Questions About Vocabulary Instruction

By: Partnership for Reading

This article answers four common questions teachers have about vocabulary instruction,
including what words to teach and how well students should know vocabulary words.
How can I help my students learn words indirectly?
You can encourage indirect learning of vocabulary in two main ways. First, read aloud to your
students, no matter what grade you teach. Students of all ages can learn words from hearing texts
of various kinds read to them. Reading aloud works best when you discuss the selection before,
during, and after you read. Talk with students about new vocabulary and concepts and help them
relate the words to their prior knowledge and experiences.

The second way to promote indirect learning of vocabulary is to encourage students to read
extensively on their own. Rather than allocating instructional time for independent reading in the
classroom, however, encourage your students to read more outside of school. Of course, your
students also can read on their own during independent work time in the classroom for
example, while you teach another small group or after students have completed one activity and
are waiting for a new activity to begin.

What words should I teach?

You won't be able to directly teach your students all the words in a text that they might not
already know. In fact, there are several reasons why you should not directly teach all unknown
words.
The text may have a great many words that are unknown to students-too many for direct
instruction.
Direct vocabulary instruction can take a lot of class time time that you might better
spend on having your students read.
Your students can understand most texts without knowing the meaning of every word in
the text.
 Your students need opportunities to use word-learning strategies to learn on their own the
meanings of unknown words.
You will probably to be able to teach thoroughly only a few new words (perhaps eight or ten) per
week, so you need to choose the words you teach carefully. Focus on teaching three types of
words: important words, useful words, and difficult words.

Words with multiple meanings are particularly challenging for students. Students may have a
hard time understanding that words with the same spelling and/or pronunciation can have
different meanings, depending on their context. Looking up words with multiple meanings in the
dictionary can cause confusion for students. They see a number of different definitions listed,
and they often have a difficult time deciding which definition fits the context. You will have to
help students determine which definition they should choose. Click here for some examples of
words with multiple meanings.

Idiomatic expressions also can be difficult for students, especially for students who are English
language learners. Because idiomatic expressions do not mean what the individual words usually
mean, you often will need to explain to students expressions such as "hard hearted," "a chip off
the old block," "drawing a blank," or "get the picture."
How well do my students need to "know" vocabulary words?
Students do not either know or not know words. Rather, they know words to varying degrees.
They may never have seen or heard a word before. They may have heard or seen it, but have only
a vague idea of what it means. Or they may be very familiar with the meaning of a word and be
able to use it accurately in their own speech and writing. These three levels of word knowledge
are called:
Unknown: the word is completely unfamiliar and its meaning is unknown

Acquainted: the word is somewhat familiar; the student has some idea of its basic
meaning
Established: the word is very familiar; the student can immediately recognize its
meaning and use the word correctly
As they read, students can usually get by with some words at the unknown or acquainted levels.
If students are to understand the text fully, however, they need to have an established level of
knowledge for most of the words that they read.
Are there different types of word learning? If so, are some types of learning more difficult than
others?
Four different kinds of word learning have been identified:

Learning a new meaning for a known word

The student has the word in her oral or reading vocabulary, but she is learning a new meaning for
it. For example, the student knows what a branch is, and is learning in social studies about both
branches of rivers and branches of government.
 Learning the meaning for a new word representing a known concept
The student is familiar with the concept but he does not know the particular word for that
concept. For example, the student has had a lot of experience with baseballs and globes, but does
not know that they are examples of spheres.

Learning the meaning of a new word representing an unknown concept

The student is not familiar with either the concept or the word that represents that concept, and
she must learn both. For example, the student may not be familiar with either the process or the
word photosynthesis.

Clarifying and enriching the meaning of a known word

The student is learning finer, more subtle distinctions, or connotations, in the meaning and usage
of words. For example, he is learning the differences between running, jogging, trotting, dashing,
and sprinting.
 Professional Development for Reading
By: Learning First Alliance

For teachers to help more children learn to read, their own learning must be a valued and integral
part of their work. Here are guidelines for the conditions for and content of effective professional
development in reading

Teachers are more likely to improve student achievement in reading when the following
conditions are in place:

Everyone who affects student learning is involved.

