Teachers – Vocabulary Development – Differentiating Between and Among Tier 1, 2, and 3 Words

By Meggin McIntosh

Some educators have distinguished between and among three different ‘tiers’ of words. The

‘tiered’ concept is one that makes immense sense and would serve all of us as teachers who

need to make strategic decisions about what to teach and what not to teach.

The following is a brief overview of the three tiers followed with some examples of Tier 2

words that you can use when planning your instruction.

Tier 1 words are the most basic words and are the ones that are reasonably easy to

teach, usually because there is some kind of physical referent (blue, elbow, table, run). We

need to spend time on them because they show up frequently and students need to know

these words. It is not necessary to spend more time than is required, though, because they

are easier to teach than the other two tiers.

Tier 2 words are the mother lode of words. These are the high frequency words that are

found and used across domains. Spending time teaching these words deeply, richly,

powerfully….that is worth the effort. Knowing these words will have an impact of students’

learning and communication throughout their lives. Words that could be considered Tier 2

words would include: difference, temperate, omnivore, exaggerate, erode. You can see that

these are words that may have particular meanings in certain content areas, but they are

used in a variety of ways by mature language users.

Tier 3 words are the words that are much lower frequency words and that are very

specific to one domain, usually. For example; oligopoly, marcato, lithosphere, couplet,

univariate analysis. These are important words, but need to be taught within the context and

subject area where they will be used.

When you are trying to decide which words are your Tier 2 words, use the following criteria,

as given by Beck, et al, in their book, Bring Words to Life:

Importance & Utility, i.e., Are the words ones that mature language users speak and

write? Are the words ones that would appear frequently across a variety of domains? For

example: aggression, omnipotent, etc.

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Instructional Potential, i.e., Are the words ones that can be taught in a variety of

ways so that students can build rich representations of these words? Do the words spark

ideas that would allow you to help students make connections to other words and concepts?

For example: slithering, meandering, lurking, etc.

Conceptual Understanding, i.e., Are the words ones for which students understand

the general concept, but may not yet have the precision and specificity in describing the

concept that this word would provide? For example: frigid (vs. ‘cold’).

Questions for you to ask yourself as you are planning:

Which words deserve the most attention from you and from your students? (All words

are not created equal as far as instruction time and effort are concerned).

How will you allocate your time so you are spending the time and effort on the words

that will provide the most powerful change in student learning?

Take a look at the words you are teaching this week. For each word on the list, ask

yourself the following questions:

o Is this word important and useful, i.e., is this a word that is going to show up

throughout someone’s life?

o Does this word have all kinds of possibilities for instruction, i.e., can I see

numerous ways to teach this word – and to bring to other language learning,

too?

o Do my students have the background knowledge to understand this new word

that I’m teaching – or do I need to provide some context for the, first?

These are KEY questions to ask as you assess the words you will (and won’t) spend time

on. Your time, energy, and effort – as well as your students’ time, energy and effort are

precious. You want to invest the bulk of your instructional time teaching Tier 2 words.

You can access scores of free resources that you can use to build the various tiers of

vocabulary in your classroom (including PowerPoints, PDFs, and Word documents), by

going to…

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http://www.OwningWordsforLiteracy.com – where you can click on the Downloads tab.

To get numerous articles with teaching tips (for free), just go to…

http://www.ArticlesforTeachers.com and see what’s there for you to use in your classroom.

© 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity” (tm).

Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what

people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!

Article Source: http://EnzineArticles.com/?expert=Meggin_McIntosh

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and-Among-Tier-1,-2,-and-3-Words&id=1827199

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1. What does it mean to ‘know’ a word?

