Jarika Naputo - Crls Paper 1

Vocabulary Acquisition in the Elementary Classroom 1
Vocabulary Acquisition in the Elementary Classroom
Kainani Bolton
Jaida Cook
Iona Kaai
Jarika Naputo
EDEE 492
Professor Stephanie Kamai
University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu
April 19, 2022
Word Count: 4762

Abstract
As a continual process of coming across new words, word-learning strategies are a
crucial part of all content-area curricula to the extent that a strong vocabulary improves
comprehension and the learning of content-area materials (İlhan, 2019). With this in mind, the
question was posed, “What is an effective strategy that 5th grade teachers can use to teach
vocabulary and under what conditions will students be successful?” What we propose is that
teaching context clues as a strategy is an effective strategy under certain conditions and should
be considered by 5th grade teachers. We will reveal what we discovered and the conditions of
these findings in our paper.
Literature Review
Generally, students acquire vocabulary through repetitive programs such as Orton
Gillingham, Morphology, and others. Explicit and direct instruction of vocabulary may be a
factor for why elementary students struggle with reading comprehension. If students are able to
acquire vocabulary using other Word Learning Strategies, they may be able to strengthen their
reading comprehension skills (Graves, Schneider, & Ringstaff; 2018). One strategy for
consideration is context clues. This literature review examines the factors and conditions that
lead to effective vocabulary acquisition in elementary classrooms, especially in grades 5-6.
Additionally, it explores the effects of learning vocabulary using student-centered strategies
versus programs that emphasize repetition.
VOCABULARY ACQUISITION FOR COMPREHENSION
Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most important features in determining one’s
language proficiency and comprehension. Prior to comprehending vocabulary, students must be

