Vocabulary Script
Slide One:    
The title of the chapter we will read to learn more about vocabulary is Recommitting to Vocabulary Instruction. It comes from the book Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom written by Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates, which was published in 2024. 
Slide Two: 
The objectives of this chapter are to: (1) Understand some common misconceptions about teaching vocabulary that limit students word learning; (2) Examine what research indicates about how students best acquire and retain new vocabulary; (3) Understand the role of both explicit vocabulary instruction and implicit exposure to words; (4) Understand how to identify which words to include in vocabulary instruction; (5) Learn practical routines and strategies for building deep, meaningful word knowledge; (6) Learn how to integrate vocabulary learning throughout the school day and across content areas; and (7) Understand ways to foster curiosity and engagement with words to develop lifelong word learners. 
Slide Three: 
This chapter opens with a scenario of a fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Heitzman, and his concerns about teaching vocabulary to his students. As you read pages 75 and 76, you may be familiar with and share the concerns of Mr. Heitzman. We gather that he is definitely doing some powerful things to help students increase their knowledge of vocabulary such as reading aloud from a picture book each morning and from a novel each afternoon, teaching practices research indicates are impactful. However, he recognizes that some students ignore and skip unfamiliar vocabulary during small-group instruction even though ignoring unknown words impacts their comprehension. Additionally, he notices many of his students rarely include rich and interesting vocabulary words into their written responses and conversations. In contrast, other students who come already with an abundance of words use more sophisticated vocabulary in their speech and writing. He questions if he is doing enough for students whose language comprehension is less developments, and he wants to be more intentional about making vocabulary instruction purposeful and engaging for all students, especially as he considers explicit instruction in vocabulary. 
Slide Four: 
Research shows that strong vocabulary fuels comprehension, and strong comprehension actually helps children acquire more vocabulary. Its like the which came first, the chicken or the egg; in this case its the vocabulary-chicken-and-comprehension-egg situation. It makes sense that if you do not know the meanings of enough words while reading, comprehension will fall short. We know that vocabulary knowledge is one of the best predictors of reading comprehension. Yes, we can use context clues to help, but if this must happen often the start-stop process during reading can interfere with active comprehension and also impact motivation to continue reading. There is a phenomenon known as the fourth-grade slump where students reading progress slows down or declines. Research suggests this slump is in part due to more complex texts, increased vocabulary demands, and more complex background knowledge. 
Slide Five: 
Next, we will consider some common misunderstandings about vocabulary instruction, some new possibilities, and current practices that need freshening up! These include: 
Misunderstanding One: Engaging students in lots of rich classroom conversations across the day is the most important part of their vocabulary instruction. Conversations are definitely important, but we will dig deeper. 
Misunderstanding Two: I dont really need to teach vocabulary if I make sure students get lots of interactions with great books. Wide reading is one of the best ways to develop vocabulary knowledge, but we will dig deeper. 
Misunderstanding Three: Explicit vocabulary instruction means that I need to do things like have children memorize definitions, write sentences with the words, or pass a test. Learning definitions and writing sentences are important, but we will dig deeper. 
Misunderstanding Four: Vocabulary instruction should focus on the hardest words in a text. Some hard words, tier two and tier three are important to focus on, but we will dig deeper. 
Misunderstanding Five: Teacher-selected words are the primary source of vocabulary growth for students. Teacher-selected words are important, but we will dig deeper. 
Slide Six: 
Lets consider misunderstanding one: Engaging students in lots of rich classroom conversations across the day is the most important part of their vocabulary instruction. Researchers agree that a substantial amount of vocabulary growth happens when children are exposed to words though conversations, which is especially important before students become fluent readers. So, yes  include conversations and be intentional and use sophisticated language when talking with students. This helps! We need to do more, however.
Research shows that reading volume  the amount of reading a child engages in  impacts vocabulary growth more so than conversational language exposures. The more complex and longer text becomes, the more students encounter unfamiliar words that they have not been exposed to through conversations. It makes sense, written language has richer and more sophisticated words. Once children crack the code and move beyond learning to decode, engaging with reading  reading volume  is what fuels vocabulary growth. Look at Table 3.1 on page 80 in this chapter. Notice the lexical richness we encounter through texts  though reading -- compared to speech. 
