Resource for Educators: What Reading Teachers Say About Vocabulary Instruction: Voices From the Classroom

What Reading Teachers Say About Vocabulary Instruction: Voices From the Classroom
By Jennifer I. Berne and Camille L.Z. Blachowicz
Berne, J., & Blachowicz, C. (2008). What Reading Teachers Say About Vocabulary Instruction: Voices From the Classroom. The Reading Teacher, 62(4), 314-23. Retrieved 17 June 2009, from Education Full Text database.

Voices from the Classroom provides a direct insight into ordinary teachers’ classrooms with a specific interest in looking at their vocabulary instruction. Berne and Blachowicz had noticed a growing trend of curriculums that included decoding skill, fluency skill and comprehension skill instruction; yet lacked a strong vocabulary component. The two researchers decided to conduct a survey which asked teachers a variety of questions regarding vocabulary instruction in the classroom. The survey asked teachers about their concerns about teaching vocabulary, what types of resources they were currently using, and what practices they found to be effective with their students.

After reviewing the data collected, Berne and Blachowicz found that most teachers stated the most successful practices were ones that combined both incidental and explicit instruction. These were strategies where students were able to manipulate the words and make strong connections with the real world around them. In terms of concerns, many educators were worried that there was a lack of district wide consistency in terms of their vocabulary instruction. Many felt a district-wide, or at least a building-wide, approach to vocabulary needed to be implemented.

Berne and Balchowicz were able to come to the conclusion that a strong professional development course is needed throughout school districts that focus teachers’ attention around proven practices that engage students with the words at hand. Once this occurs, vocabulary instruction within schools will progress forward in such a way that there will be no turning back. Once reading this article, you may be moved to think about the same question Berne and Balchowicz asked the teachers they surveyed. How is your districts vocabulary curriculum? Using this resource could provide you a great head start to approaching your principal to request a thought-provoking and useful professional development in the skill of vocabulary instruction.

Resource for Educators: Interactive Word Walls: More Than Just Reading the Writing on the Walls

Interactive Word Walls: More Than Just Reading the Writing on the Walls
By Janis M. Harmon
Karen D. Wood
Wanda B. Hendrick
Jean Vintinner
Terri Willeford

Harmon, J., Wood, K., Hedrick, W., Vintinner, J., & Willeford, T. (2009). Interactive Word Walls: More Than Just Reading the Writing on the Walls. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(5), 398-408. Retrieved 17 June 2009, from Education Full Text database.


Harmon, Wood, Hendrick, Vintinner, and Willeford, (2009), examined whether the interactive use of “Word Walls,” could support vocabulary learning within the classroom. The researchers selected 44 seventh graders from a suburban middle school in Texas. All of the students had the same teacher, yet twenty three students were in the teacher’s first section of the day while the other twenty-one students were in the second section of the reading class the teacher taught. The researchers dubbed the class of twenty-three as the variable class, while the class of twenty-one became the control group. The class of twenty-three were able to self-select the words that they were going to study. Furthermore, this class engaged in the use of a word wall where small group, and whole group research based activities were used. Through the use of the word wall and its engaging tasks, students were shown many meaningful contexts of each of the words in terms of their definitions. The control group continued with a regular vocabulary program that was derived from a commercial vocabulary textbook.

At the end of the study, both classes were given a generic vocabulary test that was found in the back of the control group’s textbook. There were no significant differences in the scores between each class. However, two weeks after learning and assessing of the words occurred, students were given a “surprise” quiz to test how much they retained from the previous vocabulary instruction. The word wall group scored significantly higher in the application portion and sentence completion section of this quiz. These students demonstrated an overall better understanding of each of the words, leading them to better be able to apply the words in situations that arise weeks after a specific word is taught. Therefore, this article shows that students’ vocabulary increases through the use of engaging and thought-provoking instruction that requires students to make meaning of the words being taught. The more a student can manipulate a word to make connections, the child’s vocabulary and thusly reading comprehension will excel drastically. This resource is a simple must read based on the plethora of information it provides educators to help foster a thrilling vocabulary learning environment in their classrooms!

Resource for Educators: Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction

Bringing Words To Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction
By: Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown and Linda Kucan

Beck, I. L., Kucan, L., & Mckeown, M. G. (2002). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. New York: The Guilford Press.

Bring Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction details the importance of vocabulary instruction in the classroom. Teachers could easily use this resource as a background on why, what Beck, McKeown, and Kucan (2002) call “robust vocabulary instruction,” is needed within every classroom. The researchers claim that vocabulary is linked directly to reading comprehension, which makes proper instruction crucial.

