Professional Development 12/10/14

Professional Development Workshop

December 10, 2014
Building Vocabulary for English Language Learners

Facilitors: Jenelle Fiori and Cinthia Rodriguez

Agenda:
1. Introduction
2. Discuss BICS/ CALP
3. Common Challenges for Content
Area Teachers
4. Where to Start: Tier Words
5. Differentiating Vocabulary for
ELLs
6. Strategies for Developing
Vocabulary Skills
7. Activities Building Vocabulary
8. Review and Reflect

Building Vocabulary

Attendees:
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Building Vocabulary for ELLs
1. INTRODUCTION:

What is Vocabulary?
-Vocabulary is the body of words used in a particular language.

Why is important for ELLs to build vocabulary?

While without grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.
David Wilkins (1972)
-A student's maximum level of reading fluency and comprehension is determined by their
knowledge of words. This word knowledge allows students to comprehend texts. Building
vocabulary helps students in their reading comprehension by developing the ability to define a
word, the ability to recognize when to use that word, the knowledge of its multiple meanings, the
ability to decode and spell that word. While building vocabulary allows students to gain
comprehension skills, it also allows students to gain confidence in themselves and gain the tools
and skills necessary for comprehension.
2. BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)/ CALP (Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency)

-Scientific research proves that vocabulary development in

children is learned indirectly through conversation among peers
(receptive vocabulary), listening to adults (receptive vocabulary)
and in speaking/ reading/ writing application (expressive
vocabulary).

-BICS: Developmental conversational skills; usually developed

through face-to-face interaction
ie: slangs, idioms, gestures, curse words

-CALP: the use of language in academic situations

ie: vocab within the content area
3. Common Challenges for Content Area Teachers:
-We dont have time/ Its one more thing to put on my plate.
-Students are unable to understand the context or proper use of the word.
-Students do not have memory skills (rote memory).
-Students do not understand how to use a dictionary.
-How can I meet all student needs?
-That is not my job!
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If mainstream teachers do not recognize this distinction between social and academic
language proficiency, they may not pay explicit attention to the level and development of
(academic) oral proficiency for ELLs. Instead, ELLs will be expected to acquire all aspects
of their L2 by osmosis- Harper/ Jong; p 104
**Remember: an effective teacher knows his/ her students, their cultural and linguistic background.
This will allow teachers to better understanding of student mistakes, including code-switching,
prepositional use, sentence structures, etc. Thus, effective teachers integrate features of language into
the content area objectives.**
4. Where to Start: TIER WORDS
Within the English Language, there are about 171,476 words in existence. For English Language
Learners, it is best to group these words based on tiers. These three tiers of vocabulary are
grouped as follows:

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5. Differentiating Vocabulary for ELLs among the age levels
In any classroom, it is very important to differentiate to accommodate all background
experiences, cultures, languages, personalities, interests, and attitudes toward learning.
Differentiation should include background building, scaffolding, modified worksheets/materials,
visuals, tangible materials, realia, musical influences, etc. Additionally, lessons should include many
opportunities for students to utilize multiple language modalities, including speaking, listening,
reading and writing.
6. Strategies for Developing Vocabulary Skills
-Strategies to develop student vocabulary skills should work to target:

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Root words
Word in Own Language
Definitions
Synonyms/Antonyms
Parts of speech

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Transitive/intransitive verb
Usually followed by...
Examples of usage
Word families
Pronunciation

-Some useful, everyday strategies that can be used in any classroom may include:

! Flashcards
! Homemade dictionaries
! Simple sentences for vocabulary
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use
Word Walls
Word(s) of the Day/Week
Hands-on Materials
Realia Association
Interactive Readers Notebook

! Association through
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literacy/reading books
Acting
Semantic Webs
Visuals
Graphic organizers
Dialogue journals
Writer Workshops
Story Maps
Personalized Word Walls

Strategy Samples:

Interactive Readers Binder

Flashcards

Literary Word Wall

Personalized Word Walls

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Research on Vocabulary Instruction: Voltaire Redux
James Baumann, Edward Kameemui, and Gwynne Ash
Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, pages 752-785

Three Instructional Objectives and Corresponding Means to Achieve Each
based on research by Graves, Baker, Baumann, Kameemui, and Ash
1. Teach students to learn words independently 1. Have students listen to live and recorded oral discourse.