When we encounter words, we connect them to our existing networks of words that are constantly growing. As pointed out, vocabulary is the glue that holds stories, ideas, and content together, and it facilitates making comprehension accessible. Strong reading comprehension depends on already understanding 90-95 percent of the words in a text! 
So, those read alouds that we learned Mr. Heitzman does in the morning with picture books and then again in the afternoon with a novel are certainly important for vocabulary growth. Its so important to work in teacher read alouds, and it is equally important for students to engage in shared reading experiences and also independent reading. ALL are so important! 
Slide Seven: 
As the authors reiterate on page 81 of this chapter interactions with books though reading aloud, shared reading, and independent reading as well as conversations using sophisticated words are all important; and teachers should be intentional to include all of these. Research supports incidental exposure to words to increase vocabulary knowledge. Explicit vocabulary instruction is also important. Research suggests it is best to use a variety of direct and indirect methods to broaden students vocabulary. Four components should be included to ensure students are provide a rich variety of word-learning opportunities. One: Incidental Exposure to Words (conversations, read alouds, shared reading, independent reading). Two: Word Awareness & Word Play (fostering interest in & awareness of words). Three: Explicit Teaching of high-leverage words from texts before reading; when teaching words methods should include opportunities for students to to actively engage with words and their meanings. Four: Explicit instruction in ways to figure out word meanings (teaching students how to use morphemic analysis & contextual analysis). Each of these components are woven in other sections of this chapter and will be discussed in further detail. 
Slide Eight: 
Misunderstanding Three: Explicit vocabulary instruction means that I need to do things like have children memorize definitions, write sentences with the words, or pass a test. What does research say about what makes explicit vocabulary instruction effective? We must dedicate time to teaching specific words, and vocabulary instruction must extend beyond offering a single definition. The authors of this chapter discuss four essential components that are all backed by research you should consider when you teach specific words. The order may vary depending on the word. 
? Define the word in kid-friendly terms: use definitions that use terms and a tone that connect to students' current background knowledge and vocabulary; show images that represent a words meaning or have students act out words. 
? Analyze the words structure: phonology (pronunciation); orthography (spelling); morphology (meaningful parts); and align the sounds and their spellings (orthographic mapping). This is especially important for multisyllabic words or those that might be easily confused with similar-sounding words. 
? Clarify the words use in context: use the new word within the context of a few different sentences (spoken and/or written); identify the part of speech to help students understand the context in which they can use it.
? Connect the word to word networks: identify synonyms or antonyms, point out words that are similar in sound and/or spelling; consider shades of meaning, and explore morphological word families. 
These practices engage all four parts of the brains four-part processing system. Learning how to read a vocabulary word, how to write it, and how to use it helps with learning the word in a deep way. 
Slide Nine: 
Misunderstanding Four: Vocabulary Instruction should focus on the hardest words in a text. Now that you know the brain-friendly elements to include when you explicitly teach vocabulary words, lets consider which words you should teach. The three-tiered categories of words help us systematically identify and prioritize words worthy of teaching. Tier One words are known as General Words; these are everyday words that show up most frequently in speech and in print. Emerging bilinguals may benefit from direct instruction in these, but students typically learn these words through everyday conversations. Tier Two words are known as Precision words; they are less common but show up frequently in print, and many make up the academic language children must understand to succeed in school. These words need to be directly taught. Tier Three words are known as Specialized Words; they are used in specific contexts, and they usually require explicit instruction. These words help students build domain knowledge in a content area. 
Notice Table 3.3 on page 88 of this chapter. Spend the least time teaching General Words since these words rarely require direct instruction. Spend the most time teaching Precision Words since these words occur across content areas. Spend less time teaching Specialized Words. Prioritize specialized words when students need to understand domain-specific content. 
You still need to narrow down which words are most worth of instructional time. Start by selecting the words that are most important to understand the text or topic at hand. Then consider which of these are generally uncommon or more sophisticated than those used in students everyday conversations. Finally, narrow the list by selecting the uncommon words that are most likely useful in a variety of setting and content areas. Figure 3.1, the Vocabulary Funnel on page 89 provides an example of this process. 
