What is a Narrative Vocabulary Chart?

A Narrative Vocabulary Chart is a graphic organizer that can be used to pre-teach key vocabulary terms that students will encounter in an upcoming lesson. The teacher should identify approximately ten words and provide the students with a copy of the chart with the words already printed or with blank spaces for the students to write.

The teacher should pronounce two or three words at a time, give the students some time to access prior knowledge, and then time to investigate the meanings of the new words. Students should write the definition (in their own words) in English and their home language, then draw an image that represents the word. Students should share their definitions and images with a partner, make necessary revisions, and then the entire class reviews those words with the teacher calling on individual students to share what they wrote and drew.

(Ferlazzo, L. & Hull Sypnieski, K., 2018).