Beck, McKewon and Kucan (2002) show researched based evidence on the importance of not soley relying on context clues as a way to teach vocabulary considering. All unfamiliar words in the text can not be learned at one time, nor are all the words put into a context that allows for the meaning to be easily decoded. Furthermore, a child’s understanding of a word can fall along a continuum, from any where between not knowing the word at all, to having great understanding of the word. Some students may in fact believe they know a word’s meaning, and how to use it appropriately; however, their knowledge could be a complete misnomer, especially if they were using context clues to decipher meanings.

This book is extremely powerful in the way that it addresses the research behind vocabulary instruction, while linking it to best-practices. The research that Beck, McKeown and Kucah have performed over the years makes this a must read in order to gain background knowledge on the very intriguing subject of vocabulary instruction.

Resource for Educators: Strategies for Effective Vocabulary Instruction

Strategies for Effective Vocabulary Instruction
By :Donna C. Kester Phillips
Chandra J. Foote
Laurie J. Harper

Phillips, D., Foote, C., & Harper, L. (2008). Strategies for effective vocabulary instruction. Reading Improvement, 45(2), 62-8. Retrieved 17 June 2009, from Education Full Text database.

Throughout the article Strategies for Effective Vocabulary Instruction, the authors describe research based strategies for learning vocabulary in a valuable way. The researchers begin by supporting their ideas by stating that students need to be taught in a variety of ways that work to build relationships between their prior knowledge and the words, while also focusing on the relationship each word has to each other in terms of structure and origin (Phillips et. al, 2008). The article continues by discussing the two worst possible ways to teach vocabulary to a student: definition copying and using context clues. Both of these techniques fail to be engaging or meaning making for students. They can potentially only learn one of the ways their targeted word is used in context, limiting them from gaining full knowledge of the word at hand.

Some strategies that are suggested throughout the tantalizing article are to teach students to categorize the words they are studying in three ways: “Words I’ve heard and know the meaning of,” “Words I’ve heard but may not know the meaning of,” and “Words I’ve not heard and do not know the meaning of.” This categorization helps the students make better connections about words that they know and understand while enabling teachers the ability to see which words need to be taught within their classroom.

Furthermore, the authors of the article suggest using graphic organizers and prediction of words to promote successful vocabulary development within the classroom. The graphic organizers enable students to see connections amongst concepts while activating higher order thinking. When students are requested to use prediction, the word at hand is dissected. First the reader hears the words definition in isolation, and then the word is read in context. The student then needs to examine the word closely in order to determine the true meaning in terms of the context. Any teacher could easily promote a classroom filled with these engaging strategies by heeding the suggestions of Philips, Foote, and Harper.

Resource for Educator: Text Talk: Capturing the Benefits of Read-Aloud Experiences for Young Children

Text Talk: Capturing the Benefits of Read-Aloud Experiences for Young Children
By Isabel L. Beck and Margaret G. McKeown

Beck, I.L, & McKeown, M.G. (2001). Text talk: Capturing the benefits of reading aloud experiences for young children. The Reading Teacher, 55, pp. 10-20.

Beck and McKeown (2001) describe an interesting technique entitled “Text Talk” where educators use read-aloud to enhance students’ linguistic and vocabulary development. Teachers choose stories that are word heavy, rather than relying on pictures to tell the story. Teachers elicit responses to posed questions that are asked throughout the read-aloud. In order to get the students to expand on their answer, teachers should repeat the student-given answer and then rephrase it. This technique was found to help students elaborate on their answers, or make connections to their fellow peers answers. Educators are also encouraged to ask probing questions about student responses in order to get students to expand on their responses, hence using their knowledge of language.

Once teachers spend the time engaging students in meaningful conversations about the text, educators should then choose three to six words that could be deemed difficult for the students to understand, yet could be heard in daily conversation. From this point, students are given the meaning of the word, and the context of how it was used in the story they have previously read. Students then are asked to repeat the word orally, in order to gain a phonological understanding of the word. Finally, students are asked to inform the class when they hear the word used in daily life, or see it in future print.

“Text Talk,” was developed for younger students, yet can be easily used at the middle school level. Through the proper selection of text and strong questioning from the teacher, “Text-Talk” could lead any student to a world of expanded language and vocabulary usage.

Resource for Educators: Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading

Subjects Matter: Every Teacher’s Guide to Content-Area Reading
By: Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman
Daniels, H., & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading. Chicago: Heinemann.