Stages of word development

Never heard of it before

Heard it, but you don’t know what it means

Recognise it in context – has something to do with _____

Know it well and use it in spoken and written language

2. The Steps of passing strategic expertise to students

Teacher Does/Students Watch

Step 1: Modeling Strategy

Teacher uses and talks about strategy through use of technique like think-aloud

Students observe

Teacher stresses what, why and when of strategy use

Teacher Does/Students Help

Step 2: Apprenticeship of Use

Teacher uses strategy

Students talk about and help, identifying when and how strategy should be used

Students Do/Teacher Helps

Step 3: Scaffolding Strategy Use

Students use and talk about strategy with help of scaffolding technique like think-aloud, usually in small groups

Teacher observes, provides feedback and helps as needed

Students Do/Teacher Watches

Step 4: Independent Use

Students independently use strategy, demonstrating competence through techniques like think-aloud

Teacher observes and assesses; plans future instruction

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Some strategies for teaching Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary

Codes for Instructional usage i.e. Strategy is most appropriately used for:

1. Activating and Building Background Knowledge (ABBK)

2. Providing Support During Reading and Writing (PSDR+W)

3. Developing concept vocabulary for Themes, Topics and Units of Study (DCV)

4. Assessing Students’ Understanding of Words and Concepts (ASU)

I. VOCABULARY JUMBLE (ABBK)

How to use vocabulary jumble1. Display 15 to 20 key words from a text to the class.

2. Students have one minute to write down as many words as they can. Cover the

words and give students another minute to write the words from memory.

3. Students check their words against the full list and then ask other members of the

group for word meanings they don’t know. Students use dictionaries as well as this

stage. Lastly, have a whole class discussion of words that were unknown or not fully

known.

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Vocabulary Jumble

Copper explain properties drops‘physical properties’ valence discuss

Reacts ‘copper metal’ formulaAl2O3 ions reaction state

Ductile electrons justify charge‘aluminium oxide’ ‘sodium metal’Suitable atom malleable aspects

‘outer shell’ describe reactive‘universal indicator’ vigorously

‘word equation’ ‘electron configurations’‘balanced symbol equation’ ‘chemical properties’

‘water pipes’

The benefits of using vocabulary jumble Students focus explicitly on key words and work at their own level.

Motivation is given to find out unknown word meanings.

Words are considered individually, in the group and then in the whole class, providing

many opportunities to hear the words and their meanings.

II. FLY SWAT GAME (ASU)

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Directions:Divide your class into 2 groupsDisplay on the blackboard 20 vocabulary words (words could also be displayed on the Word Wall)Choose one student from each team and ask them to turn their backs to the words.Give both students a fly swatterThe teacher gives a definition for one of the wordsThe students will face the words and attempt to be the first to “fly swat” the word to earn points for their team

III. WORDS IN CONTEXT (PSDR+W)

The context of a word is its environment or the words which surround it. By looking closely at

these surrounding words, you can pick up hints or clues which will help you with the meaning

of a difficult word. Research has shown that most good readers use context clues regularly.

It has also been shown that these readers are generally aware of the different types of

context clues. Knowing something about these different types can help sharpen your word

attack skills and improve your overall reading ability.

Adapted from Sebranek, P., Meyer, V. Basic English Revisited: A Student Handbook

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Types of Context CluesClues supplied through synonyms:

Carly is fond of trite, worn-out expressions in her writing. Her favourite is “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”Clues contained in comparisons and contrasts:As the trial continued, the defendant’s guilt became more and more obvious. With even the slightest bit of new evidence against him, there would be no chance of acquittal.Clues contained in a definition or description:Paul is a transcriptionist, a person who makes a written copy of a recorded message.Clues through association with other words in the sentence:Brian is considered the most troublesome student ever to have walked the halls of Central High School. He has not passed a single class in his four years there and seldom makes it through an entire hour of class without falling asleep or getting sent to the office. His teachers consider him completely incorrigible.Clues which appear in a series:The dulcimer, fiddle, and banjo are all popular among the Appalachian Mountain people.Clues provided by the tone and setting:The streets filled instantly with bellicose protesters, who pushed and shoved their way through the frantic bystanders. The scene was no longer peaceful and calm as the marchers had promised it would be.Clues derived from cause and effect:Since no one came to the first voluntary work session, attendance for the second one is mandatory for all the members.

