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Problems in Vocabulary Instruction in Primary Grades and Effective Strategies Stacy Fenton Novemeber 6, 2013 Dr. Swaggerty

Introduction Studies have suggested that oral vocabulary development is extremely essential to childrens long term reading comprehension. Once a child reaches the intermediate grades with limited vocabulary knowledge, that child is likely to fall behind in reading comprehension and will more than likely continue to struggle as readers throughout their school career (Neuman, 2012). This being said, it is the job of educators to close this vocabulary gap. A convergence of research evidence has shown that oral vocabulary development is essential to childrens long term reading comprehension. By fourth grade, children with limited vocabulary knowledge are likely to slump and will likely continue to struggle throughout their schooling. (Neuman, 2012) This quote depicts the unfortunate truth, which if educators fail to close the vocabulary gap in primary grades then students will fail. In order for teachers to be successful, the issues facing vocabulary instruction need to be faced. Since vocabulary plays such a big role in the reading process, it also ties directly with comprehension. The next step would be to reform our vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary instruction can be reformed by utilizing incidental and intentional learning as well as fully developing proven instructional strategies.

Problems in Vocabulary Instruction In order to figure out how vocabulary instruction needs to change, the problems must first be faced. The amount of time dedicated to teaching vocabulary in schools is very low. According to Asselin et al (2003), who conducted a research examining when,

where, how often and how effectively vocabulary instruction occurred in different Canadian elementary classrooms, only six percent of school time was devoted to the development of vocabulary knowledge. Even though the time spent on instruction doesnt necessarily correlate with quality instruction, studies have shown students word knowledge is broadened when they are in a vocabulary enriched environment. Another issue is that most vocabulary instruction takes place in specialized areas such as social studies, science, and read-alouds. Yet, on average, teachers devoted less than eleven minutes per day to read-alouds, only about two minutes per day to science instruction, and one minute to social studies instruction (Cohen & Byrnes, 2007). When instruction takes place during these times, tier three words are often the level being taught. While content specific words are important, they do not occur at a high level across texts. Also, these words are taught isolated from reading and spelling instruction and therefore often ignores the structural components of words such as comprehension, syntax, and phonics. (Cohen & Byrnes, 2007)

Incidental VS. Intentional Learning Incidental learning, or teachable moments, are moments that teachers do not plan for. These moments are important to students because they are relevant to their lives. These can be inspired by a thought-provoking comment made by a student or an abrupt stop in their day. Teachers can make the most out of each teachable moment by having flexibility in their lesson plans. Intentional learning follows, or very closely follows, the lesson plan the teacher makes. In this way teachers can create their own

teachable moments by exposing students to new vocabulary words in a controlled setting. Teachers often use a variety of strategies during this time. (Neuman, 2012) Although, both of these concepts play a critical role in vocabulary development, neither is enough alone. Together teachers can use teachable and planned moments to strengthen students vocabulary. Its important that students see formal and informal ways to learn vocabulary because each method ties in a different way to their lives. An ongoing controversy that takes place in the classroom is whether vocabulary instruction should be integrated or isolated. Unfortunately, isolated instruction has proven to be a faulty system when it comes to teaching vocabulary. Isolated instruction happens because often vocabulary is only taught in content related areas such as social studies or science. This relates to intentional and incidental learning. A student will thrive with a mixture of both, one cannot survive on its own. It is critical for teachers to realize the power they have in regards to developing students word knowledge. According to Brabham & Villaume (2002), there are four key insights that can help teachers know where to start. First, word learning takes place in many steps over time. Word knowledge is not something that can be gained overnight, students need multiple opportunities with the word to fully understand it. Next, words that represent an entirely new concept need a different type of instruction than those words that are familiar. When introducing words that are familiar, background knowledge can be activated. However when bringing a new word in teachers have to set the stage for that word and its meaning. Another insight is that numerous exposures are helpful in understanding words. When children are exposed to the words multiple times and with different instructional angles, they are more likely to remember and use

those words. Lastly, traditional dictionaries are poor tools for learning the meaning of words. Dictionaries do little to help bring meaning to words, students need to feel a purpose to learn such words. With these essential key insights in mind, Brabham & Villaume (2002) identified three main goals for vocabulary instruction; teach students how to learn words independently, teach student specific words, and help students appreciate words as tools of communication (Brabham & Villaume, 2002). In fact, Educators should feel encouraged to use more sophisticated vocabulary around their students in order to promote vernacular expansion. Children pick up on the words that are being said around them, so if they are in an enriched vocabulary setting they are more likely to begin to use those words.