able to decode language in the form of written text. As students read the text, the words can be
stored, elaborated, and retained, depending on various conditions. Learners encounter a variety
of familiar and unfamiliar words during reading. Acquiring these words through different
vocabulary strategies can help learners better understand what they are both hearing and seeing
(You 2011). Factors in vocabulary acquisition through reading include repetition, explanation,
and effective L1 translation support. Dictionary use and marginal glosses were also found to help
a learner better grasp word meaning. Additional visual input and oral input presented with the
target words positively affect gain and retention of words. As the level of text comprehension
increases, learners have more benefits in intake, acquisition, and retention of the new vocabulary.
Vocabulary and reading comprehension have a reciprocal relationship. “As greater
vocabulary leads to greater comprehension, better comprehension also leads to learning more
vocabulary words.” (Kieffer 2007) When students who have a limited vocabulary are reading
challenging texts that focus in content areas, they often come across more complex words and
may struggle with understanding the meaning of the text. Teaching students effective strategies
to learn new vocabulary is essential for them to make connections. One of these strategies is to
break down words to build meaning. Through this strategy, students are able to build upon their
prior knowledge and decipher a particular word in a text.
Another strategy is teaching students about the morphology of words. “In language and
reading, morphology refers to the study of structure of words, particularly the smallest units of
meanings in words: morphemes.” (Kieffer 2007) In this research, it states how students would be
able to have an easier time understanding unfamiliar words if they already had the background
knowledge of the more common root word and could take that knowledge to then break down
the complex word. These two strategies can coincide when students have the understanding and
ability to effectively implement it. This is an important aspect to building understanding of texts
and vocabulary.
VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH STUDENT-CENTERED STRATEGIES
Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;
teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” In accordance with vocabulary acquisition,
this adage suggests that teachers must utilize multiple methods of vocabulary acquisition in order
to help students obtain long-term learning. Word-learning strategies can accomplish this by
providing students with benefits beyond those achieved by teaching individual words. In typical
vocabulary instruction, students are provided with a predetermined list of target words and then
expected to learn the word meanings. This strategy is not ideal for the long-term since it lacks a
way for students to construct their own meaning. It also lacks the vigor and motivation to acquire
and comprehend new vocabulary. To encapsulate a more student-centered approach, teachers
need to enable their learners to use a variety of strategies to acquire vocabulary, and provide
them with tools to become independent word-learners.
Researchers Michael F. Graves, Steven Schneider, and Cathy Ringstaff work together in
creating a Word-Learning Strategy (WLS) program that supports all students in vocabulary
acquisition. They describe the WLS curriculum, the WLS instruction, and key aspects of their
approach that prove useful in designing any program on word-learning strategies (2018). Insight
into some of these strategies include Word Parts, Context Clues and Dictionaries. Lessons
provided through the WLS program allow students to read a passage, highlight unfamiliar words,
and use one of the listed strategies to determine the meaning. As students learn the meaning
behind unknown words, they can apply a strategy, and then be introduced to a new method of
learning. Overall, the purpose of introducing a WLS program is to motivate students to acquire
new word-meanings, and prepare teachers with a number of strategies to promote vocabulary in
the classroom.
Another aspect to consider is the relationship between self-regulated vocabulary learning
and web-based collaboration. When taken into consideration, the research suggests that “teachers
need to understand the learning styles and strategies students use to learn new vocabulary both
inside and outside the classroom” (Sarah 2014). The study also suggests the use of web-based
tools such as Google Docs and Facebook to support learning and increase motivation and interest
in the target language. Lastly, although studies (Bridgeland, Bruce, & Hariharan, 2013; Elias,
Bruene-Butler, Blum, & Schuyler, 2000; Greenberg et al., 2003) stated the importance of
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), teachers are still pressed to prepare the children for the
high-stakes assessments which sacrifices the need to address the social-emotional growth that
plays a vital role in academic success. Teachers need to reflect on individual students and make
sure their social-emotional growth is addressed to ensure each child is able to focus on their
academic learning. In this regard, development of self-regulation influences reading
comprehension. Therefore, modeling and teaching the students to think aloud or self-talk helps
them regulate their emotional development and builds their confidence in expanding their
background knowledge and problem solving skills. Using word parts strategies help the students
deconstruct the words and see each section and their meaning. This strategy helps the students
pull the word apart, find out each meaning, then put the word parts together and come up with
the meaning of the whole word. The strategy also helps students with different learning styles
comprehend the word and how to use it in sentences as well as how to use it to comprehend what
