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Vocabulary is knowledge and understanding of words and word meanings. It can be broken into two different skills that both should be assessed when assessing reading.
Expressive Vocabulary is when a student is able to name an object or produce words. This can be formally assessed using the Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT-3).
Receptive Vocabulary is understanding a spoken word and knowing the meaning. If someone says a word, the student can identify the object. This can be formally assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-5).
Implications for Reading
A strong vocabulary is necessary for reading comprehension. If students don't know what a word means, the rest of the paragraph could be lost. Using context clues is only helpful in identifying word meaning when all of the other words have meaning. The less words that have meaning, the harder it becomes to use context as a way to determine meaning. Vocabulary is important outside of reading too. When having a conversation with someone, it is hard to follow the meaning behind what is being said if most of the words do not have meaning to the listener. It is important in the classroom to learn skills to identify meanings of unknown words in context or by breaking down word parts so that students can still decipher meaning when a word is unknown.
Strategies
Sketching Words- Drawing a picture of a word can help make connections that will help students remember the meaning of the word and better understand the meaning. This activity can be done in a vocabulary journal where new words are identified and given meaning to look back on.
Analyze Word Parts- Looking at what a root word means as well as prefix and suffix meanings, can help students to determine meaning of a word even if it is unfamiliar. An activity that I like to do for this is having students create nonsense words and then have peers break down the word to explain to the class what it means. They compare their definition to the definition that the author of the word had in mind when making the word.
Semantic Mapping- This is a web type graphic organizer. This involves writing the unknown word in the middle of a web. The student would then try to pronounce the word or use an online tool to hear the word. Read the text to identify related words (if any). Find the definition and write it down. Find synonyms and pictures for the word and add those. Add in antonyms too if there are any.
Wordless Books- Using books with only pictures can help students expand vocabulary. They would then tell a story based on the pictures that they see and give the pictures meaning. Ask questions to help the students elaborate on their stories.
Powerful Words- When unfamiliar words come up in a reading, they get added to a list. AS a group, the word is defined and discussed. Students add a tally next to it anytime they notice it come up in other readings or media. Students share a sentence with the group that uses the word while omitting that word. Peers have to guess from the list which word would best fit that sentence.
Marzano's 6 step Process for Teaching Vocabulary
1.) Provide the students with a description or an example of the word being taught.
2.) Have the students restate the word meaning in their own words.
3.) Students can either create a visual representation of the word or act it out. (It is often helpful to do both)
4.) Allow opportunities for students to use the word in other contexts. This can involve vocabulary notebooks but also can involve incorporating the word in other lessons outside of just vocabulary. Providing activities that tie into the word will help students form connections to memory.
5.) Give students opportunities to discuss the word and practice using the word.
6.) Engage in games that reinforce word knowledge.
Interventions
Take Aim! at Vocabulary
Take Aim! at Vocabulary
Tier 3
small groups or individual
Grades: 4-12
In this program, students read the target words before reading the stories that use the target words. Then they begin reading to understand vocabulary using context clues.
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Word Wisdom
Word Wisdom
Tiers 2+3
Grades: 3-6
Whole group or small group
This program focuses on learning words in context rather than in isolation. The readings are engaging and cross over content areas keeping them relevant. The idea is focusing on reading and re-reading for practice.
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Language!
Language!
Tier 3
Small group or individual
Grades: 4-12
This is another program with cross curricular readings. This looks at words in depth but also in context. There are also activities to practice grammatical uses of words such as verb tenses.
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SRA Open Court Word Analysis Kit
SRA Open Court Word Analysis Kit
Tiers 1+2
Grades: 4+5
Small Groups
This is an extension program for the SRA Open Court Foundational skills which is geared towards grades K-3. The word analysis kit is for the upper elementary students that need help expanding on vocabulary skills. This kit works with prefixes and suffixes as well as word meanings. There are dice games and flash card games involved.
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Reading A-Z
Reading A-Z
Tiers 1,2, & 3
Grades: K-5
Small Groups or Individual
This is a resource that teachers can use to implement a lot of reading lessons for various skills. There is a program on here for vocabulary that uses graphic organizers, idiom books, and word sorts. It can be implemented class wide or used as intervention for students that are either struggling or below grade level.
