students offer will be applicable to the lesson.
Of course, it is possible students will already know some of the academic vocabulary that the teacher thought would be unfamiliar and also possible that they will be unfamiliar with some of the terms the teacher thought they would already know. Teachers can ask additional questions to clarify or extend students’ definitions that are not quite appropriate or specific enough for the given context. If students incorrectly define a word, teachers need to provide a correction.
Student: Secede means that you do really well or accomplish something you were trying to do.
Teacher: Sometimes when I think I hear or read one word, I am really thinking of another word. This happens to me when the words sound a lot alike. We have a word in our list here—secede—that sounds a lot like a word I use all the time, succeed. What does it mean to succeed at something? When would you use the word succeed?
[students respond with appropriate suggestions]
Teacher: Now, let’s take a look at the word in our lesson. How can you recognize that the word is secede and not succeed? What clues can you look for in the word? What clues can you look for in the sentence or paragraph? What did we say we will be talking about when we use the word secede? Is it possible to succeed when you secede?
After students have defined as many words as they can on their own, the teacher can then offer her own student-friendly definitions for any remaining words in the list. The teacher should explain each term with respect to how it applies to the material the students will be reading.
Watch the social studies teacher in the video as she builds on her students’ prior knowledge to elicit student-friendly definitions of academic vocabulary words, and then defines words with which her students were unfamiliar (time: 4:03).
Video courtesy of Voyager Sopris Learning, Inc.
Transcript: Demonstrating Teacher-Led Vocabulary Instruction
Teacher: So given these words, anybody have an idea of what any of these might mean? Yeah?
Student: Activities. It’s like what you do in life. Like things you do such as going to the store or playing soccer or playing guitar.
Teacher: Okay, good. I like the examples that you gave. Can we all agree that activities are things we do? Okay. All right, any other words familiar to you? Yeah?
Student: Employment is, like, getting a job.
Teacher: Okay. Can anybody expand on that? A job is…What else do we do? Yeah?
Student: Your workplace, like, where your job is at. What you do every day.
Teacher: Good. What kind of related to activities…but, yeah, so we could say that employment is our work or our job, okay, or a person’s work. Madison?
Student: Education. Isn’t that where, you know, you like learn and going to school and stuff like that?
Teacher: Okay. Is school the only place that we get an education?
Student: No.
Teacher: Okay, good. But we would agree. The part we might agree on is perhaps it’s gaining knowledge, gaining information, okay? All right. So the process of gaining information? Does that work? All right. Okay. Any other words familiar to you? Somebody from over here on the other side. Go ahead.
Student: Apprentice. Isn’t that like when you, like, when you work under someone or something?
Teacher: Okay. Yes, it’s similar to that. Can anybody add onto what Cliff had to say about an apprentice working under someone?
Student: Like, kind of someone who’s teaching you how to do it?
Teacher: Okay, good. So we can agree that an apprentice is kind of like a student-teacher. Let’s say an apprentice is someone who’s learning a trade or a skill. Okay, we agree on that. Learning a trade or a skill. Okay.
Teacher: Yeah?
Student: A teen.
Teacher: A teen.
Student: Isn’t it like a young adult or…
Teacher: Uh huh, a young adult. Yes, absolutely. Can you be more specific, though, with what young adult would be? Yeah?
Student: A person between the age of 13 and 19.
Teacher: Okay, good. Can we agree on that? Okay. So a person… All right, any other words familiar to you? We have “fundamental,” “crucial,” “society,” “agricultural,” “urban,” and “compensation.”
Student: I’ve heard them used before, but I’m not sure, like, what they mean. Like, I’ve heard examples of them.
Teacher: Okay. All right. Well, I’m going to go ahead and write the definitions for you. And I’m sure, as many of you have experienced, you probably have seen them before or heard them before, but knowing what the definition is will help you in understanding what we’re going to be reading in this text. So the word “fundamental” kind of means something basic, okay? A basic skill or basic…I would say the main…something that’s the main thing or the main item.
“Crucial.” Something that’s crucial is something that’s important, okay? If something is crucial, it’s going to be important.
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Activity
Below are the student-friendly definitions that Ms. Yun’s students developed for their vocabulary words. How do these compare to the student-friendly definitions that you developed?
abolish: to completely get rid of or stop something
agricultural: having to do with farming or describing something that has farming
civilian: a person who is not paid to be in the military or law enforcement
independent: not controlled by another country
industrial: having to do with factories or describing something that has factories
militia: a group of people who train to protect their community but are not in the military full-time
secede: to break away from a state or country and become a separate state or country
slavery: owning people who have no rights
soldier: a person who has a full-time job in the military
strategy: a plan for how to do something difficult
unconstitutional: against the basic principles of a country
English/Language Arts Example
These are the student-friendly definitions that Mr. Chowdhury’s English/language arts class developed. The * indicates the words that he anticipated would be unfamiliar to the students.
*characterized: described by features or qualities that are an obvious part of something
*compelled: forced to do
encountered: experienced something or unexpectedly met someone
ferocious: very fierce, violent, or dangerous
harsh: unkind actions or speech
*incorrigible: bad in a way that will never change
*infinitely: so much that it has no limit or end
*persecuted: treated cruelly or unfairly, especially because of their background or beliefs
pursued: chased after
timid: shy and without courage or confidence
*vainly: no chance of it happening
*wrath: extreme anger or rage