CONVERSATION,

COMPREHENSION,
VOCABULARY
CONNECTIONS
Stephanie Thompson
CIRG 653
Module VII

CONVERSATION IN
LANGUAGE

CONVERSATION IN LANGUAGE

What does conversation do?

Conversation

creates opportunities for language

to be expanded (Clay, 1998)
In reading, speaking, and writing, a students
brain sent all those structural discoveries about
language to some single source where they are
all available, accessible, and on call for any
language activity. (Clay, 1998)

CONVERSATION IN LANGUAGE

Misconception: Reading, writing, talking is

taught separately
because

teachers think they are all learned so

easily so they teach them separately?
because teachers are confused by the complexity
of language?
These subjects are best taught together.

CONVERSATION IN LANGUAGE

Reading text is a perfect opportunity to have

meaningful conversations to check for
understanding
Main

idea
Summarizing
Setting
Grammar
Purpose

CONVERSATION IN MY
CLASSROOM

Opportunities to talk: EVERYTHING

Grammar
Comprehension
Close Read
Essential Question
Writing process
Presenting written pieces of work
Math problems

COMPREHENSION IN
LANGUAGE

WHAT IS COMPREHENSION?

Comprehension is a constructive interactive

process involving three focus factors- the
reader, the text, and the context in which
the text is read. (Gunning, 2005)

COMPREHENSION IN LEARNING

Key Components:
Purpose

for reading: What am I looking for?

Role of Reasoning: ability to make inferences
using reasoning skills & background knowledge
Standard of Coherence: sense of logic &
consistency
Surface Structure: what is in the text
Schema: organized knowledge of people, places,
things, or events (Gunning, 2005)

COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES

Preparational strategy:
preview

(overview from the title, subheadings)

activate prior knowledge (What do I already
know?)
setting purposes and goals
(What should I get out of this?)
predicting (make an educated
guess using prior knowledge)

COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES

Organizational strategy:
Great

for identifying the main idea & supporting

details
What is the passage all about?
Summarizing
Sequencing
Think alouds

VOCABULARY IN
LANGUAGE

VOCABULARY IN LEARNING

Good way to increase comprehension is

increase vocabulary
To be proficient readers and writers,
students must build their vocabulary and
learn strategies for coping with difficult
words. (Gunning, 2005)

CHOOSING WORDS TO TEACH

3 Tiers of vocabulary words

Tier

1: words are basic, learned in conversation

with peers/discussions
Tier 2: high utility, learned in print rather than
conversation; require instruction using familiar
concepts; not synonyms, but help precisely
describe
Tier 3: technical words used in content areas

TEACHING VOCABULARY WORDS

Teach words when students will soon learn

them in text/selections
Do not simply define them once a week
Use them in conversation, reading, and
writing
Implement word of the day

WORD LEARNING TASKS

Learning new words that represent known

concepts
Using

context clues, synonyms, more precise

expression

Create a deeper understanding of known

words (Gunning, 2005)
Shades

of meaning

SUMMARY

Conversation, Comprehension, and

Vocabulary are all vital components for a
successful Reading Language Arts student.
Understanding of each component is
important
More importantly, knowing how these
components work together in a system will
allow students more oral, written, and
reading expansion.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Clay, M. M. (1998). By different paths to

common outcomes. York, Me.: Stenhouse.

Gunning, T. G., & Gunning, T. G. (2005).

Creating literacy instruction for all
students. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.