ELA Common Core Standards

June 25, 2014

Valerie Sanguinetti

ROE 3, Alternative Education Programs

Academic Vocabulary

ELA Common Core Standards Reading Strand

Reading Anchor Standard #4

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining

technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, analyze how specific word

choices shape meaning or tone.

Language Strand

Language Anchor Standard #4

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and

phrases by using

context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting

general and specialized reference materials as appropriate.

Language Anchor Standard #6

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific

words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the

college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering

vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to

comprehension or expression.

Is vocabulary that important?

From Bringing Words to Life (Beck, McKeown, Kucan,

2002):

• First-grade children from higher-SES groups knew

about twice as many words as lower SES children.

• High school seniors near the top of their class knew

about four times as many words as their lower-

performing classmates.

• High-knowledge third graders had vocabularies about

equal to lowest-performing 12th graders.

More Research

• Command of a large vocabulary frequently sets high-

achieving students apart from less successful ones

(Montgomery, 2000).

• The average 6-year-old has a vocabulary of

approximately 8000 words, and learns 3000-5000

more per year (Senechal & Cornell, 1993).

• Vocabulary in kindergarten and first grade is a

significant predictor of reading comprehension in the

middle and secondary grades (Cunningham, 2005;

Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Chall & Dale, 1995;

Denton et al. 2011).

Vocabulary in the classroom today? Take a couple minutes to discuss what your vocabulary

instruction looks like in your classroom.

Things to consider:

How do you choose your words?

What strategies do you use to have students learn the

words and definitions?

Are these words found anywhere else in the

classroom?

Be prepared to share.

What does it mean to know a word? Adapted from Dale (1965)

Stage 1: Never heard it, never seen it.

Stage 2: Heard it, but don’t know what it means.

Connotation, without being able to make connection

Stage 3: I recognize it, in context as having

something to do with __________.

Stage 4: I know it, I really know it, I can define it.

Careful Selection of Words to teach

• In school settings, students can be explicitly taught

a deep understanding of about 300 words each

year.

• Divided by the range of content students need to

know , of these 300 – 350 words, roughly 60 words

can be taught within one subject are each year.

• It is reasonable to teach thoroughly about

eight to ten words per week.

Which word would you choose?

Jose avoided playing the ukulele.

Avoided

Why?

• Verbs are where the action is

– Teach avoid, avoided, avoids

– Likely to see it again in grade-level text

– Likely to see it on assessments

– We are going to start calling these useful words “Tier 2 words”

• Why not ukulele?

– Rarely seen in print

– Rarely used in stories or conversation or content-area information

Academic Vocabulary

… is not unique to a particular discipline and as a result are

not the clear responsibility of a particular content area

teacher. What is more, many Tier Two words are far less

well defined by contextual clues in the texts in which they

appear and are far less likely to be defined explicitly within

a text than are Tier Three words. Yet Tier Two words are

frequently encountered in complex written texts and are

particularly powerful because of their wide applicability to

many sorts of reading. Teachers thus need to be alert to

the presence of Tier Two words and determine which ones

need careful attention.

Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts, Appendix A)

Tiers of Vocabulary

Tier 1

Basic, concrete,

encountered in

conversation/ oral

vocabulary

Store

Work

truck

Tier 2

Abstract, general

academic (across content

areas); encountered in

written language; high utility

across instructional areas

vary, relative,

innovation,

accumulate,

surface, layer

Tier 3

Highly specialized, subject-

specific;

low occurrences in texts

Photosynthesis

Carbohydrates

Hypoteneuse

Why are “academic words”

so important?

Appear in all sorts of texts and are highly generalized

Require deliberate effort to learn, unlike tier 1 words

They are critical to understanding academic texts

Are far more likely to appear in written texts than in

speech

Often represent subtle or precise ways to say

otherwise relatively simple things

Are seldom heavily scaffolded by authors or teachers,

unlike tier 3 words

Defined Words

• The Gentry A group known as the gentry were the

upper class of colonial society. The gentry included

wealthy planters, merchants, ministers, royal officials, and

successful lawyers. Prosperous artisans, like goldsmiths,

were often considered gentry as well. The gentry were

few in number, but they were the most , but they were the

most powerful people.

• Jr. High Social Studies, America!

Words at all Levels

"One night in a phosphorescent sea, he marveled at the

sight of some whales spouting luminous water; and

later, lying on the deck of his boat gazing at the

immense, starry sky, the tiny mouse Amos, a little

speck of a living thing in the vast living universe, felt

thoroughly akin to it all. Overwhelmed by the beauty

and mystery of everything, he rolled over and over and

right off the deck of this boat and into the sea.

Amos and Boris By William Steig - approximately 3rd

grade reading level

Criteria for selecting words

• Is this a generally useful word?

• Does the word relate to other

words and ideas that students

know or have been learning?

• Is the word useful in helping

students understand text?

• Can you explain this word using

known terms?

Johnny Harrington was a kind master who treated his

servants fairly. He was also a successful wool

merchant, and his business required that he travel

often. In his absence, his servants would tend to the

fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of his

mansion. They performed their duties happily, for they

felt fortunate to have such a benevolent and trusting

master.

Kohnke, 2001,p.12

You try…

"The servants would never comment on this strange

occurrence [finding the kitchen clean even though

none of them were seen doing the cleaning], each

servant hoping the other had tended to the chores.

Never would they mention the loud noises they’d hear

emerging from the kitchen in the middle of the night.

Nor would they admit to pulling the covers under their

chins as they listened to the sound of haunting

laughter that drifted down the halls to their bedrooms

each night. In reality, they knew there was a more

sinister reason behind their good fortune.”