IV. (a) BUILDING VOCABULARY WITH WORDLE (ABBK + PSDR+W)

http://wordle.net/

Strategy accessed from http://peterpappas.blogs.com/copy_paste/2009/01/build-literacy-skills-with-wordle.html

I've always been interested in quantitative displays of information. I've been having lots of

fun with Wordle - a free website that creates "http:// word clouds " (or "tag clouds") for text

analysis. Simply copy/paste text and in seconds Wordle gives you a visual representation of

word frequency. The example below was created by analyzing all the words used in my blog

in 2008.

While you can directly type into the Wordle text box, I would recommend you copy and past

text into it. That allows you to get text directly from online sources or your own text

document. Student can either work on their individual Wordles or collaborate together on

one. In the later case, it's probably most efficient to gather all their writing into one text

document before copy/pasting it into a Wordle. Use tilde sign to create phrases. Example: learning~strategies. Another tip: After you create a Wordle, right click a term to remove it from the Wordle results. 

The site allows you to modify the color scheme, font, alignment and even set the maximum

number of words to include in the analysis (example top 100 words, top 50 words, etc) For

inspiration on layout see these Wordle samples at Flickr Wordle output - If you PDF

generating software, you can "print" a Wordle to a PDF file. Or you can do a screen capture

of the Wordle. Do live Wordles on your smartboard.

So how could your students use Wordle?

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As a pre-reading exercise - copy/paste text of reading into a Wordle and ask students to

predict what the main ideas of the reading will be. Another pre-reading option - give them a

Wordle of a non-fiction reading and ask them to use the Wordle to generate a title or

headline before they see the real article. Post reading - ask them to reflect on the reading

based on a prompt (examples - main idea, what you've learned, funniest element, etc). Then

collect all their reflections into a Wordle.

IV. (b) WORD SPLASH

Word Splash provides a useful framework for eliciting students’ prior knowledge before reading. It also:

encourages and develops prediction skills sets the scene is designed to develop a sense of discovery explores connections and speculates on possibilities focuses in on topic or issue is a useful tool for group/pair sharing can be designed to support less capable students.

Procedure for creating a Word Splash

1. Read through the text.

2. Decide on key words, phrases and concepts in the text that will provide clues for your students or that may need clarification.

3. Type or write these onto a sheet of paper 4. Copy these for individual students or small groups. 5. Once distributed allow students a few minutes to read through and discuss with

others the listed words and phrases. They may ask others for clarification or elaboration of some items. Allow them to make predictions about the text in their groups.

6. Bring students back together and ask them for their predictions, encouraging all students to contribute.

Teachers may ask questions such as, ‘What made you think of...?’ The purpose of prompting questions is to encourage students to interact both to share and to extend their understandings of what the text may be about.

Teacher-generated Word Splash

A teacher-generated Word Splash may be used when students are reading a text on an unfamiliar topic. Students may also generate Word Splashes on texts or passages of texts.

The Word Splash activity supports students’ reading by helping to provide a purpose for reading. A Word Splash requires a group of students to draw on collective prior knowledge to discuss their predictions about the topic and the genre.

This is particularly useful when the text is challenging and code breaking is essential for understanding a new technical field. The teacher has control and can select words that will

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be essential for understanding. It also engages students’ interest in reading the text to confirm or correct their predictions.

After reviewing the words and asking why students have made certain predictions, the class can begin reading the text. Using the Word Splash the students will read with recently activated background knowledge and with purpose as they discover whether the understandings generated by the word splash can be confirmed or corrected.

V. WORD WALLS (PSDR+W, and DCV)

What Is a Word Wall?

A Word Wall (Cunningham and Allington 1994) is a displayed collection of words that

support ongoing teaching and learning in the classroom. Words collected on the Word Wall

could be high-utility words. These are words that are used often in an individual classroom.