they are reading. This line of thinking is also supported in the Fukkink & de Glopper study that
asks the educator to consider that context clues have a profound effect on increasing the ability to
learn new words and to understand word meanings in context (Fukkink & de Glopper, 1998).
Context Clues As a Method of Acquiring Vocabulary
The Context Clue strategy focuses on students reading a text and using clues given
around the unknown word to help determine the word-meaning. “Context clues provide
information about how a word fits in a sentence and with the ideas discussed in it. In other
words, figuring out what a word means by looking at the words or phrases nearby” (Innaci and
Sam 2017). Most importantly, learners not only understand the meaning of the words but they
also understand the contextual use of the words. Contextualization helps the learners to
effectively understand and use the unknown words. In a study administered to a set of 40 ESL
tertiary level students, researchers focused on utilizing the context clue strategy as a method of
learning vocabulary (Innaci and Sam 2017). An activity based on context clues had been
designed to determine this. From the analysis of their performance, it could be concluded that the
ESL students were able to identify the meaning of new words using context clues. This proved
useful in them not only understanding the context of the meanings but also retaining it.
English Language Learners and Vocabulary Acquisition
According to the Beck, McKeown, and Kucan’s Three Tier Model, it breaks down
vocabulary words into three main categories. Tier 1: Basic Words, Tier 2: General Academic &
Multiple Meaning Words, and Tier 3: Specific Content Words (Sibold 2010). With having an
understanding of this model, it can help teachers with knowing where their students are at in
their academic vocabulary. When ELL students are having difficulty with understanding the
vocabulary, it makes it much harder for them to comprehend reading and writing. Direct
instruction is a big focus in teaching ELL students English vocabulary because it can be
implemented daily during reading and writing. In upper elementary grades, a lot of the
vocabulary development focuses on challenging content-area vocabulary and more abstract
words that can be used in multiple content areas (Paynter 2005). Since academic vocabulary is
more specific and abstract, it can be found as more of a challenge to learn than conversational
language. By first using effective vocabulary instruction, students will be able to build upon
their prior knowledge and deepen their understanding of the English language. There are
multiple vocabulary strategies that can be implemented in the classroom that also strengthens
direct instruction for the students. These include using anchor charts, word walls, talk-through
strategy, vocabulary journals, graphic organizers, and words games.
VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH UTILIZING REPETITION PROGRAMS
Morphological Analysis Instruction in the Elementary Grades: Which Morphemes to Teach and
How to Teach Them
Vocabulary acquisition programs such as Orton Gillingham and Morphology, analyze
morphemes to teach and how to teach them in a study based on Morphological Analysis (MA) in
Elementary grades. The findings state that teaching the meanings of commonly occurring affixes
and a strategy for analyzing the meanings of affixed words promoted students’ interest in words
and provided them tools for independent word learning. The findings encourage teachers to plan
for and implement affix instruction as a valuable component of comprehensive vocabulary
instruction. It also proposes that by instructing using this strategy of breaking down words to
form meaning, both vocabulary and reading comprehension will increase. Also exposing and
teaching the students the Latin and Greek roots help students gain the knowledge of meanings of
the affixes. It is a tool they can use throughout their learning, from elementary to high school as
well as higher education. Another important factor of the learning process that was mentioned in
this article is the fact that teachers had students group and discuss their findings. This strategy
helps each child retain what they learned. Each child contributes different views of the same
concept. The affixes gained in this learning, helps give students the tools they need to succeed in
their reading and comprehension. Having the list of affixes, meaning, and example words is a
great tool for students to have as a reference so they can always fall back to their notes whenever
they need it. It is also very valuable to have a chart readily available around the room so they can
just look at it when reading or writing. Finally, as mentioned earlier, teaching the students to
break words apart and building words with morphemes, helps them become more knowledgeable
with comprehending words and meaning that contribute to comprehending what they are
reading. It also helps them know how to use the words in their writing.
Collaborative Lesson Research: Maximizing the Impact of Lesson Study
We fashioned our method of study around the “jugyou kenkyuu,” or lesson study,
described and explained in the article by Akihiko Takahashi, and Thomas McDougal. In it they
describe how other schools have tried to replicate the process, originating in Japan and used for
professional development. According to this article, this method has been successful for over a
hundred years. Also, this method focuses the participants on their understanding of the art of
teaching, giving them an opportunity to be an observer and get feedback from their peers, as well
as practice their skills at observation and what teaching looks like from a different perspective
than the educator in a classroom. Their ability to apply new knowledge in the classroom and to
teach in ways that develop students’ problem-solving, reasoning, and communication skills as
called for by the new standards.

OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE REVIEW
Overall, there is evidence that supports the theory that the Context Clue strategy is
effective in vocabulary acquisition. However, in the article, Context Clues As a Method of
Acquiring Vocabulary, the conditions are not necessarily the same as what is posed in our
research question, “What is an effective strategy that 5th grade teachers can use to teach
vocabulary and under what conditions will students be successful?” To determine whether
Context Clues would be effective for 5th grade, the lesson study group devised a lesson plan to
determine this and under what conditions it would be effective. Lastly, the articles reviewed all
shared a common theme, which is that teachers need to be flexible, empathetic of their learners
unique exceptionalities, challenges, and backgrounds, and provide multiple modes of instruction
when it comes to vocabulary acquisition. Also, the literature did validate that it is important to
take all strategies into consideration. In an effort to delve deeper into the topic and discern a
more concrete findings, we leaned heavily on the method of jugyou kenkyuu in order to gain
insight and perspective of the topic.
Method & Context
The research question for the lesson study focuses on an effective strategy that 5th grade
students can use to demonstrate understanding of vocabulary. It also considers conditions which
determine their success. In order to address the research question, we decided to implement the
Context Clue strategy. The following conditions included the English Language Learning (ELL)
students, as well as other focus students which we centered our lesson on.
To teach the Context Clue vocabulary strategy, the group utilized literature that was
appropriate to the average Lexile within the class. Ms. Cook informed the group that the class
was scheduled to begin the next literature theme: fairy tales, folklore, myths and legends. The
group initially found a Greek mythology book for the students to read and find vocabulary.
However, due to the religious preferences of a student, the group decided on choosing another
book that focused on folklore. This is pertinent to the lesson study since it is a condition that
influenced not only the development of the lesson, but also displays the group’s consideration of
each learner’s background. The book that the group decided on implementing is, The Chocolate
Touch, by Patrick Skene Catling. This story reflected similar themes from The Midas Touch: a
story of a man who could turn people and things into gold with just one touch. For the lesson, the
group intended on having the students read the story and then locate unknown vocabulary words.
To find its definitions, they needed to use the Context Clue strategy. To provide our ELL and
focus students with multiple ways of learning, the group created visual graphic organizers that
they can use to reference the Context Clue strategy. These students were also given an enlarged
version of the visual aid.
In the beginning of the lesson, Ms. Bolton introduced herself as the students’ teacher for
the day. She reviewed the classroom expectations, as well as the potential consequences. Based
on the behavior of the students, they could either “clip up” or “clip down.” Students that
displayed positive behavior like listening to the teacher, participating in discussion or
volunteering to help peers were asked to “clip up.” For the duration of the lesson, no students
were asked to “clip down.” Ms. Bolton then reviewed the learning objectives and had the
students access their prior knowledge about the book, since the first chapter was read the day
before. Students were asked to share what the story was about, as well as their understanding of
the Context Clue strategy.

