Vernette Doty (Associate Director of Student Life at UC Merced) and I made a presentation on creating and implementing a learning rubric for first generation college students related to participating in a literacy-tutoring program. We have two groups of college students working as volunteers for an hour each day, Mondays and Fridays at two very low SES elementary schools in Merced CA. As we develop the rubric and begin its active implementation we find our students are growing in confidence, literacy knowledge and tutoring skills, as the children are progressing in the 5 levels of literacy. Most of the youngsters at 1.5 to 2 grades below reading level. Core materials my training consists of are research-based tutoring and instructional strategies, with insights from the National Reading Panel (2000) and their "five pillars of literacy," along with Book Buddies material out of the University of Virginia, and literacy texts such as Lipson and Wixson, Vacca and Vacca, and Marzano.
Meanwhile I've just come across another ally in literacy and here's a blog post on vocabulary development that's pretty helpful:
5 Simple Steps for Effective Vocabulary Instruction
http://www.learningunlimitedllc.com/2013/07/5-steps-vocabulary-instruction/
from Dr. Kimberly Tyson:
Understanding the key characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction is important for K-12 educators. Why? Because they serve as the foundation for selecting instructional strategies and digital tools to support word learning.
“Top 10” Characteristics of Effective Vocabulary Instruction include:
- Multiple Exposures: Word learning is shaped through multiple exposures is varied contexts. (Probably THE MOST important idea when it comes to learning new words.
- Frontload Key Vocabulary: Before reading text or learning new content, introduce key vocabulary that is critical to understanding. Elicit background knowledge, create conversation and connections, and display or point out the words so that students will recognize them.
- Nonlinguistic Representations: When learning new vocabulary, have students create pictographs, mental images, and pantomime word meanings in order to increase the likelihood of remembering new words.
Tiered vocabulary, put simply, is an organizational framework for categorizing words. The Common Core State Standards use the 3-tier vocabulary framework for sorting academic vocabulary. Understanding tiered vocabulary has practical applications for implementing the Common Core and classroom instruction.
The Three Vocabulary Tiers
Tier 1: Common, Known Words
Examples: big, small, house, table, family
In other words, Tier I words are basic,
everyday words found frequently in conversation and are part of most
children’s vocabulary.
Tier 2: High-Frequency Words or Cross-Curricular Vocabulary
Examples: justify, explain, expand, predict, summarize, maintain
Tier 2 words are made up of are general
academic words and have utility across a wide range of topics. Another
way to think of Tier 2 vocabulary is as cross-curricular terms. For
example, the term “justify” and “predict” frequently appear in
Science, Social Studies, and English texts. It is important to keep in
mind that Tier 2 words are learned primarily through reading and
explicit instruction and are key to building a strong academic
vocabulary
Tier 3: Low-Frequency, Domain-Specific words
Examples: isotope, tectonic plates, carcinogens, mitosis, lithosphere
Tier 3 words are domain specific
vocabulary. Words in this category are low-frequency, specialized words
that appear in specific fields or content areas. We anticipate that
students will be unfamiliar with Tier 3 words. Beck suggests teaching
these words as the need arises for comprehension in specific content
areas.
The more you understand and sort vocabulary into the Tier 2 and Tier 3 words, the more instructional implications you’ll find. For
example, the tiers will help you create content vocabulary lists. In
addition, they’ll provide a focus for instruction and specific words to
focus on during instruction. 
Many teachers and principals tell me they believe vocabulary and word learning are key to supporting student’s academic growth. I don’t doubt their sincerity; however, when many classrooms are void of word walls, classroom libraries, posters, and newspapers, I can’t help but believe they’ve missed a great opportunity for supporting vocabulary growth.
You see, a print-rich environment is not only important for early literacy development but supports word learning as well. Students not only learn words through direct instruction, but also develop their knowledge and exposure to new words indirectly through independent reading, word walls, and exposure to print across the school day.
Key elements of a literacy-rich environment include:
- classroom libraries that include a variety of genres and text types,
- content posters,
- anchor charts – teacher-made and co-created with students,
- word walls,
- labels,
- literacy workstations,
- writing centers,
- computers,
- display of student work,
- displays of books & information,
- bulletin boards, and
- plenty of opportunity to read, write, listen, and speak.
Building a toolbox of effective instructional strategies is essential for creating a language-rich environment that fosters and supports word learning for every student. Many strategies are highlighted in journals and across the web. The best vocabulary strategies engage students in learning words through a variety of strategies that include personalization, visualizing and creating other nonlinguistic representations, identifying synonyms and antonyms, verbalizing, writing in notebooks and journals, and playing with words through game-like activities.
Previously on this blog, I’ve highlighted and summarized numerous evidence-based vocabulary strategies. Most posts include downloadable templates to support your instructional efforts.
Digital tools have proven quite promising to support word learning. Compared to their more traditional counterparts, online tools provide a broader array of information about words and word meanings. In addition, some tools allow teachers to easily customize words so that students can practice, review, and play games with content or unit-specific words.
Digital tools allows students to:
- hear pronunciations
- read words in a variety of authentic examples
- view photos and images related to words
- reinforce word learning through interactive games
- play with and manipulate language
- discover rhyming words, and
- collaborate with classmates to create virtual words walls.
Final Thoughts
Five simple steps. Don’t make vocabulary instruction more overwhelming than it needs to be.Start simply by getting familiar with the key characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction (Step 1). Then, identify core vocabulary and sort words into Tier 2 and Tier 3 academic vocabulary (Step 2). Don’t forget to have fun creating a print-rich environment that supports word learning (Step 3). Finally, identify and master several evidence-based instructional strategies (Step 4), and choose a few digital tools to provide support and practice for students (Step 5).
I’ve found that when teachers become intentional in their vocabulary instruction, they become excited about word learning and regularly identify, instruct, and have conversations around words with their students.
The best part is that teachers soon begin to observe measurable growth in their students.
