Need a Vocabulary Program?

We are on the hunt for great tutorial material to boost our students success with Figure 19 and Vocabulary. Do you know of a school that has a strong program that we might visit with?

When this question came in, I told my coworker that I felt a rant coming on. Here it is. 

I am not a fan of "programs" and as a Region 16 employee, I'm not really supposed to be recommending any program over another. But, there are some ideas and principles that can structure an effective vocabulary approach. 

This question, though, is exactly on point. Figure 19 and Vocabulary are intricately linked. Vocabulary, specifically the use of context clues, is a cognitive activity that we use to comprehend a text. Vocabulary, as context clues, is a metacognitive activity represented in our TEKS. Vocabulary is also a cumulative process of word knowledge: 

3.4D playful uses of language: tongue twisters, palindromes, riddles

4.2D idioms

5.2D idioms, adages, and other sayings

6.2D foreign words and phrases commonly used in written English (RSVP, que sera sera)

7.2D foreign words and phrases commonly used in written English with an emphasis on Latin and Greek words and phrases (habeus corpus, e pluribus unum, bona fide, nemesis)

8.2D common words or word parts from other languages that are used in written English (phenomenon, charisma, chorus, passe, flora, fauna)

9.1D origins and meanings of words or phrases used frequently in English (caveat emptor, carte blanche, tete a tete, pas de deux, bon appetit, quid pro quo) 

10.1D relationship between origins and meaning of foreign words or phrases used frequently in English and historical events or developments (glasnost, avant-garde, coup detat

11.1D cognates in different languages and of word origins to determine word meaning

12.1D how English has developed and been influenced by other languages

There is no list or sequence of words that can be found that will match what each grade level needs to know to be able to read. There is too much that has been written. There is too much left yet to be said. It is impossible to predict or dictate a certain number or precise selection of words each person will need.

Our approach, therefore, must have two prongs. Programs available in the market can't do both. Not a single one of them. And such a program is unlikely to ever be developed. 

Prong One: Realize that context clues cannot be assessed the way we use them to comprehend. Teaching vocabulary in context with comprehension must be a part of reading instruction. That kind of teaching will never come from a list. There is not a particular sequence of steps or rules that will guarantee that people will understand what a word means. Sorry. There just isn't. When we tell our kids silly things like "use the words in the sentence to help you understand the word" and "look at the sentence before and after the word to help you know what it means" we are not teaching vocabulary or context clues. We we do that, we are teaching context clues as if they were some kind of textual seek and find on a Chili's children's menu. It's not that easy. We are not really teaching them how to mine the text to figure out what the words mean and how they are associated with the author's purpose, connotation, or craft.  

Our mistake in teaching context clues is thinking that it is about words. It isn't about single words. And it's certainly not about circling the correct answer on a multiple choice item. Teaching about context is about how all of the text is food that delivers the nutrients of the author's message. Context clues are about how you digest something the author says that you can't quite chew or process, - that you don't understand. Sometimes, the author will use a word, or a phrase, or even a paragraph that you don't understand, but it doesn't really matter to understanding what the author says. You just let that pass or push it to the side of your reading plate. 

But sometimes, the author will use a word that is critical to understanding what the author communicates. If you don't stop to chew, that chunk will choke your comprehension. Context clues are about deciding when you need to know what a word is and when you don't. Context clues are about how you use all of the text to help you figure that out. 

Here's a sample of how context clues are assessed on STAAR and what we can do about it. 

Prong Two: We also need an explicit, sequenced focus on how we introduce and practice new words. That's called Word Study. We do that in several ways. 

1. We select words from reading material to directly teach. 

2. We select academic words. 

3. We select content words and cognates. 

4. We select sight words.

5. We select roots and affixes.

6. We teach kids to notice, gather, and imitate. 

Don't waste your money on "vocabulary" programs: 

Buy some books. 

Read, discus, and write. 

Repeat. 

See also: 
www.intensiveintervention.org/chart/instructional-intervention-tools

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/