Ms. Bolton moved into teaching the students of the strategy through the E.A.S.E.
acronym, which stands for Explanation, Antonym, Synonym and Example. These represent the
different types of context clues that students may see in the text, and that they can use to help
determine the word-meanings. To establish this understanding, students were given four different
sample sentences that they needed to read and determine if it qualifies as an explanation,
antonym, synonym or example. The room was numbered into four corners which represented
each category of the acronym. Students read the sample sentence, and then moved to the
acronym that they believe matches. Once the students made their decision, Ms. Bolton called on
a few students to share their reasoning.
Once the four corners activity concluded, Ms. Bolton reviewed the Word Detective
worksheet. She completed the first question with the class, and then the students worked
independently to finish the rest of the worksheet. Students were given a vocabulary word, the
sentence in which the word is found in the book, and the page number of the vocabulary word's
location. Students were asked to determine if it is an explanation, antonym, synonym or example,
and to provide their reasoning. Towards the end of the lesson, students were able to eat a variety
of chocolate candy as a reward for their participation, hard work and good behavior throughout
the lesson.
A challenge that came up while teaching this lesson regards time management. There
were multiple things that needed to be taught within a forty-minute lesson period. Students were
not able to finish the Word Detective worksheet since time ran out. Other challenges included
addressing specific needs of the students. While the visual aids did help the ELL’s and the focus
students, other students were unable to properly assess themselves with the provided rubric.
They were unsure of how to understand and read the rubric, which wasn’t addressed in the lesson
due to time constraints.
Participants
At Kanoelani Elementary, the majority of the school's demographic is Filipino, Native
Hawaiian, Japanese, and several other diverse cultures as well. In our classroom, the
demographics is primarily made up of Asain, Native Hawaiian, and Caucasian backgrounds. In
our classroom, there are a total of twenty-one students, twelve boys and nine girls ranging from
ten to eleven years old. All of which are very kind, helpful, unique, and well-behaved. According
to the student’s iReady reading diagnostics, there are four students above grade level ranging
from sixth to eighth grade. Seven students are on grade level ranging from early to mid fifth
grade. Five students are one grade level below ranging at fourth grade. Another five students are
two or more grade levels below ranging from second to third grade. There are four English
Language Learners (ELL) whose first language is Filipino. The EL students get support two
times a week. One of the EL students came to the United States in September 2021 and continues
to show continued growth and progress. Out of the four EL students, one is at grade four, two of
them are at grade three, and one is at grade two academically. Overall, based on the iReady
diagnostics the whole class academic average shows that the students are lower in reading than
in math.
With that information and noticing that a lot of the students are low in vocabulary, the
group decided to focus on that domain in our lesson study. The group wanted to find a strategy
that would help to strengthen the students vocabulary and to see whether a specific vocabulary
strategy would benefit student learning. The group also chose two focus students, one of our EL
students and one of our lower academic students. The group’s focus EL student averaged overall
fourth grade academically but was continuously flagged for vocabulary on her iReady lessons.
To be a bit more specific, she tested at grade four in vocabulary, early fifth in literature, and
grade four in informational text. The group’s second focus student averaged overall third grade
academically. He tested at grade three overall in vocabulary, literature, and informational text.
Data Collection & Analysis
For the data collection and analysis portion of our study, we followed the process of
“jugyou kenkyuu,” a form of lesson study researched and presented by Akihiko Takahashi, and
Thomas McDougal (Collaborative, 2022). In this process we first backwards planned to teach a
lesson based on resources we found regarding Context Clues. This planning also included
creating a rubric to define what was expected of students during the activity and prove they were
able to use context clues as a way to learn new vocabulary. The rubric in Figure 1 stated that:
Students earned zero if they were unable to use any context clues, meaning that they are unable
to identify the type of context clues to use and were unable to define the meaning of the word.
Students earned a score of one if they are able to use at least two types of context clues.
However, if the student was unable to identify the type of context clue or define the meaning of
the word (or vice versa), they will remain at the score of one. Students will earn a score of two if
they were able to use all four types of context clues, able to identify the type of context clue to
use, and if they were able to define the meaning of the word appropriately according to the
context of the text.