A high-utility Word Wall in a maths class would consist of maths terms used throughout the

year. A topical Word Wall consists of words related to a theme, text, or unit of instruction; for

example, the Revolutionary War.

How Do Word Walls Work?Word Walls can work in a variety of ways to support reading, writing, and talk in your

classroom. If you are creating and using a high-utility Word Wall, you will want to add words

to the Word Wall as they are encountered in the course of students’ learning. These words

should be added as encountered in shared reading and study of individual words. The words

should be ones you would want students to use in their writing and conversation.

If you are creating and using a topical Word Wall, the wall will contain words supporting your

current concept/thematic study, unit of instruction, or extended text. Two different examples

are shown here. In the first example, students are collecting those frequently used words

they have discovered when reading works by Shakespeare. On this Word Wall, students are

recording the Shakespearean word or phrase and its meaning. In the second example,

students are collecting words during their reading of The Last Book in the Universe (Philbrick

2002). Because this book is science fiction, language is a critical issue in terms of

comprehension and the writing students will do related to the text. Students are collecting

words that are new to them as well as familiar words that have a new use in the context of

this novel. Because the book is science fiction, there is a large amount of scientific,

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environmental, and futuristic language so students are gathering those words as well.

Finally, students are collecting terms that are slang for those living in this futuristic society.

When and Why Would I Use a Word Wall?Word Walls can make an immediate and significant difference in students’ academic writing.

I have found few Word Walls that are successful if they are prepared in the absence of

teaching and learning. You will want your Word Wall to be a living part of the classroom with

new words being added each day as they are encountered and taught. Words on the wall

should be spelled correctly so students have access to them during academic writing. As a

way to support students’ homework and writing in and outside class, students can keep a

portable Word Wall in their academic notebooks. See Example 3. Students receive a new

Portable Word Wall form for each new unit of study. They label the topic of the Word Wall;

collect related words they encounter; and make notes at the bottom about word meanings as

well as connections between and among words. In a classroom I recently visited, students

were collecting words related to digestion and used the word notes space to draw a diagram

with labels in order to help them remember related words.

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Example 1

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SIGHT WORDS FOR SHAKESPEARE

A-B E-F

Fortnight – two weeks

C-D

G-H

go to-stop – that’s enough

M-N

S-T

Soft – wait a minute

sirrah – term used to address servants

stinted - cried

I-J

O-P

U-V

visor - mask

K-L

Let’s away - let’s go

Q-R

rest you merry – good-bye/stay happy

rapier - sword

WXYZ

What – where are you?

Example 2

Research/Origins/Further Reading

Cunningham, P. M., and R. L. Allington. 1994. Classrooms That Work: They Can All Read and

Write. New York: HarperCollins College.

Philbrick, R. 2002. The Last Book in the Universe. New York: Blue Sky Press/Scholastic.

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PORTABLE WORD WALL:The Last Book in the Universe

New Words Old Words/New Use Science Language

Environmental Words Language of the Future Slang

Example 3 A Word Wall created from a text A TEACHER was using with her Yr 10 English class

WORD WALL from the set of notes on WILFRED OWEN

The following T2 and T3 words and phrases have been identified from the text as being words that * could be new to you, * could be words that you have heard before but don’t quite understand their meaning,* are rich and sophisticated and their usage would enhance the quality of your writing and conversation

Activity:1. read the words out aloud to check that you are pronouncing them correctly (as a class)2. in pairs(& using a pencil) write a two or three word definition or synonyms that convey the meaning of the word / phrase – use a dictionary and / or thesaurus to ensure that you are correct