The Solution Its one of the most used techniques; encouraging your students to use vocabulary that has been taught both orally and in their writing. Teachers can encourage their students to use vocabulary by engaging them in meaningful lessons regulary. Studies show, the more times children are shown a concept the more familiar they are with it. This can be done by having students create a story or just simply have a conversation with a peer. When students are encouraged and praised for implementing vocabulary in their day, it will eventually become second nature. As educators it is essential to understand the types of the problems that arise with teaching vocabulary. Effective strategies are a big part of the solution. Knowing what and how to teach vocabulary can make a difference in the classroom.

Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 words Knowing and becoming familiar with the types of vocabulary levels is a great place to start increasing teacher knowledge. There are multiple leveling systems used in vocabulary instruction, they all level their words based on frequency. Tier words are broken down into three main categories of word levels; tier one, tier two, and tier three. By using this organizational framework teachers can begin to decided when and how to teach them. Tier one words are the most basic words and are usually a part of the average childs vocabulary. These words are learned by hearing them said by friends, family, and teachers and because of that they rarely require direct instruction. Tier one vocabulary consists of sight words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and early reading words. Tier two words are also known as high frequency words. These words are found throughout adult conversations and literature so they have been considered to have strong effects on speaking and reading. This level is considered the most important level when it comes to direct instruction because these words make it easy to gage where a childs progress is throughout school. Tier three words are considered low frequency. This level is found in content heavy areas of instruction. These words have specific meaning to the particular subject, for example the word meiosis is specific to biology. Even though the use of these words occur in content specific areas, their degree of difficulty is still high (Kucan, 2012). With all of the different rules surrounding tier leveled words, how are teachers supposed to decipher which to teach? When deciding what words to use for instruction, keep in mind that; the word needs to be generally useful, students should come across

that word in a variety of texts, and they should be able to use the word to describe their own experiences. When students can relate what vocabulary words they are learning to their own lives, they become more engaged. The three tier system helps this happen because tier two words, or high frequency words, are words that students hear on a day to day basis.

Text Talk and Word Walk Text talk is a strategy that has been used for quite some time. During the implementation of text talk, the vocabulary component happens after reading the story by direct instruction. The teacher will usually focus on four targeted words. First, a teacher using text talk reminds students of how the targeted word was used in the storybook and provides a definition of the word. Next, the teacher provides opportunities for students to use the word or to respond to the teachers example of usin g the word through discussion. Finally, the teacher asks students to say the word. Studies have shown that this strategy can be tweaked to become a more effective instruction strategy (Blarney & Beauchat ,2011). Word walk is an extension of text talk. Rather than focusing on vocabulary exclusively after reading, Work Walk calls childrens attention to specific words before, during, and after reading. Word Walk focuses on two to four words over a two day period. When reading to young children it is important to remember that introducing the word ahead of time helps them listen for the word during reading, it almost becomes a fun game. When students find the word in the text, its almost impossible to keep on

reading, so its a good place to stop and reiterate what that targeted vocabulary word means. Finally, children are engaged in vocabulary instruction after reading because they had just heard the targeted vocabulary in meaningful context. Use the following steps to implement Word Walk in your classroom today. Choose a childrens book with rich vocabulary, vivid illustrations, and an interesting story line. In addition, consider whether the book will engage your student audience. Find one or two words from the book to target for vocabulary instruction. Choose words that students will find fun to use! Gather props that you can use to introduce the words. Consider photographs, puppets, or concrete objects that help describe the meanings of the words. Plan your childfriendly definitions of the words. Explain the meanings of the words in ways your students will understand. Review how the words were used in the book, think of examples of how the words can be used in ways other than how they were used in the book. Reread the sequence to remind yourself of the order of teaching the words before, during, and after reading. Make a plan to revisit the same words during the very next storybook reading. Have fun leading children on a journey of word learning! (Blarney & Beauchat ,2011).

Using multiple methods According to Cervetti et al (2012), there are six main aspects of gaining word knowledge from the literature; definition, context, classification/examples, application, interrelatedness, and recognition. Definition is when word knowledge is demonstrated through the selection of the correct meaning of the word. Context was demonstrated through the choice of a target word used in an overall correct scientific context.

Classification/Example is the identification of an example from the group the word represented or by placing the word into a category the word represented. Application is when word knowledge is demonstrated through the determination of a target word's significance in a new context. When context is used its important to use real word context as well as subject context. Interrelatedness happens when students can pick out words from a group that resemble the target word. Recognition refers to the familiarity of a word. Often times a scale is used to gage how well a student knows a word (Cervetti, 2009).

