How vocabulary instruction can help

students to think deeply, learn purposefully and

write well

Why put effort into teaching vocabulary

• People’s knowledge of any topic is encapsulated in the terms they know that are relevant to the topic.

• Robert Marzano, Building Academic Vocabulary Teacher’s Manual

The more words we have, the better we can

understand and represent what we

know.

Typical vocabulary task

• Look up meaning

• Use the word...in a sentence

Different explanations

• Underline key words in each explanation

• Use words from at least two different explanations in your own explanation

•A sudden or momentous change in a situation.•A sudden, vast change in a situation, a discipline, or the way of thinking and behaving.•A total or radical change.•A total change of circumstances; a complete alteration in character, system, or conditions.•A drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.

Effective vocabulary tasks

• Frequent

• Contextual

• “Repeated exposure to words in meaningful contexts improves comprehension”.

• Nagy 1990; Eller, Pappas, and Brown 1988; McKeown et al. 1985; Beck, Perfetti, and McKeown 1982.

Contextual

• What is effective use of ICT in our classrooms?

• Flow chart

• Hexagonal

Raise expectations

• We’ve now thought about and talked about ICT in classrooms for...I expect you to be able to...

• What is effective ICT use in our classrooms?

Just in time vocabulary instruction

A feedback moment is any point in class where there is some information about what a student has done, how they’re going and what they can do next in their learning (to improve or move forward).

Feedback Activity Map

1. Students complete activity

2. Students get feedbackFrom self:• What did I do well?• What do I need to

improve?

From peers:• What strategies and

advice can I give to a peer?

From whole class:• What can students learn

from the range of responses and strategies in the whole class?

From the teacher:• What specific

feedback needs to be given to individuals and groups?

3. Students understand and apply feedbackBy redoing:• Correct responses that were

incorrect• Improve responses

By challenging themselves:• Move onto a related but more

advanced task

By experimenting:• Use different processes or ideas to

do same response task

Combining words

• Word sets

• Word grid

Photosynthesis

Word Grid

chlorophyl growth leaves

process photosynthesis oxygen

sunlight plants carbon dioxide

Creating word lists

•plants•growth•light

Parts of speech

• Noun = name of things - object (chair), idea (justice), feeling (anger), people, place

• Verb = action word - I ran, I spoke

• Adjective = describing word - green, beautiful, grump

• Adverb = (typically ends in -ly), gives extra information about how a verb is carried out - slowly, carefully, angrily, next

Word lists

• Noun = revolution (name of person, idea, feeling, thing, place)

• Verb = revolutionise (action word)

• Adjective = revolutionary (describing word)

• Adverb = rapidly (typically end in -ly - slowly, stupidly, proudly)

The character is bad...

The character destroys...

Implied texture is used in this work through the blotchy, uneven application of the oil and enamel paints on the work. The rough and patchy skin of the cow emphasizes its decaying nature and the mistreatment of this animal. The continued use of the scratchy texture into the green background unifies the work and suggests the connection of the animal to the decaying natural world.

Texture has been used in the aqua green background as you can see the paint is scratched back to represent grass. There is a rough, blotchy texture on the cows brown hide which depicts that its coat is very old.

Word Grid

chlorophyl grows fundamentally

processes photosynthesise oxygenates

sunlight green carbon dioxide

Cause and EffectEvery predator’s action (name) causes weaker animals to feel fear and flee.

The actions of every predator create fear within all weaker animals, causing them to flee.

Action words/Verbs: Produce, cause, result in, create, make, lead to, force, change, alter, aid, support, prevent, stop, shift, transform, affect, modify, shape, influence

Frequency words/Adverbs: Always, often, sometimes, usually, frequently, rarely, typically

Number words/Determiners: All, every, each, many, some, one particular, a few

Cause And Effect

• Alcohol

• Violence

• Abuse

• Alcoholism

• Health

• Disease

• Culture

• Family

• Consumption

But vocabulary’s got nothing to do with

Maths, right?

What-How-Why

• What is this?

• How does it work?

• Why is it important?

What-How-Why

•percentage

•proportion

•fraction

•out of

•part

•divide

•split

•find

•simplify

•group

•how much

Explain how to find a percentage and why they are important.

• Web 2.0 Tools:

• Screen Cast-O-Matic:http://www.screencast-o-matic.com

• Scriblink: http://www.screencast-o-matic.com

• iPad Apps:

• Explain Everything

• Show Me

• Educreations

Instruction tasks

• List

• Define

• Explain

• Outline

• Discuss

• Compare

Discuss•Use two of these words to discuss the role of ICT in education: •While •Though •Although •Even though •Despite •Except

•However •Nevertheless •Alternatively

•In •With •During •Through •Throughout

Discuss

lower house although bill

while legislation upper house

debate governor general despite

Define Describe Explain

Topic sentence = term + key words to describe it + extra information.

World War One + was a conflict + fought in Europe from the years 1914-1918

Topic sentence = Term + summary of key features. Body = a sentence for each key feature which gives extra information describing it.

Life in the trenches in World War One was brutal and hard. Soldiers spent their weeks in the trenches knee deep in mud, mauled by lice and starving. When they weren’t bored from the lull in battle, they were being blown apart from the terrifying array of weapons aimed at them.

Topic sentence = definition + summary of key elements to be explained. Body = Sentences giving further information on each of the key elements and how they connect.

World War One - a conflict in Europe between the years 1914 - 1918 involving many of the world’s countries, had a range of short term and long term causes. The immediate cause was...However, longer term factors included...

Provide an example Discuss Evaluate

Topic sentence = Statement about what examples generally show. Body = Example introductory phrase + explanation of example.

There were many ways in which trench warfare was ineffective. One such example of the ineffectualness of trench warfare was the system of trenches that was developed at Flanders. The network of German and Allied trenches - sometimes as little as 50 metres apart - was first dug in 1914...

Topic sentence = A statement which indicates two or more perspectives or aspects to a topic. Body = An explanation of the different perspectives or topics along with a concluding statement about how they can be linked.

Although Gallipoli was a smaller campaign in terms of troop numbers to Australia’s contribution to the Western Front, it captured the country’s imagination in a much greater way than the Somme or Fromelles did. Not only did we like to think of ourselves at Gallipoli as being...but we also...

Topic sentence = An overview of how one thing compares/contrasts to another. Body = An explanation - including examples - of the points of comparison and contrast along with a concluding statement about the merit of the comparison.

Trench warfare was difficult at both Gallipoli and Fromelles. In Gallipoli...At Fromelles. Judging from what soldiers who served at both campaigns said, it is likely that Fromelles was more...because...

We all know that…

English History Science

The principle at stake here is... We all agree that... We all know that... It can’t be denied that... Experts agree that...

It’s likely... The evidence suggests... It’s probable... What might/could have happened... One interpretation is... We can guess that...

...serves to...

...acts to...

...otherwise known as...

...also called...

...sometimes referred to as... ...referred to as... ...called the... ...said to be the... ...it houses the... ...it encloses the...

Thankyou...