Student standards, curricular frameworks, textbooks, instructional programs and

assessments are closely aligned with one another.
Professional development is given adequate time and takes place in school as part of the
workday.
The expertise of colleagues, mentors, and outside experts is accessible and engaged as
often as necessary in professional development programs.
Strong instructional leadership is present.

There is commitment to a long-range plan with adequate funding.

To engage teachers more fully in their own professional development, the Learning First Alliance
recommends that the following conditions of change, growth, and learning should be respected:

Change occurs in definable stages.

A variety of professional development activities will meet individual needs better than a
"one-size-fits-all" approach.
Self-evaluation is part of an individual professional development plan.
 After initial concentrated work, follow-up consultation and classes are offered.

Sufficient time is allowed before the outcomes of a professional development program

are determined.
Recent agreement by reading experts on what it takes to teach children how to read paved the
way for research-based agreements on the content of professional development. A successful
teacher of beginning reading enables children to comprehend and produce written language,
exposes them to a wide variety of texts to build their background knowledge and whet their
appetite for more, generates enthusiasm and appreciation for reading and writing, and expertly
teaches children how to decode, interpret, and spell new words from a foundation of linguistic
awareness.

The successful teacher adapts the pacing, content, and emphasis of instruction for individuals
and groups, using valid and reliable assessments. The teacher's choices are guided by knowledge
of the critical skills and attitudes needed by students at each stage of reading development.
Beginning reading skills are taught explicitly and systematically to children within an overall
program of purposeful, engaging reading and writing.

A worthwhile program of professional development will encourage expertise in the components

of instruction while maintaining a clear sense of the complex whole to which those components
belong. Pacing guidelines, models for lesson planning, time management strategies, and daily
schedules for the classroom will all be helpful in this regard. In a comprehensive reading
program, skills are taught explicitly and sequentially in support of their purposeful application.

Learning to integrate and manage all of the components of language arts instruction is a
significant challenge for many teachers, a challenge that can be met over several years of
opportunity.
 Tips for Teachers
By: Learning First Alliance

From relying on research to assessing often, these principles of good instruction provide teachers
with strategies for promoting their students' reading achievement.

Rely on good research

Promote the adoption of reading instruction programs in your school that are based on sound
research and that provide all children with explicit, systematic instruction in phonics and
exposure to rich literature, both fiction and nonfiction.

Push for good professional development

Insist on high quality instructional strategies that includes discussion of research on how children
learn to read as well as extensive in-class follow-up.

Make success schoolwide

Promote adoption of effective reading instruction and professional development methods.

Team up with parents

Involve parents in support of their children's reading. Work with parents and guardians to ensure
that their children arrive at school ready to learn every day. Children should spend more time
reading than is available at school, and teachers can reinforce this important point to parents and
provide ideas on how to make reading an everyday activity in their home.

How's it going?
Assess students' progress regularly.

Small classes pay big dividends

Encourage school officials to reduce class size for reading instruction and to provide tutoring for
students who fall behind. Changes in school organization may be necessary to create more
 appropriate class groupings and effective uses of special education, Title I, and other
supplementary resources.

Be alert to older non-readers

Reading success is especially critical in the early grades because it is easier to prevent reading
problems than to remediate them. Teachers at all grade levels should keep an eye out for students
having trouble with reading. One-to-one tutoring programs built on sound phonetic principles
can often make a remarkable difference in students' reading performance in a period of months.
Teachers can help ensure that older students reading below grade levels have level-appropriate
texts for independent reading.

Use help wisely

Classroom paraprofessionals involved in reading education should receive the training and
support necessary to enable them to make a significant contribution to children's reading
achievement. Teachers should utilize paraprofessionals in ways that augment the research-based
reading program used in the classroom and allow students to receive more individualized
support. Volunteers should also receive adequate training and supervision, should be assigned
work with children who can benefit from their assistance, and they should operate consistently
with the reading program of the school.
 Building Parent-Teacher Relationships
By: American Federation of Teachers

Effective communication is essential for building school-family partnerships. It constitutes the

foundation for all other forms of family involvement in education.

Parent Benefits

Positive parent-school communications benefit parents. The manner in which schools

communicate and interact with parents affects the extent and quality of parents' home
involvement with their children's learning. For example, schools that communicate bad news
about student performance more often than recognizing students' excellence will discourage
parent involvement by making parents feel they cannot effectively help their children.

