Ideas in Education: Vocabulary Instruction
Continuing with the theme from January about activating prior knowledge and priming the brain for learning, I wanted to focus on vocabulary instruction this week.
Why is vocabulary important?
Students who lack a strong vocabulary will struggle to learn, think and retain information. For these students, reading, comprehending, writing, following lectures, completing assignments, demonstrating learning, etc. will be difficult and frustrating. Fortunately, we can do something about it. We must help our students develop the vocabulary they will need to think and comprehend. By providing students with explicit vocabulary instruction, they will be able to understand instruction, express their own thinking and demonstrate learning. By eliminating the vocabulary barrier, student learning will be more efficient.
Planning Steps
- Identify words that students need to know to access the content.
- Preview these words prior to the lesson (a period in advance is best). Also identify, how you want students to be able to use them. This is important in determining how you will teach and measure the learning. For example, for a concept word a word map might be best, but for a technical word, a cue card might work better.
- Provide multiple exposures gradually throughout the learning.
- Require students to interact with the words in different manners. This includes non-linguistic means (pictures, pictowords, charts, diagrams).
- Determine where the vocabulary will go? Should students have a vocabulary notebook? Will there be a set place in a student notebook or online for all vocabulary for that unit? It’s important that students can easily find and access it.
Marzano’s Six-Steps to Vocabulary Instruction*
- Provide students with a brief, informal explanation, description or demonstration of the term.
- Ask students to restate the description, explanation or example in their OWN words.
- Students construct a picture, pictographic or symbolic representation of the term.
- Engage students in activities throughout the learning to add to their knowledge.
- Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.
- Involve students periodically in games that enable them to play with terms. Games can include Taboo, Swat game, Jeopardy, online flashcard games, Talk a Mile a Minute, BINGO, charades, Pictionary, Kahoot!
Ten other tips:
- The first exposure should be superficial/surface-level.
- Do not leave any of the steps out. Steps 4-6 are important and can be done in non-sequential order.
- In step 1, it may be better to NOT provide a verbatim, “copy this” definition for the students. That makes step 2 and 3 more powerful.
- Students looking up words and copying definitions is ineffective.
- Pre-assess and post-assess vocabulary.
- Make use of stories, act-outs, and videos as often as possible.
- Link new words to previously learned content when possible. This is a great way to integrate prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
- Model how you learned the word or in general how you learn new words.
- Create vocabulary graphic organizers for each unit with multiple words on each organizer.
- Work in your PLCs to discuss and determine the key words. What do the words have in common? Prioritize the key words and choose instructional strategies based on how they word will need to be used.
Important Dates and Information
Mustang Morning: Please remember to request your students for Mustang Morning for this week as the slates were wiped clean.
February 14 (Lovefest) will be an anchor day. Friday will convert into a B-Day. See below
Please take a couple of minutes to review the NHS Eligible students and provide feedback by copying the form and sharing it with Barry. Due February 11.
February 20: Talent Show
February 20/21: Help Save the Next Girl Symposiums
February 22: A-Day; end of interim period
Working Conditions Survey (state required: March 1 close)
Field Trips and SOLs
The UNOS (organ donor organization) presentation that was supposed to be in December and got snowed out has been rescheduled for Wednesday February 13th. The presentation will be one hour long and will start during Mustang Morning and go into the first 30 minutes of 2nd block. Students in HMSA and SNHS will need to get permission from their teachers.
February 15: Drama @NSU AND Trip to CATEC (Opportunity to expose students to technical education)
February 21: Manufacturing Day @ PVCC
March 6th: UVA Apprenticeship Job Fair for Interested Seniors
Shout Out
Thank you for your help with the computer check!
On Thursday morning, we had a Department Chair and PLC facilitator mid-year review. It is clear that all PLCs are working hard and using the data to make instructional decisions to benefit our students. Our mid-year presentation to Central Office staff went extremely well (thanks Shannon Deegan and Karen Redd for your participation). We still have work in front of us as we all continually strive to meet the needs of our students and it is only through your continued dedication that this is possible. Thank you! Here’s a link to the presentation.
Birthdays
February 11: David Waters
February 12: Jeff Lloyd
February 14: Barry Keith
Useful Information
Bell Schedules : http://bit.ly/MOHSbells
Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm
We’ve got something new! Want something included on the Monticello Outlook Calendar, the Monticello website, in the PowerSchool Daily Bulletin, or the student newsletter (viewed by parents, students and staff)? Please use this link https://goo.gl/forms/bIjfJLKokWPcEHx33
Worth Your Time
Students email their parents about missing work (Great idea, but what about parents who don’t have/check their email. But, that’s really not the main point of this activity.)
When acceptable attire depends on the color of your skin (culturally responsive teaching; some good data as well)
Schedules
February 14th LoveFest Schedule
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7:40-8:40
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Zero Period
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8:55-9:40
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1A
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9:45-10:27
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1B
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10:32-11:14
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2A
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11:19-12:44
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2B
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12:49-1:31
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3A
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1:36-2:18
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3B
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2:23-3:04
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4A
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3:09-3:50
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4B
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AM CATEC: Depart Monticello at normal time and return from CATEC by 12:15
PM CATEC: Leave Monticello at normal time.
B-Day Friday Schedule with Long Lunch
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7:40-8:40
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Zero Period
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8:55-10:15
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1st Period
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10:20-10:55
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Thursday’s Mustang Morning
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11:00-1:00
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2nd Period
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1:05-2:25
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3rd Period
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2:30-3:50
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4th Period
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