A –B

boyish high spirits

agitate

Armistice

anguish

abandon

bookish

blatantly

absolute clarity

asserted

absurd

aftermath

baffling

billets

C – D

disconnected

close quarters

concussed

craters

conscientious objector

compelled

contradiction

consolatory

consolation

counter-attacks

citation

camaraderie

charred

crucial

E – F

enduring

extracts

extreme

elegies

embark

faculties

exhilaration

G – H

gallantry

gleaned

hasty retreat

habitual

heart-warming

ghastly

I – J

intense

immersed

inactivity

impression

insight

inflicted

introverted

impervious

K – L

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M – N

moral

mental adjustments

manipulated

motives

O – P

psychological

parishioners

propaganda

profound

octopus of sucking clay

pacifism

pacifists

patriot

preface

pathetically

predicament

pleader

Q – R

remote

resort to

reputation

rationalised

reckless

S – T

trauma

tutor

sentry

traumatic

shell-shock

seared conscience

scorching cautery of battle

sensitivity

surges of adrenalin

U- V

unrivalled power

unsuited

unworldly

unoffensive

W – X – Y – Z

wading

wits

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VI. LIST-GROUP-LABEL (ABBK, DCV and ASU)

What Is List-Group-Label?

List-Group-Label (Taba 1967) is a brainstorming and categorizing activity that provides

students with the opportunity to think about, discuss, categorise, and label words related to a

central concept. Word knowledge is linked to the degree of background knowledge.

How Does It Work?As the name indicates, List-Group-Label asks students to follow three basic steps in

completing the activity. Prior to beginning a book or unit of study, the teacher chooses a

central concept or theme. Students are given the concept or theme word and asked to

participate in the following activities:

1. List – Each student brainstorms words related to the word given by the teacher. Ask

the students to list as many words as they can but tell them they should list at least

seven words. While some don’t manage to list seven words, it motivates all students

to list as many as possible.

2. Group – When each student completes the brainstorming part of this activity (List),

students then work in small groups to share and combine their words into logical

categories. As students attempt to combine three to five individual word lists, they

begin to discover patterns of words. In this process, they are refining their knowledge

of the concept. Students have to work together to combine their individual lists into a

common group list that encompasses all of their words. One group’s combined word

list is shown in Example 1. As shown in this sample, students are eliminating words

from their combined list as they begin to categorise them.

3. Label – Once students create their categories, they label each of them. These

categories can become the basis for beginning a word wall for the unit or for

students’ portable word walls. The group in Example 2 created the following

categories and labels: action words related to war; emotional words related to war;

people who are involved in war; and, places/countries they associate with war.

Students could repeat this activity at the end of the unit on war and compare their post-study

List-Group-Label with their pre-study list. Words representing all the group lists became part

of the class word wall.

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Example 1

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Solders

General

Blood

Guns

Airplanes Jets

Death

Fight

Countries

Kill

Bad

Bombing

Scared

Politicians

Running

Destroy

Shooting

Sargent

Afghanistan

Horses

Houses burning

Hatered

Pestilence

War Bands

Armies

Assassination

Nuclear Weapons

Spies

Violence

Marines

Bin Laden

Sadness

Gory

International Affairs

LIST-GROUP-LABEL: WAR

Action words

1. Fight

2. Guns

3. Destroy

4. Shooting

5. Nuclear Weapons

6. Violence

7. Gory

8. Scared

Emotional Words

1. Death

2. Kill

3. Bad

4. Blood

5. Hatered

6. Assassination

7. Sadness

8. Pestilence

People who are involved

1. Solders

2. Politician

3. Sargent

4. War Bands

5. Armies

6. Spies

7. Marines

8. Bin Laden

Places and Countries

1. Afghanistan

2. Horses

3. Running

4. Jets

5. Bombing

6. International Affairs

7. Houses burning

Example 2

When and Why Would I Use This Strategy?The brainstorming and categorizing of List-Group-Label can be used prior to beginning a

unit. Teachers in any content area can use the same instructional strategy by generating a

term or concept that will be the focus of study in the classroom. For example, an English

teacher who is about to begin teaching To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee 1960) could begin the

activity by giving students the word injustice to begin List-Group-Label. A science teacher

beginning a unit on the solar system would give students that term as the initial

brainstorming word.