Read to them and have them listen to stories, books, plays, songs, poems, fiction and nonfiction
prose, and simple conversation. It would be very unwise to underestimate the power of simple oral
exposure
to vocabulary.
2. Promote wide independent reading at home and school. Make independent reading a regular, significant
part of the language arts curriculum. We believe in the power of incidental learning of vocabulary, but

incidental word learning cannot rely on accidental reading.
3. Engage students in oral and written compositions on a regular and sustained basis. Have students
express
themselves in writing and speech daily. Generative processes must be used and exercised if
receptive
vocabulary is to become expressive.
4. Teach students formally and directly the transferable and generalizable vocabulary learning strategies of

morphemic and contextual analysis. It is likely that this instruction will enhance students' ability to

acquire word meanings incidentally from written and oral texts.
5. Teach students to use regular and specialized dictionaries and the thesaurus. This instruction may be

mundane, but skilled and timely use of these tools is essential for later sustained and independent

vocabulary growth.
6. Provide students with activities that allow them to explore the richness and subtleties of word meanings
in
natural contexts (Scott, Butler, Asselin, & Henry, 1966), and provide them opportunities to make
choices
about and to assume responsibility for which vocabulary to learn (Fisher et al., 1996).
Teach students the meanings of specific words
1. Teach synonyms or definitions for specific words through rote or mnemonic strategies. There will be
times when students must learn labels for limited numbers of words; in those situations, select the most

efficient and cost effective approaches.
2. Provide students partial knowledge of many unknown words. Simple definitional strategies or
preexposure prior to reading or listening will provide students a foot-in-the door level of knowledge for
words that they may learn more deeply and fully over time with additional subsequent exposures.
3. Preteach critical vocabulary necessary to comprehend selections students read in basal readers and in
content
area textbooks. Deep, rich levels of word knowledge are needed in order to affect text
comprehension,
and costly strategies such as semantic relatedness or definitional/context methods
must be employed in order to achieve this objective.
Help students to develop an appreciation for words and to experience enjoyment and satisfaction in
their use 1. Set a positive model. Demonstrate how word play can be interesting end enjoyable by
expressing the value in
possessing a versatile vocabulary and by demonstrating how word learning
can be interesting and fun.
2. Have fun with words. Play word games linked to content topics and ones that may be done purely for

entertainment and enjoyment.
3. Promote student use of vocabulary learned at school in nonschool contexts
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7. Activities for Building Vocabulary within the Content Area

a. Vocabulary Organizer (Good to introduction to unit vocabulary and

promotes dictionary/research skills; Grade 3+)

Directions: Use a dictionary and your Edge textbook to complete the vocabulary list below.
Define each word, make a sentence using the word, then draw they word.
Word

Definition

Use it in a
sentence

Draw it

Appearance
(noun)
Depressed
(adjective)
Distorted
(adjective)
Illusion
(noun)
Normal
(adjective)
Solution
(noun)
Transform
(verb)
Weight
(noun)

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b. Vocabulary Puzzle (Useful for just beginning a unit; Grade 3+)

Directions: On index large index cards, write a given

vocabulary word, its definition and an example. Cut out the
pieces and distribute to students. Allow students to go
around the room to find their teammates. Once students
have found their matches, ask each group to present their
words. Be prepared to write/paste these words on chart
paper to use as a visual.

c. Wheel of Vocabulary Fortune (Great for unit review OR introduction; All ages)

Directions: Have students spin the Wheel of Vocabulary

Fortune. Whatever the spinner lands on, the students must do
in respect to a given vocabulary word. This is great for review
and is differentiated for students who need constant
stimulation/hands on interaction.

d. Vocabulary Heads-Up (Great idea for interaction; All ages)

Directions: Give each child a list, clip board, pencil and one flash
card (on a headband). Allow students to go around the room
wearing the flashcards on their forehead. They must ask each
other one question to try to guess their vocabulary word. They
can take notes to help them remember their clues. This activity
can also be used for sight words.
e. Vocabulary Beach Ball (Tangible activity; Lower Elementary)

Directions: Write the current vocabulary words on the different panels

of a beach ball. Have students take turns tossing the ball to one another
and acting out the word that their right thumb lands on. Other students
must guess which word is being acted out.

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8. Review and Reflect

How has this PD module changed your thinking about building vocabulary for ELLs?
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What are some ways you can incorporate vocabulary activities into your content area?
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Bibliography
Baumann, J., Kameemu, E., & Ash, G. (2003). Three Instructional Objectives and Corresponding Means to Achieve
Each. Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, Research on Vocabulary Instruction:
Voltaire Redux, 752-785. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from
http://www.education.ne.gov/read/professionaldevelopment/AddVocabResearch.pd
Bilash, O. (2009, May 1). BICS/CALP: Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills vs. Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency. University ofAlberta. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from
http://www.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.Bilash/best of bilash/bics calp.html
Hutton, T. (2008). Three Tiers of Vocabulary and Education. Super Duper Handy Handouts, (182). Retrieved
December 1, 2014, from http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/182_VocabularyTiers.pdf
Jong, E., & Harper, C. (2005). Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good
Teacher Good Enough? Teacher Education Quarterly, (Spring 2005), 101-124. Retrieved December 1,
2014, from http://www.teqjournal.org/backvols/2005/32_2/13dejong&harper.pdf
*Also thanks to Pinterest for the many activity ideas**

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