Parents also benefit from being involved in their children's education by getting ideas from
school on how to help and support their children, and by learning more about the school's
academic program and how it works. Perhaps most important, parents benefit by becoming more
confident about the value of their school involvement. Parents develop a greater appreciation for
the important role they play in their children's education.

When communicating with parents, consider your remarks in relation to the three categories that
influence how parents participate. For example, are you communicating about:

Classroom learning activities?

The child's accomplishments?

How the parents can help at home with their child's learning?
 Student Benefits

Substantial evidence exists showing that parent involvement benefits students, including raising
their academic achievement. There are other advantages for children when parents become
involved namely, increased motivation for learning, improved behavior, more regular
attendance, and a more positive attitude about homework and school in general.

Teacher Benefits

Research shows that parental involvement can free teachers to focus more on the task of teaching
children. Also, by having more contact with parents, teachers learn more about students' needs
and home environment, which is information they can apply toward better meeting those needs.
Parents who are involved tend to have a more positive view of teachers, which results in
improved teacher morale.

Good Two-Way Communication

Good two-way communication between families and schools is necessary for your students'
success. Not surprisingly, research shows that the more parents and teachers share relevant
information with each other about a student, the better equipped both will be to help that student
achieve academically.

Opportunities for two-way communication include:

Parent conferences

Parent-teacher organizations or school community councils

Weekly or monthly folders of student work sent home for parent review and comment

Phone calls

E-mail or school website

Communication Strategies

Personal contact, including conferences, home visits, telephone calls, and curriculum nights or
open houses, seems to be the most effective form of communication and may be among the most
familiar. However, the establishment of effective school-home communication has grown more
complex as society has changed. The great diversity among families means that it is not possible
to rely on a single method of communication that will reach all homes with a given message. It is
essential that a variety of strategies, adapted to the needs of particular families and their
schedules, be incorporated into an overall plan. Some strategies to consider include:
 Parent newsletters

Annual open houses

Curriculum nights

Home visits (where applicable)

Phone calls

Annual school calendars

Inserts in local newspapers

Annual grandparents or "special persons" days

Board of Education spokesperson or communications officer at PTA meetings

Homework hotlines

Annual field days

Notices and handouts in local markets, clinics, churches, mosques, temples, or other
gathering sites
Website for the school

Workshops for parents

Communications that are focused on fathers as well as mothers

Effective communication strategies involve:

Initiation: Teachers should initiate contact as soon as they know which students will be in
their classroom for the school year. Contact can occur by means of an introductory phone call or
a letter to the home introducing yourself to the parents and establishing expectations.
Timeliness: Adults should make contact soon after a problem has been identified, so a
timely solution can be found. Waiting too long can create new problems, possibly through the
frustration of those involved.
Consistency and frequency: Parents want frequent, ongoing feedback about how their
children are performing with homework.
Follow-through: Parents and teachers each want to see that the other will actually do what
they say they will do.
Clarity and usefulness of communication: Parents and teachers should have the
information they need to help students, in a form and language that makes sense to them.

Surprise a Parent
 Parents are not accustomed to hearing unsolicited positive comments from teachers about their
children, especially in a phone call from the school. Imagine how you would feel, as a parent, if
you were contacted by a teacher or the school principal and told that your son or daughter was
doing well in school, or that your child had overcome a learning or behavior problem. When you
make calls to share positive information with parents, be prepared for them to sound surprised-
pleasantly surprised.

Research shows that school-home communication is greatly increased through personalized

positive telephone contact between teachers and parents. Remember, when a phone call from
school conveys good news, the atmosphere between home and school improves. When you have
good news to share, why wait? Make the call and start a positive relationship with a parent.

Phone Guidelines

Sometimes, as a new teacher, it's difficult to make the first call to a parent or guardian. Preparing
for the call will make it easier. Before making a call, write down the reasons for the call. One
reason can be simply to introduce yourself to the parent or guardian. Here are several guidelines
you can use as you prepare:

Introduce yourself

Tell the parents what their child is studying

Invite the parents to an open house and/or other school functions

Comment on their child's progress

Inform them of their child's achievements (e.g., "Student of the Week")

Inform them of their child's strengths or share an anecdote

To hear a sample teacher-parent phone call, visit www.t-source.org.