Activity: Select Tier 2 Words

The word is central to understanding the text.

The word choice and nuance are significant.

Students are likely to see this word

frequently.

Students will be able to use this word when

writing in response to the text.

It is a more mature or precise label for

concepts students already have under

control.

The word lends itself to teaching a web of

words and concepts around it.

Instruction

Implications for Instruction

Teach fewer words.

Focus on important Tier 2 (high

utility, cross-domain words) to

know & remember.

Simply provide Tier 3 (domain-

specific, technical) words with a

definition.

Planning for Instruction Rich, decontextualized knowledge

of a word’s meaning, its

relationship to other words, and its

extension to metaphorical uses,

such as understanding what

someone is doing when they are

devouring a book.

Marzano’s 6 Step Process • Step 1: Provide a description, explanation, or example

of the new term.

• Step 2: Ask students to restate the description,

explanation, or example in their own terms.

• Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or

graphic representing the term.

• Step 4: Engage students periodically in activities that

help them add to their knowledge of the terms 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.

Step 1 - Introduction *Don’t just have students look up the definition*

Create a student-friendly explanation that:

1. Characterizes the word and how it is

typically used.

2. Explain the meaning in everyday language.

Using an interactive Notebook (tiers)

Can also provide students with additional information:

•Tell a story

•Use a picture or image

•Use a current event article

•Provide a mental picture

•Create a picture

Tamper • Dictionary: to interfere in a secret or incorrect way

• Student friendly: to change something secretly so that

it does not work properly or becomes harmful

Spencer, Donna. "Canadian Olympians Watch Their Gear Closely after Tampering IncidentAdd to ..." The Globe and Mail. The Canadian

Press, 08 Feb. 2014. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.

Check student understanding

Graphic Organizers

Vocabulary Journal

- Be wary of student sentences.

According to an article in the Educational Leadership.

“The third step in the process is crucial—having students

represent their understanding of a new term by

drawing a picture, pictograph, or symbolic

representation. When students do this step well,

achievement soars.”

Using Graphic Organizers

Using Graphic Organizers, cont.

Using Graphic Organizers, cont.

Prefix & Suffix

Related words

Root Words

New Pictures

Videos

Poems

Analogies

Vocabulary Poetry

This activity only takes 5 – 10 minutes.

Vocabulary Poetry

Vocabulary Flashcards – A review

to add to understanding.

Containing: - Word & Definition (in own words)

- What it is not - Part of Speech

- Colored drawing - 7 Sentence, containing word & relating to the picture

Vocabulary Flashcards – A review

to add to understanding.

Word Wall

Compare & Contrast

Making Connections

Word Sort

Create a skit – 3 or 4 students

work together to create a skit

that contains at least 3 words.

Oops!

Trashket Ball

Bingo

Hot Seat

Oops! Need:

Word Wall cards

Oops Cards

Break students into groups have them

walk up, draw a card, & answer a

question.

If they draw an oops card they have to

put all their cards back!

The team with the most cards wins.

Many Options

Multiple Choice – distracters or

incorrect choices play a large part.

Deeper Levels

Ask what the word means

Have students create examples: Describe how someone acts that shows

they are diligent.

Tell about a time you were perplexed.

Describe some things that could make a

person feel miserable.

Deeper Levels

Ask students to distinguish between

an example and a nonexample of a

word. Both should be designed to present situations that

have similar features to require zeroing in on the

meaning.

Vocabulary Casserole

Ingredients Needed: 20 words no one has ever heard before in his life 1 dictionary with very confusing definitions 1 matching test to be distributed by Friday 1 teacher who wants students to be quiet on Mondays copying words

Put 20 words on chalkboard. Have students copy then look up in

dictionary. Make students write all the definitions. For a little spice, require that students write words in sentences. Leave alone all week. Top with a boring test on Friday.

Perishable. This casserole will be forgotten by Saturday afternoon. Serves: No one.

Adapted from When Kids Can’t Read, What

Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers

Vocabulary Treat Ingredients Needed:

5-10 great words that you really could use 1 thesaurus Markers and chart paper 1 game like Jeopardy or BINGO 1 teacher who thinks learning is supposed to be fun

Mix 5 to 10 words into the classroom. Have students

test each word for flavor. Toss with a thesaurus to find other words that mean the same. Write definitions on chart paper and let us draw pictures of words to remind us what they mean. Stir all week by a teacher who thinks learning is supposed to be fun. Top with a cool game on Fridays like jeopardy or BINGO to see who remembers the most.

Serves: Many

Adapted from When Kids Can’t Read, What

Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers

Word Definitions

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/dictionary

http://www.wordsmyth.net/ Word Play

http://quizlet.com/ Make flash cards & games

http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/ Academic vocabulary games

http://www.vocabulary.com/ More games, including games using Latin & Greek roots

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/ Visual thesaurus

www.vocabgrabber.com

www.wordle.com www.haikudeck.com

Games http://shawms.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/0/7/13072945/int

eractive_word_wall_activities.pdf

Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G. & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing

Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. New York:

The Guilford Press.

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teacher's

Can Do. S.l.: Bt Bound, 2003. Print.

"Common Core State Standards Initiative." National

Governor's Association Center for Best Practices,

Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010. Web. 23

Jan 2014.

Feber, Jane. Student Engagement Is FUNdamental:

Building a Learning Community with Hands-on Activities.

Gainesville, FL: Maupin House Pub., 2011. Print.

Marzano, R.J., & Pickering. D.J. (2005). Building

Academic Vocabulary: Teacher’s Manual. Alexandria,

VA: ASCD.

Simmons, Eileen. "National Writing Project." Visualizing

Vocabulary -. The Quarterly, 2002. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.