Slide Ten: 
Misunderstanding Five: Teacher-selected words are the primary source of vocabulary growth for students. Research shows that students learn to read something like 3,000 to 4,000 words each year; so, it is clear that most of the words they learn are not taught directly. With an 180-day school year, teaching 3,000 to 4,000 words would require teaching approximately 20 words each and every school day. That is impossible. Also, consider that if a reader  between reading at home and at school  reads for an average of 45 minutes a day at 150 words per minute, they will encounter more than two million written words in just a year. If 1 out of 30 of the words they read is an unfamiliar word, then they will encounter almost 70,000 new words! In contrast, if we explicitly teach 8-10 vocabulary words per week during a school year, we will only teach 360 words max! So, while directly teaching words is important, we should also include independent word learning strategies such as morphemic analysis and contextual analysis. These strategies help students to unlock the meanings of unknown words when reading on their own.  
Slide Eleven: 
Morphemic Analysis involves analyzing word-structure clues (i.e. prefixes, suffixes, and Latin & Greek roots). Teaching students the meanings of morphemes (the smallest meaningful parts of words  prefixes, suffixes, roots, and bases) is known as morphology. Research (e.g. Baumann et al. 2002) indicates that is beneficial for elementary students to learn the meanings of prefixes, suffixes, and Latin & Greek roots. Affixes (prefixes & suffixes): word parts that are attached to roots, stems, or bases in order to modify the meaning of the word. Latin & Greek Roots  word parts that have consistent meanings across words (e.g. bio, tele, aud); they are often found in science & math content. In fact, up to 76% of academic words contain Greek & Latin roots. So time learning morphology can translate into a lot of word learning! Take a look at the table 3.4 on pages 91 and 92 of this chapter. In addition, notice the way Baumann and colleagues organized prefixes and suffixes by families (e.g. mis  and mal  belong to the Bad Family since these prefixes mean bad, wrong, not, and ill) Poor family! 
Slide Twelve: 
Contextual analysis is the strategy of using the surrounding words, sentences, and paragraphs to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word; it involves using clues within the text. It is important to include teaching students about the different types of context clues as part of a comprehensive vocabulary program. Baumann and colleagues organized context clue into five types  definition, synonym, antonym, example, and general. Teach students to use both contextual analysis and morphemic analysis together when they come to an unknown word. Plan think aloud language when explaining how to use these independent word learning strategies. 
Slide Thirteen: 
This is a short summary of the science related to vocabulary learning and teaching. Strong vocabulary contributes to reading comprehension, and vice versa. Success with academics depends on acquiring vocabulary that isnt common in typical conversations. Once children develop some reading fluency, the main contributor to vocabulary growth is reading volume. There isnt one best way to teach vocabulary; rather, children learn more words when we utilize a mix of instructional methods. Word learning can happen both incidentally and through explicit instruction. Research-based explicit vocabulary instruction includes defining the word in kid-friendly terms, analyzing the words structure, clarifying the way the word is used in context, and connecting it to a network of other words. To decide which words to teach, it helps to weigh whether they are General Words, Precision Words, or Specialized Words. Morphemes are the smallest meaningful parts of words. To figure out the meanings of words on their own, readers can use morphological clues (looking inside a word) and context clues (looking around a word). Robust vocabulary instruction supports students in interacting with words and their meanings through reading, writing, and discussion. 
Slide Fourteen: 
Now we will focus on the simple and sound shift of making sure we balance incidental word exposure with explicit and engaging vocabulary instruction. In this chart, which is also found on pages 96 and 97, the authors share high-leverage instructional routines which can help teachers to be more efficient and intention with vocabulary instruction. We have already explored the first two. Include Interactive Text Experiences; we do this to expose and/or introduce students to new vocabulary through interactive experiences with texts, such as read-aloud and shared reading. We can teach vocabulary on the run. Use Sophisticate Language; we do this to provide incidental exposure to rich and robust language across the learning day and build language comprehension. Now lets zoom in on the next six. 
Slide Fifteen: 
Once you have identified a specific word from a text students are about to read, you can take a look at the lesson plan on the pages 98 and 99. Notice how this lesson includes the four instructional moves of defining the word in kid-friendly terms, analyzing the words structure, clarifying context, and connecting to word networks. You do not have to follow this order; consider the word you are teaching. Also, notice the options for each of the four steps. Remember that explicit instruction is only for words that are urgent, uncommon, and useful in understanding the text. 