Figure 1. Rubric created by the lesson study team to evaluate student performance during the live lesson
study cycle on March 8, 2022.
According to the rubric in Figure 1 and the student work collected from the live lesson
study cycle conducted on March 8th, scores for student performance are shown below in Figure
2. There were 20 students who were graded a WB (Well Below), 1 student who was graded at
MP (Meets Proficiency), and 0 students who earned an ME (Meets Expectations). Out of the 21
total students, 16 students turned in incomplete work. This was due to an inadequate amount of
time given to students to complete their independent work. The two focus students, as mentioned
previously in the study’s participants section, both scored WB and turned in incomplete work.
Figure 2. Data on student performance during the live lesson cycle conducted on March 8, 2022
according to the rubric in Figure 1.
Students completed a pre-assessment on March 7, 2022. The results in Figure 3 indicate
that the average score among students was 3.57 out of 5 possible points. The median score was 4
out of 5 possible points, with a majority of students scoring a 3 or 4 out 5 possible points. This
signified that many students had an average or general understanding of the context clue strategy
prior to the lesson presented by the Lesson Study team. The range of scores was 1 to 5, meaning
that there was a wide range of prior knowledge coming into this lesson.
On the day of the lesson, the lesson study group was joined by “Knowledgeable Others
(KO),” as per what we read about in Takahasi and McDougal’s research. The lesson study
group’s KO included two faculty from the University of Hawaii, West Oahu, Professor Stephanie
Kamai and Professor Laurie James and the English Language Learner Specialist, Elsa Ichiki
from Kanoelani Elementary. The KO assisted the process by observing during the lesson and
debriefing with the lesson study group immediately after based on what they observed.
Figure 3. Student results from the pre-assessment conducted via Google Forms on March 7, 2022.
Students completed a post-assessment after the live lesson study cycle on March 8, 2022
via Google Forms. The questions were identical to those on the pre-assessment conducted the
day prior. This practice is done to show the progression and gains made by students after having
been exposed to the lesson. The results from this post-assessment can be seen in Figure 4 below.
The average score was 4.4 out of 5 possible points. The median score was 5 out of 5 possible
points. The range of scores was between 2 to 5 points, meaning that no students scored a 1. A
majority of students scored 5 out of 5 possible points on these post-assessments signifying the
success of the live lesson taught on March 8, 2022. There was significant growth between the
two assessments as more students scored higher after the lesson compared to scores before the
lesson was taught. This data also supports the idea that the lesson had a positive impact on
students’ understanding of using context clues as an effective strategy for vocabulary acquisition.
Figure 4. Student results from the post-assessment conducted via Google Forms on March 8, 2022.
Another piece of data collected regarding student participation can be found in Figure 5
below. This data was collected via observations and anecdotal notes. It is important to note, as
mentioned previously regarding the participants in this study, that in the classroom there are nine
girls and twelve boys. Regarding student participation, members of the lesson study team noted
that throughout the entire live lesson study cycle, eight boys were called on (three of them called
on twice) while only two girls were called on (one of them called on twice).
Figure 5. Pie chart depicting student participation through the frequency of the lesson study teacher
calling on students based on gender.
Findings
According to our results, a majority of the students turned in incomplete work. This
means that many students did not have enough time to complete the assigned independent
activity portion of the lesson. It signifies that this lesson could have succeeded in gathering more
complete student work if it were broken down into several mini-lessons rather than one large
lesson. These mini-lessons could be broken up throughout the week, and it is also a skill that can
easily be spiraled when students are in need of a review. In relation to the research question,
these results confirm that explicit instruction of context clues is an effective strategy to help 5th
grade students understand and acquire new vocabulary.
Under the following, the lesson study was effective for these students. First, the lesson
was engaging and relevant to the students. Students were intrigued at the presence of chocolate
and it related back to the text they were currently reading and interested in. Next, the lesson was
clear and students expressed understanding throughout the activity. Many students nodded their
heads when Ms. Bolton asked yes or no questions, and there were also several participating
students. However, factors such as limited time and misunderstandings in planning could have
contributed to issues, misconceptions, or limitations in the lesson study. In giving more time to
this lesson by breaking it up into several mini-lessons, the lessons study group feels the findings
would have supported our theory that context clues strategy is a viable strategy for vocabulary
acquisition.
According to Innaci and Sam, these conditions are supported by the following study done
by researchers (2017). In their study administered to a set of 40 ESL tertiary level students,
researchers focused on utilizing the context clue strategy as a method of learning vocabulary and
found that this method was effective for a majority of students. However, according to
vocabulary acquisition programs such as Orton Gillingham, these conditions are contradicted.
These programs are backed by research that are rooted in teaching the meanings of commonly
occurring affixes and prioritize a strategy for analyzing the meanings of affixed words that
promoted students’ interest in words and provided them tools for independent word learning.
Other factors that may have contributed to limitations in this lesson study include gender,
bias, and external events that students may have experienced prior to the lesson. Factors that
have contributed to this lesson study’s strengths are the lesson study team’s diligent research and
preparation, as well as Ms. Bolton who visited the classroom the day prior to the official lesson
study.
Conclusion
In conclusion, to answer, “What is an effective strategy that 5th grade students can use to
demonstrate understanding of vocabulary and under what conditions will students be
successful?,” the lesson study team determined that explicit instruction of context clues is a
viable strategy to help 5th grade students understand and acquire new vocabulary. Through the
live lesson study cycle, we were able to conclude that students were open and engaged in the
process and able to use the Context Clue Strategy to acquire new vocabulary. The literature
reviewed as well as the lesson study results signify that student gains were made and that
students benefited from this strategy, however, due to time constraints, the work submitted was
mostly incomplete, leading us to the conclusion that this lesson needed more time for students to
reap the full effectiveness of the strategy. Other conditions that needed to be considered were
ELL students acquiring a new language, students that are below grade level, and those with
behavior issues that prevent them from fully participating in the lesson.
Therefore, it is the belief of the study group that based on the literature reviewed and our
findings from the lesson study, utilizing Context Clues is an effective vocabulary acquisition
strategy, under certain conditions, and ultimately, the teacher must discern which students would
best benefit from using it.