This phenomenal resource should be in every teachers classroom, whether they are a reading teacher or not. Subjects Matter takes the time to break down a variety of reading strategies and activities for all teachers, no matter what subject is being taught. Many teachers often forget that their subjects involve reading, just as much as Language Arts! Daniels and Zemelman (2004) invite professionals to examine concepts such as “How Smart Readers Think,” “Why Textbooks Are Not Enough,” “Tools for Thinking: Reading Strategies Across the Curriculum,” and many more thought-provoking topics.

One specific topic Daniels and Zemelman touch upon is vocabulary development. They offer teachers a few simple, yet interesting techniques to promote vocabulary development within the classroom. The first activity requires students to work in groups to dissect three to six vocabulary words they are currently studying. The groups are asked to fill out at graphic organizer that lists the “target word,” “where the topic is found,” “parts of the word that is recognized,” “examples”, “what the word means,” “why it is important,” “where the word is used,” and “how it connects to other words.” By completing these organizers, students should be able to discover more about each of the words than they had known previously (Daniels et. al., 2004).

Another intriguing activity for students to complete is a “Vocabulary Tree.” In this inquiry, the students are to draw a tree with the word resting in it’s trunk. As the students learn more about the word at hand, they can draw branches to help make connections. For example, if the word is “polynomial,” the student’s roots may say “Poly=many” and “Nomial=number.” Some of the branches may include examples of “monomial,” “binomial,” and “trinomial” (Daniels et. al., 2004). Using the tree image can help students see how vocabulary truly is interconnected, just like the branches on a tree.

Using Daniels and Zemelman’s book in your classroom could open up a myriad of reading and vocabulary experiences for the students. When students are able to make personal connections, while seeing how words in general relate, they will better be able to add important words to their lexicon.

Resources for Educators: Donavan's Word Jar

Donavan’s Word Jar
By Monalisa De Gross
DeGross, M (1994). Donavan's word jar. New York, NY: First Harper Trophy.

Donavan’s Word Jar is a fantastic chapter book about a young boy named Donavan who has an extremely interesting hobby he takes part in, word collecting. Donavan tells the reader that he puts words that he sees or hears around him on a piece of paper that is then tucked safely into his word jar. Donavan runs into the problem of his word jar becoming too full and he needs to find a way to keep his words, yet make more room for new words! After asking a variety of his closest family members and friends for a solution, Donavan’s problem becomes solved in a non-traditional way as he visits his Grandmother at her nursing home, one rainy afternoon.

This story is a phenomenal way to begin the year, in vocabulary study, for any age group. After reading the story to your class, the teacher should introduce the classes own “word jar.” Students are asked to pay attention to new words that they read in stories, hear in daily language, or see within the environment while they are on a car ride. The youngsters should then put these new words into the word jar to share with the class. At the start of each week, the teacher should pull five of the student-chosen words from the word jar to study. This practice enables students to gain a better understanding of words around them, while making them feel that they, as a class, are in charge of what they are learning.

Resource for Educators: Words Words Words

Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12
By Janet Allen
Allen, J. (1999). Words, words,words: Teaching vocabulary in grades 4-12. York, Maine: Stenhouse Publications.
Janet Allen (1999) does an amazing job incorporating up-to-date research with the newest types of best practice, in terms of vocabulary instruction. Allen shows teachers alternate ways of using the dictionary in order to look up words, by suggesting ideas such as: making connections with words, activating prior knowledge of students and building upon concept knowledge. One of the research based strategies Allen presents asks students to think of what the identified word “is,” what it “is not,” and examples and non-examples of words that they are studying. For example, the word “preposterous” is “unbelievable.” It is not “predictable.” An example of the word “preposterous” would be “Dennis Rodman” while a non-example would be a quote saying, “Can I go to the bathroom? (Allen, 1999).”

Words, Words, Words also does a wonderful job of describing ways to assess this new way of vocabulary instruction that is valuable and meaningful. Students no longer are asked to match definitions to their target word. Having students infer using their targeted words is a great way to see if students understand meaning. For example, a teacher might take the word “preposterous” and say, “One of our words this week was preposterous. What kind of in-school behavior would the principal think was preposterous (Allen, 1999)?” This technique provides students the opportunity to apply the word to a real world situation, and not simply memorize the word and its definition. Many graphic organizers and activities are included in this helpful book to enable a smooth transition to this new type of teaching and assessing of vocabulary.

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