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Formal Assessments
Peabody Picture Vocabulary 5th Edition (PPVT-5)
Author: Douglas M. Dunn, PhD
Age: 2 yrs 6months- 90 years
Time: 10-15 minutes
Cost: $242.30
This test can be used to quickly evaluate receptive vocabulary.
PPVT-5 Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Fifth Edition (pearsonassessments.com)
Expressive Vocabulary Test 3rd Edition (EVT-3)
Author: Kathleen T. Williams, PhD
Age: 2yrs 6 months- 90 years
Time: 10-15 minutes
Cost: $242.30
This test is used to quickly measure expressive vocabulary and retrieval.
EVT-3 Expressive Vocabulary Test Third Edition | Resources (pearsonassessments.com)
For the best overall assessment of student vocabulary, both of these tests are generally used together. This allows for a comparison of receptive vs. expressive vocabulary. This will better target which interventions might be needed for a particular student.
Informal Assessments
Picture Cards
Picture cards can be used to assess both receptive and expressive vocabulary. This can be done by asking a student to "Point to the dog" or by showing the student the dog and asking "What is this picture?"
Synonyms
Asking students to give examples of words with the same or similar meanings. "What is another word for 'happy'"? Keeping track of how many they are able to identify. If writing isn't a barrier, having students write a list of how many synonyms they can think of for a word could work.
Picture Cards for this activity word not have words on them.
Vocabulary assessments are best when they are done orally. That eliminates the reading and writing barriers and focuses on just the vocabulary skill.
Apps
Splat-O-Nym
Splat-O-Nym
This app is available for purchase on apple. Students build vocabulary by identifying synonyms and antonyms of a word. Students can also practice with words in sentences to practice context of a word.
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Bluster!
Bluster!
This app is available for free in the apple store. This is a word matching game that helps build vocabulary.
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Dr. Seuss Collection
Dr. Seuss Collection
This app is available for purchase on google play. Students can follow along with interactive Dr. Seuss stories. There are highlighted vocab words that students can learn abut by clicking.
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Knowji
Knowji
This app is available for purchase on apple. This is useful for high school students working on vocabulary. The questions are similar in layout to SAT questions and the vocabulary is from a list of SAT words.
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Word UP
Word UP
This app is free on both google and apple. There are in app purchases available too. This app uses clips from TV, movies and other forms of media to reinforce word meanings and context.
References
Building academic vocabulary: Marzano's 6-step process. TeachThought. (2021, December 30). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/building-academic-vocabulary/
Connecting word meanings through semantic mapping. Reading Rockets. (2017, August 23). Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/connecting-word-meanings-through-semantic-mapping
Five key principles for effective vocabulary instruction. Reading Rockets. (2019, September 30). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/five-key-principles-effective-vocabulary-instruction
Intensive literacy intervention curriculum. Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum | Grades 4-12 | LANGUAGE! (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.voyagersopris.com/literacy/language/overview
Knatim. (2010, November 12). Word study in action: Powerful words. YouTube. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USLancMx28M
Newcomer, S., Gutierrez, V., R., S., Cindy Braun- Title One Lead Teacher, & Lee, S. (2020, February 14). Take aim! at vocabulary™. Read Naturally, Inc. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.readnaturally.com/product/take-aim-at-vocabulary#custom193
Reading A-Z. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.readinga-z.com/
Tier Two vocabulary instruction - youtube. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9DPKgBrJQE%20
Sharing wordless picture books. Reading Rockets. (2017, August 24). Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/sharing-wordless-picture-books
Vocabulary. Read Naturally, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2022, from https://www.readnaturally.com/research/5-components-of-reading/vocabulary
Vocabulary assessment and instruction for students with learning disabilities. Reading Rockets. (2013, November 7). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/vocabulary-assessment-and-instruction-students-learning-disabilities
Word wisdom: Zaner-Bloser. Zaner. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.zaner-bloser.com/vocabulary/word-wisdom/index.php
Word analysis skills for reading: Open court reading. McGraw Hill. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/microsites/MKTSP-THA14M0/word-analysis-kits.grade-5.html
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