Story Innovation One of the more engaging ways to support word work is through the use of story innovation. Story innovation describes a strategy where a sentence template is used and students create new sentences by exchanging one key word. Story innovation allows students to enjoy reading and writing in structured format. When planning for story innovation there are three things to keep in mind determine the way in which a story might be innovated, familiarize students with the sentence and patterns, and develop this around a topic that interests students. It is also important to remember that there are multiple ways the sentence can be changed such as the characters, setting, verbs, dialogue, or any combination of the above (Griffith, 2007). Although this strategy may seem a little mundane, teachers can take it one step further to make it more difficult. Teachers can give students a list of vocabulary words and the students would have to create a story containing those words. However way teachers decide to implement this strategy, it is a fun, creative way to get students involved.

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Conclusion Vocabulary instruction is considered extremely popular in the reading world. Vocabulary is such a critical part of comprehension, it is essential that educators engage their students with meaningful vocabulary. Teachers must take responsibility for their skill set when it comes to vocabulary instruction. This means incorporating more incidental and intentional teaching, using advanced vocabulary that motivates critical thinking, and engaging the students with inviting rhetoric. Knowledgeable teachers empower students, empowered students become successful.

Reflection Over the past weeks, I have learned a lot about vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary is so important. It directly relates to almost every other school related activity such as, writing, reading, and comprehension. The problems that educators face in terms of vocabulary instruction are vast. Here we are trying to make sure that we have time for everything that students need to learn, and then there is no time for meaningful vocabulary. I really liked the strategies I talked about in this paper. The most important one, I think, would be the use of different instructional methods. Differentiation is critical in the classroom, and when you use the methods listed above you can create an environment where everyone can get the instruction they need. Actually writing this paper was a pretty big challenge for me. I have never written a paper of this length and content before. I was extremely nervous when I started. At my first peer conference, I only had about two pages! Im still nervous as I get read y to turn

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it in. My paper has come a long way, I developed a lot of my ideas as well as took some completely out. Organization was a struggle for me too, I used my time in the writing center to talk about that. Hopefully, my paper flows a lot better than it did. APA style is not my strong suit, Im still stuck in the confines of MLA, but I still think that Ive gotten stronger over the course of the semester. I feel confident in the knowledge that Ive gained. Hopefully, I portrayed how much I have learned in the paper I wrote.

Digital Project: http://msfentonsclassroom.weebly.com/

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Reference List: Asselin, M., Jamieson-Noel, D., & Scott, J. (2003). Vocabulary instruction throughout the day in twenty-three Canadian upper-elementary classrooms. The Elementary School Journal , 103(3), 269-286. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1002272 Blarney, K. L., & Beauchat, K. A. (2011). Word Walk .The Reading Teacher, 65(1), 7175. doi:10.1598/RT.65.1.9 Brabham, E. & Villaume, S. (2002) Vocabulary instruction: Concerns and visions. The Reading Teacher, 56(3), 264-268 Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20205189 Cervetti, G. N., TIlson, J. L., Caster, J., Bravo, M. A., & Trainin, G. (2012). Examining multiple dimensions of word knowledge for content vocabulary understanding. Journal of Education, 192(2/3), 49-61. Cohen, L., & Byrnes, K. (2007). Engaging children with useful words: vocabulary instruction in a third grade classroom. Reading Horizons, 47(4), 271-293. Dwyer, J.,Newman, E., & Neuman, S. (2011). Educational effects of a vocabulary intervention on preschoolers' word knowledge and conceptual development: A cluster-randomized trial. International Reading Association. 46(3), 249-272. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41228653 Graves, M. F., & Watts-Taffe, S. (2008). For the love of words: Fostering word consciousness in young Readers. Reading Teacher, 62(3), 185-193. doi:10.1598/RT.62.3.1 Griffith, P. L., & Ruan, J. (2007). Story innovation: An instructional strategy for developing vocabulary and fluency. The Reading Teacher, 61(4), 334-338. doi:10.1598/RT.61.4.6 Jalongo, M., & Sobolak, M. (2011). Supporting young children's vocabulary growth: The challenges, the benefits, and evidence-based strategies. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(6), 421-429. doi:10.1007/s10643-010-0433 Kucan, L. (2012). What Is Most Important to Know About Vocabulary? Reading Teacher, 65(6), 360-366. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01054 Neuman, S. (2012). More than teachable moments: Enhancing oral vocabulary instruction in your classroom. Reading Teacher, 66(1), 63-67. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01104

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Wright, T. S. (2012). What classroom observations reveal about oral vocabulary instruction in kindergarten. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(4), 353-355. doi:10.1002/RRQ.026