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VII. DICTOGLOS (ABBK + DCV)

What Is the Dictoglos Strategy?Dictoglos is another term for grammar dictation. It is an instructional tool designed to support

language learners in order to help them refine their understanding of language used in a text

passage. The instructional strategy involves repeated dictations of short, dense text so

students can recognize and record familiar words. Each student then pools his or her words

with those of other learners in order to reconstruct the text. Dictoglos serves as a vehicle for

students and teachers to assess how grammar works in a text.

How Does It work?At first glance, Dictoglos could be seen as a simple dictation where students listen and re-

create what they hear. However, there are two purposes for Dictoglos: student recognition of

familiar language and refinement of students’ ability to work with others to reconstruct a

version of the text from their shared lists of words. This occurs in a consistent series of

instructional steps:

1. The teacher chooses a short text to read to students.

2. The teacher reads the text twice at a normal speed and students note any words or

phrases that are familiar to them.

3. Students work in pairs of small groups to share their lists of words and phrases.

4. Students then use words and phrases noted by group members in order to

reconstruct a version of the text they were read.

5. Students are then given a copy of the text and asked to compare their versions to the

original.

6. The teacher can then use students’ versions of the text to discuss grammar and

context of words in a passage.

7. The teacher can use Dictoglos to determine students’ understandings and

misunderstandings of the way language works. This will enable teachers to make

thoughtful decisions about next steps for students.

When and Why Would I Use This Strategy?This instructional strategy is particularly useful in providing English language learners with

background for content reading. Students are exposed to content or text-specific vocabulary

words and given an opportunity to explore their meaning and use with their peers. The

teacher then has the opportunity to assess where students might need more support.

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In the example, “Do We Still Have Dragons?” the teacher is using a text she has written to

use as part of Dictoglos. Students will be reading a longer text from On the Trail of the

Komodo Dragon (Myers 1999). The teacher has rewritten a short portion of the text as a way

to introduce students to content they will encounter in a future reading of the complete text.

The text is read at a normal speed and then reread so students have two opportunities to

write down words or phrases that are familiar to them. While individual words students note

will vary, the words dragon, lizards, and largest almost always appear.

After each student creates an initial word bank from the oral reading of the text, they work in

pairs or small groups to discuss and combine the words and phrases they have noted. After

discussing the words and their understanding of the words, each group writes a group

version of the text. In this way, students apply their knowledge of the words as well as the

grammatical structures in which these words would be used in writing.

Students present their versions, and each group’s version is compared to the original text.

At this time, the teacher can clarify meanings for students and us their words to anticipate

the content of the longer text.

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Example 1

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Words/Phrases Group Words/Phrases

Group Version of Text Compare to Original Text

DICTOGLOSDo We Still Have Dragons?

Do we Still Have Dragons?

We do have dragons but you will have to take a long trip to see them as they usually live on the

Indonesian Islands. When you get there, you might discover that these dragons aren’t quite like the

dragons you have read about or seen in movies. These dragons are called Komodo dragons and

they are actually the world’s largest lizard. They can be over 10 feet long and weigh nearly 200

pounds. That’s a big lizard!

I would want answers to lots of questions before visiting their home or natural habitat. I would want

to know what Komodo dragons eat and whether they eat people or not.

Are these dragons rare or are they common?

If they are rare, are they on the endangered species list?

Could I see one in a zoo or would I have to go to Indonesia?

What questions would you have before searching for a Komodo dragon?

VIII. USE GOOGLE IMAGES TO PRE-TEACH VOCABULARY (ABBK + PSDR +W)

Supporting Vocabulary AcquisitionBefore reading a text, identify key content vocabulary and vocabulary that may be difficult for

language learners, such as phrasal verbs and prepositional phrases. ELL's tend to acquire

these language forms last because they do not exist in many languages. Also, identify

potentially difficult idioms, homonyms, and slang phrases. Pre-teach essential vocabulary

words and phrases through word walls, Frayer models with an opportunity to draw word

representations, and, sparingly, bilingual and English language learner (visual) dictionaries.