Slide Sixteen: 
Now lets zoom in on explicit morphology instruction. You need an intentional plan that begins in the earliest grades with simple morphemes (e.g. -s, -ed, -ing, etc.) and extends to more complex morphemes (e.g. poly, contra, graph, etc.). There is a multi-year morphology plan from The Six Shifts downloadable resources which is included within the vocabulary modules.
Notice on pages 100 and 101 of this chapter the sample lesson for teaching morphology. You should: (1) introduce the morpheme, its meaning, and the location in a word; (2) study examples of words containing the morpheme; (3) also include some non-examples, if relevant, where the same letters appear in sequence but do not function as the particular morpheme; (4) build and define by providing bases or affixes the students can combine with the morpheme to make other words. (Students can work with partners, building words and stating their meaning.); and, (5) contextualize by using a few cloze sentences, having students provide the missing word for the sentence using a word from the list of example words in step four. Remember that the process for teaching morphology focuses on a specific affix or root as a way to learn many, many other words. There is a lesson plan for morphology template from The Six Shifts downloadable resources which is included within the vocabulary module.
Slide Seventeen: 
Now lets zoom in on using context clues. There are two ways to teach contextual analysis. One is to be on the lookout for these during interactive reading; you can use the think aloud process to model your process for figuring out the unknown word. The second way is to teach children to examine the text and ask themselves questions. For example: When you notice a word you dont know the meaning of, you can ask yourself, What can I figure out about what this word means? Notice on Table 3.8 on pages 103 and 104, the helpful questions students can ask for the five types of context clues. Its not important to memorize the names of the context clue types; whats important is they use the surrounding clues to figure out an unknown words meaning. 
Slide Eighteen: 
Now lets zoom in on interactive vocabulary walls. Vocabulary walls are organized collections of words displayed on a wall or other space in the classroom. They can strengthen content knowledge and help students to notice the relationships between words. Vocabulary walls become interactive when students have the opportunity to move words around and demonstrate their thinking about the connections between and across words. Steps to creating an interactive vocabulary wall is to select the words you want to include. Remember you want to choose a combination of Precision words and some Specialized Words. (You can give students copies of the words on index cards so students can interact with them at tables as well.) Then plan some options for interacting with words such as: (1) categorizing the words; (2) connecting the words using arrows to show relationships between words; (3) contextualize words by having students use the word in a sentence, explain an illustration of the word, write a comparison to a similar or opposite word; and/or (4) Compete in games such as Guess My Word where students offer clues about the word for others to guess the word.
Slide Nineteen: 
Now lets zoom in on shades of meaning. Once students have a basic understanding of words, consider shades of meaning. Use semantic gradients to arrange words by order of degree in a continuum of words with meanings that vary subtly. This teaches students that synonyms can be closely related but still differ in very slight/tiny/small ways! 
The steps for this include: (1) select a pair of opposite words; put each on a sticky note; (2) generate a number of synonyms for each word; use sticky note for each word; (3) manipulate the sticky notes to arrange the words in a continuum from one extreme to its opposite. Engaging in conversations helps for students to gain deeper understanding of each words meaning. 
Slide Twenty: 
Now lets zoom in on Word Collection Notebooks. As pointed out, there are many things teachers can do to explicitly teach vocabulary. However, we know the more students read, the more they will encounter tier 2 and tier 3 words. To help students to develop word consciousness and word awareness, teachers can have students keep a record of words they encounter by using a Word Collection Notebook (or a section of their Readers Notebook) to create a personal collection of new and interesting words. You can help encourage this by setting goals for how many words to collect each week; students could share favorite words at the end of the week. 
Slide Twenty-one: 
Questions for Reflection: Read pages 109 and 110 to return to Mr. Heitzman. What are the routines he wants to keep, and what are changes Mr. Heitzman wants to make? What stands out? Also, notice the questions on page 111 in the chapter. Reflect on these, and consider how you will create productive, engaging learning environments for your own students to help them acquire vocabulary knowledge and be enthusiastic about learning new vocabulary! 











 