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You, Y. (2011). Factors in vocabulary acquisition through reading. INTESOL Journal, 8(1).
Appendix
Correspondence and collaboration was completed by the Lesson Study Team (Kainani Bolton,
Jaida Cook, Iona Kaai, and Jarika Naputo) via a Shared Google Drive at the following link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dPcI4Xto2Moxv9dm67fhZqWKYMBHjhTQ5wy4aTd-Dt
0/edit?usp=sharing.
Interview transcripts from the Lesson Study Debrief conducted post-live lesson study cycle on
March 8, 2022 can be found at this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q7wRee2pG_DKuQV-mo6MEzFZth7mt_gp9pZE_G1sdy
8/edit?usp=sharing.
● Transcripts from Dr. Laurie James’ feedback of the live lesson study cycle can be found
at this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZRSO4S4OWXn3p-Au20Te_p3wtZQ4LeRi/edit?u
sp=sharing&ouid=107099980401113036807&rtpof=true&sd=true.
See raw data for Figure 2 below.
Total # of (0) (1) (2) *

Teacher
Students WB # / % MP # / % ME # / % Incomplete
Jaida 5 5 - - 1
Kainani 5 5 - - 5
Iona 7 7 - - 7
Jarika 4 3 1 - 3
Total # of (0) (1) (2) *

Students WB # / % MP # / % ME # / % Incomplete
21 20 1 0 16
Focus Student (0) (1) (2) *

Name WB # / % MP # / % ME # / % Incomplete
Jayzen 1 - - 1
Hailey 1 - - 1
A pre-assessment was administered to students via Google Forms the day prior to the live lesson
study cycle on March 7, 2022. See results of this pre-assessment below.
A post-assessment was administered to students via Google Forms on the afternoon of the live
lesson study cycle on March 8, 2022. See results of this post-assessment below.
See raw data for Figure 5 below.
Frequency teacher called on…
Girls 2 – (1 twice)
Boys 8 – (3 twice)
See rubric mentioned in Figure 1 below.

Personal Perspective
As the semester comes to a close, I have reflected on what me and my colleagues have
accomplished in just a few months. In December, we were introduced to the idea of what a
lesson study is. It seemed daunting at first, but seeing who my team members were made me feel
at ease. I knew that I could work really well with my team, and that we would be able to get a lot
out of this experience. My team members were Kainani, Jaida, and Iona. These ladies were a big
reason why I enjoyed this process so much. I think that when you go through a lesson study with
a team that you know you already work well with, it makes a world of difference.
Our group consistently met every Monday at 5:00pm via Google Meet. There were a few
Monday’s we missed such as the Monday during Spring Break or when Monday’s also had a
holiday. I think that it’s important to take breaks from the process every once in a while so that
once you come back to it, you may have a different perspective. I know that we went through
many drafts and ideas of what it is we wanted to get out of our lesson study, and it also may have
been helpful to have invited Dr. Kamai into one of our meeting sessions. I feel that our group
was fairly organized as well. We created a sort of “headquarters” using a master Google Docs
document to keep track of old business, new business, and any immediate next steps that needed
to be taken after each meeting. We would work on the project synchronously and asynchronously
depending on what stage of the lesson study we were at. I know that for most of the research
portion, we worked independently. However, when we came together to share what we found in
our research, it was actually really exciting! I felt that because we had all of the research to speak
on our hypothesis, it made it easier to be intentional about the next stage of the lesson study
process which was to plan the live lesson study cycle.

Planning our live lesson study cycle may have been the most stressful part of the process.
This was because we had so many different and great ideas to create a great lesson plan. I think
that all of these ideas turned out to be a challenge in our lesson planning because we did try to fit
a lot into one single 50 minute lesson. We were told this and tried to shave off some parts of our
lesson, but we still ended up doing a little too much. Although I was only an observer during the
live lesson study cycle, I still felt nervous and anxious for my teammate Kainani as she was
teaching. I wanted to help her where I could and even assist other students throughout the lesson,
but I feel that she did an amazing job of teaching it! I understand that the live lesson study
teachers are not supposed to visit the classroom prior to teaching, but I feel that it really helped
Kainani when she delivered the lesson. She was visibly confident and comfortable, and she was
even to call on students by name. This is something that I believe is truly impactful when
teaching a lesson because students respond well to people that they know. Kainani was even able
to use behavior management strategies that were already in place in the classroom, and because
the students knew that she was aware of them, they were more inclined to be engaged and
participate in the lesson.
In the end, I am happy to hear all the helpful feedback as well as analyze all the useful
data we gathered from our lesson study. This whole process actually forced me to look at the
decisions I made as an educator more closely and figure out how I can be more intentional with
those decisions. For example, instead of just including a resource or activity into my lesson
because it’s fun, I should be looking at it thinking “How will this affect my students’ learning?
How does it fit into the lesson? How does it affect the flow of the lesson?” Ultimately, I believe
that this lesson study process is helpful for pre-service teachers like myself because it helped me
to be more reflective and intentional about my practice.