Use Google images to pre-teach vocabulary.

"Google" the focus vocabulary words, and choose the images category. Connect the images

to the vocabulary words. When vocabulary words are more conceptual than concrete, use

the images to start a discussion rather than name an object. When possible, bring in realia to

make the meaning of objects clear, physically demonstrate verb phrases or ask students to

role-play, and use relevant film-clips to illustrate vocabulary. In short, use multiple modalities

to teach vocabulary.

(This strategy was used with an RE class of Jacqui Morley’s)

Support students' meta-cognition around vocabulary.

Ask students to identify confusing or new words during reading. Encourage students to use

context clues before jumping to bilingual dictionaries. Encourage students to discuss

possible meanings with partners and to keep vocabulary journals of newly acquired words.

When the distance between a student's L1 and L2 is close, they can use cognate

awareness, as long as they are wary of false cognates, to further comprehension.

Develop a whole-school vocabulary focus on words of the week grouped by common roots

and affixes or by key academic vocabulary.

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IX.WORD CHAIN - A PENCIL & PAPER WORD GAME

The idea is to create a word chain in which the last two letters of a word form the first two letters of the next. Like this:metal>>almost>>stone>>nest>>stare>>reverse>>seat>> ...and so on.

Word chains help students with their spelling and word knowledge* You score 2 points for each letter used * If you have to find a word from a dictionary you only score 1 point for each letter. * You can challenge the previous player if you think he can't follow his own word. If you make a successful challenge, your opponent loses the score for that word and loses his turn.

Here is a word chain showing the scoring…

Word Comments

Picturenominated by the teacher. (No score for the first word)

replaceBill didn't use a dictionary so scores double: 14 points

celebrationAnn referred to the dictionary to find this word so only scores single points: 11

onion Bill scores 10once Ann scores 8

cemetery

Bill scores 16. But Ann challenges the word "cemetery" - she believes he doesn't know a word starting ry-. She's right, so Bill loses his 16 points and his turn. She can replace cemetery with another ce- word.

certain Ann scores 14

ACTIVITY 1 Create a Word Chain• Try this one with your partner

REDUCE the next word must start with the letters ‘ce’

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X. CONNECT THE WORDS (DCV + ASU)

This activity encourages students to see connections and relations between important

vocabulary terms. It becomes a visual way to make connections and remember the words –

even after the test.

Procedure

1.Use the Connect the Words reproducible at the end of this document. Make a

transparency/ copy of it to use for modeling this activity with the students. Identify the

most important theme, word, or phrase in a lesson or section of text, and write it in

the central diamond.

2.Find two or three other important words (or have the students find them, if you feel

they are ready for this) and write them in the ovals at the outer corners of the sheet.

3.Think aloud (model) and describe the connections between the words in the ovals and

the word in the center diamond. These connections should be written in the

rectangles.

4.Have students work in pairs to generate one or two other important words to fill the

remaining empty ovals. (Students can supply more words if you want to add ovals to

the graphic). Have students also fill in the remaining connection boxes. (See Figure

17 for a filled-in sample). Pairs can ask one another, “How does this word relate to

that word”?

5.Have pairs of students share their connections with one another.

6. Information from the boxes can later be used in writing compositions.

(Students in Michelle Cook’s Yr 8 Science class have examples of this graphic organizer)

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Example 1 Connect the Words Activity

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King Tutankhamun

Priests put things in here that he (or she) would need

in the afterlife

Study items preserved for afterlife to learn about

cultures

Was embalmed to be preserved so he could live

forever

Became one (leader of Egypt) at age 10

A room in the tomb with lots of hieroglyphs that told

about his life

Only recently discovered his tomb, which still had

treasure

Searches for three of these in the pyramids

Was buried with lots of possessions to enjoy in the

afterlife

AntechamberArcheologist

Pharaoh Afterlife

CONNECT THE WORDS

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