Module 5: Build Students’ World and Word Knowledge
This module assumes you know and can do the following: (click to open drop-down)
Identify students who need support building world and word knowledge.
Identify students who struggle with making sense of text.
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Competency
Continually assess student progress against clearly defined standards, goals, and outcomes to identify specific topics in which each student needs additional support to achieve mastery of a concept or skill.
Learning Outcomes
I can build students’ world and word knowledge so they can make sense of text.
What I will DO in this module
Learn how to carry out the recommendation: Build students’ world and word knowledge so they can make sense of text
Develop world knowledge that is relevant for making sense of the passage.
Teach the meaning of a few essential words for understanding the passage.
Teach students how to derive meanings of unknown words using context.
Teach prefixes and suffixes to help students derive the meanings of words.
Teach the meaning of Latin and Greek roots.
LEARNING PATHWAY
Start with the pre-assessment (below) to determine your path.
LAUNCH
REFLECT
How do you currently build students’ world and word knowledge so they can make sense of text?
What processes do you use?
Are there specific skills you teach students in order to achieve this?
You can reflect on your own or with a colleague.
LEARN
DO
Throughout this section, we will use Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 . Specifically, we will read pages 22-36.
This graphic organizer can be used to capture your key takeaways and to plan your instruction.
DO / THINK ABOUT
Read pages 22-24 (through step 1)
While reading, think about:
What surprised you from this section?
How can this improve your instruction?
COLLECT & RECORD
Find a short piece of text you currently use in your classroom, OR select a new text to use with your students.
Use what you learned from reading about step 1 to create a brief 3-5 minute introduction for your chosen text.
DO / THINK ABOUT
Read pages 24-25 (step 2).
While reading, think about:
What are you wondering?
What questions do you still have?
COLLECT AND RECORD
Use the text from your last section to select essential words you would teach before a lesson. This article may also be helpful.
Use the information from this section to create a plan for how you would teach word meanings prior to reading the text.
DO / THINK ABOUT
Read pages 26-28 (step 3)
While reading, think about:
What do you notice about the examples on pages 27-28?
COLLECT AND RECORD
Using the same piece of text or a new piece of text, work through the 3 step process for determining unknown word meanings discussed in this section.
Remember, you have this graphic organizer to record your thoughts.
DO
Read pages 29-34 (step 4)
COLLECT AND RECORD
Using the resources and examples on pages 30-33, create a plan for carrying out step 4 in your classroom.
DO / THINK ABOUT
Read pages 34-35 (step 5).
While reading, think about:
Do you currently teach the meaning of Latin and Greek roots?
How is teaching Latin and Greek roots helpful to students?
COLLECT AND RECORD
Continue to use the graphic organizer to plan instruction for step 5, Latin and Greek roots.
REFLECT
DO / REFLECT
Read page 36, Potential Obstacles and the Panel’s Advice.
What are you still wondering about in regard to this recommendation?
Do you feel better prepared to address this skill deficit area with your students?
MODULE RESOURCES
WWC-practice-guide-reading-intervention-full-text.pdfLiben_Vocabulary_Article.pdf
Module 5 Pre-assessment
CELEBRATION OF LEARNING
As appropriate, opportunities to crowdsource knowledge or design ideas within or across districts.
Use your favorite form of communication to reach out to one or more teachers of reading inside or outside of your building and ask what they use to help students build world and word knowledge. Share your ideas from this module with them!
CHECKPOINT
Use the Checkpoint to help you check your thinking and doing with the learning targets in this module, determine whether you are ready to move on to the next module, and select “must do” or “may do” content of this module that is needed for additional clarification and/or practice.
Want to learn more about teaching Latin and Greek roots?
Check out this article, The Latin-Greek Connection: Building Vocabulary Through Morphological Study, from Tim Rasinski.
Look at this resource from W.V.C. ED, Morphology Matters: Building Vocabulary Through Word Parts.