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Vocabulary Acquisition in the Elementary Classroom 1

Vocabulary Acquisition in the Elementary Classroom

Professor Stephanie Kamai

University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu

April 19, 2022

Word Count: 4762

As a continual process of coming across new words, word-learning strategies are a

these findings in our paper.

Generally, students acquire vocabulary through repetitive programs such as Orton

lead to effective vocabulary acquisition in elementary classrooms, especially in grades 5-6.

Additionally, it explores the effects of learning vocabulary using student-centered strategies

versus programs that emphasize repetition.

VOCABULARY ACQUISITION FOR COMPREHENSION

Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most important features in determining one’s

language proficiency and comprehension. Prior to comprehending vocabulary, students must be

Vocabulary and reading comprehension have a reciprocal relationship. “As greater

prior knowledge and decipher a particular word in a text.

VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH STUDENT-CENTERED STRATEGIES

and comprehend new vocabulary. To encapsulate a more student-centered approach, teachers

them with tools to become independent word-learners.

Another aspect to consider is the relationship between self-regulated vocabulary learning

academic learning. In this regard, development of self-regulation influences reading

Context Clues As a Method of Acquiring Vocabulary

English Language Learners and Vocabulary Acquisition

vocabulary development focuses on challenging content-area vocabulary and more abstract

strategy, vocabulary journals, graphic organizers, and words games.

VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH UTILIZING REPETITION PROGRAMS

How to Teach Them

Vocabulary acquisition programs such as Orton Gillingham and Morphology, analyze

for and implement affix instruction as a valuable component of comprehensive vocabulary

Collaborative Lesson Research: Maximizing the Impact of Lesson Study

called for by the new standards.

OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE REVIEW

effective in vocabulary acquisition. However, in the article, Context Clues As a Method of

insight and perspective of the topic.

Method & Context

version of the visual aid.

displayed positive behavior like listening to the teacher, participating in discussion or

the Context Clue strategy.

a few students to share their reasoning.

location. Students were asked to determine if it is an explanation, antonym, synonym or example,

due to time constraints.

At Kanoelani Elementary, the majority of the school's demographic is Filipino, Native

demographics is primarily made up of Asain, Native Hawaiian, and Caucasian backgrounds. In

Data Collection & Analysis

context of the text.

Students completed a pre-assessment on March 7, 2022. The results in Figure 3 indicate

grade students understand and acquire new vocabulary.

demonstrate understanding of vocabulary and under what conditions will students be

best benefit from using it.

Altalhab, S. (2018). Short- and Long-Term Effects of Repetition Strategies on Vocabulary

Retention. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 9(2), 146–149.

Primary Grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 44–62.

vocabulary acquisition: A knowledge effect? Reading & Writing, 29(4), 761–779.

Gleaton, J. (2013). Brief Report: Integrating Social-Emotional Learning with Literacy

Behavioral Disorders, 39(1), 43–51.

Strategies That Engage. Reading Teacher, 70(3), 273–282. Source.

Strategies: Teach a Child to Fish. Reading Teacher, 71(5), 533–543.

Vocabulary Development. RMLE Online: Research in Middle Level Education, 42(1),

61(2), 134–144. Source.

School Students’ Vocabulary Skills and Reading Comprehension through a Word

Learning Strategies Program. Grantee Submission. Source.

Strategy on the Vocabulary Knowledge of Iranian EFL Learners. English Language