Vocabulary

Words, words and more words

The types of vocabulary

 Receptive Vocabulary
 Vocabulary one can understand
 You may read metamorphosis and understand it, but few
of us would ever use it in our everyday speech
 Vocabulary such as this can also be referred to as
“academic vocabulary”, or vocabulary that we usually only
see in an academic setting
 Expressive or Productive Vocabulary
 Vocabulary one can use
 This is the vocabulary that we use often
The above information is from Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-Sound
Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Morphology. Presentation for TE 301, East
Lansing, Michigan
Vocabulary Stages

 Learning words typically goes in this order:

You get a clear visual and auditory image of
the word. Next you learn the meaning of the
word. After this you make strong memory
connections between form and meaning of
words and then use the word multiple times
to cement it into memory.
 A person’s knowledge of a word also has a
natural progression…
The above information is from Mumford, S. Grammar and vocabulary:
learning vocabulary - connecting form and meaning.
http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?docid=146462
Vocabulary Stages Cont’d

 The natural progression:

 No knowledge
 You have no knowledge of the word
 General sense
 Having an idea about what a word means
 Knowing indignant implies something bad for example
 Narrow, context-bound knowledge
 Knowing a word only in the context in which it was heard

The above information is from Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-

Sound Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Morphology. Presentation for
TE 301, East Lansing, Michigan
Vocabulary Stages Cont’d
 Having knowledge of a word, but not being able to
recall it in appropriate situations
 Generally leads to the feeling of the word being on the
“tip of the tongue”
 Rich, decontextualized knowledge
 Knowledge of the meaning of the word, its relationship to
other words and extensions/metaphoric uses of the word

The above information is from Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-

Sound Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Morphology. Presentation for TE
301, East Lansing, Michigan
How Vocabulary is learned
 Vocabulary is learned through direct
instruction, exposure or both
 Direct instruction
 During direct instruction, teachers specifically
spell out and teach the meaning of vocabulary
words
 Teachers also put the word in various contexts to
deepen the meaning and strengthen connections
 The main way to assess students knowledge of
vocabulary learned through instruction is by a
spelling test
The above information is from Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-Sound
Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Morphology. Presentation for TE 301, East
Lansing, Michigan
How Vocabulary is Learned Cont’d
 Exposure
 This vocabulary is learned from reading,
conversations with peers, T.V., etc.
 Example: My girlfriend’s little sister learned the term
“wack” at the age of 7
 By creating an environment in our
classrooms that is rich in language and by
choosing the right words for direct instruction,
teachers can help facilitate an ever
increasing vocabulary for students
The above information is from Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-Sound
Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Morphology. Presentation for TE 301, East
Lansing, Michigan
How Vocabulary is Learned, Cont’d
 Since we can’t teach students every word they will
need to know though, they are taught ways to
figure out unfamiliar words that they learn through
exposure
 Contextual analysis: using the context before and after the
word to figure out the meaning
 Morphological analysis: Using the parts of words and their
meaning to figure out the meaning of the word as a whole
 Lexical Resources: Using reference tools like dictionaries,
thesauruses, etc.
 These resources are limited though in that only the definition
of the word is given
 Children’s peers are another good source in that they may
be able to explain the meaning in a way/make
connections that an adult wouldn’t
The above information is from Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-
Sound Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Morphology. Presentation for TE
301, East Lansing, Michigan
Vocabulary issues for SLL’s
 There are many problems that face Second Language
Learners when it comes to learning vocabulary
 They are often trying to learn vocabulary in their own language at
the same time
 Academic vocabulary is more of a challenge because it is often
only learned/discussed during school, where as everyday
vocabulary is used all of the time (lots of repetition/practice)
 Words that have multiple meanings in English that only have one
meaning in their language can pose a particular problem
 There are some advantages that SLL’s have though
 Learning a word in one language may help in figuring out the
meaning of a word in English
 Also, learning a word in both languages gives SLL’s a deeper
understanding of the word
The above information is from Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-Sound
Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Morphology. Presentation for TE 301, East
Lansing, Michigan
Assessments and Activities
 Word of the Day
 Teach a new word each day
 Give a quiz at the end of each week to test the words learned
during the week
 This will help build vocabulary
 Vocabulary across the curriculum
 While reading in a history textbook, create a list of
vocabulary for the students to learn for each chapter, prior
to reading the chapter
 Have the students read the chapter, making sure to pay
special interest to the vocabulary words
 Read the chapter aloud with the class while asking what
vocabulary words mean as they come up in the text
(Field Notes, February 19th)
Assessments and Activities

 ABC books
 Have students create ABC books that include
vocabulary on a unit of study
 Students then discover the meaning of these words and
the context to which they apply
 Illustrations can be added for further effect

 When the books are completed, they are shared with the

class and then are used as a resource for the entire

class
(http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/lessons/276.html)
References
• Shedd, Meagan (2008). More Letter-Sound Knowledge, Vocabulary,
and Morphology. Presentation for TE 301, East Lansing, Michigan
 Mumford, S. Grammar and vocabulary: learning vocabulary -
connecting form and meaning.
http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?docid=146462
 Field Notes (2008). February 19th visit to Mt. Hope Elementary
 Henry, L. ABC Bookmaking Builds Vocabulary in the Content Areas.
http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/lessons/276.html