Reviving Vocabulary: Genuine and Generative Vocabulary Instruction

The Common Core states, “It is widely accepted among researchers that the difference in students’ vocabulary levels is a key factor in disparities in academic achievement (Baumann & Kameenui, 1991; Becker, 1977; Stanovich, 1986) but that vocabulary instruction has been neither frequent nor systematic in most schools (Biemiller, 2001; Durkin, 1978; Lesaux, Kieffer, Faller, & Kelley, 2010; Scott & Nagy, 1997)” (Common Core Standards Appendix A). In order to promote student success, we must focus on increasing their vocabulary knowledge; however, students do not retain knowledge of words until they have repeated exposure to them. Explicit vocabulary instruction is important, but is often focused on tier three domain specific words instead of on frequently occurring tier two words required for understanding complex texts. Students need more textual exposure, and exposure to more words, as conversational language typically contains a working vocabulary of only 4,000 words and complex texts demand a working vocabulary of a million words.

Vocabulary knowledge is an essential component of efferent reading. The goal for vocabulary instruction is for learning to be genuine and generative. Students should learn words through direct instruction with the goal that they move toward learning words on their own through their own reading and writing, and that they and find an appreciation for words and their usage. As researchers, such as Michael F. Graves have suggested, vocabulary instructional should focus on direct instruction of individual words, the teaching word learning strategies, extensive and varied reading, and the fostering of word consciousness.

My goal as a teacher is to engage in explicit instruction of tier two words that are integral to my lessons instead of being secondary or tertiary to the instructional focus. I work to on taking explicit vocabulary instruction out of its typical role as a class starter or as text-specific term lists, and I utilize it as a jumping off point into lessons that focus on reading, textual analysis, and writing.

My approach rests on a synthesis of the work of Janet Allen, Isabel L. Beck, Robert J. Marzano, Carol Jago, Jim Burke, and others, as well as my experiences in teaching AP English Literature at a diverse Title 1 school.

I work to engage my students in explicit vocabulary instruction that promotes vocabulary development, richer reading experiences, and literary analysis skills through:

Graphic organizers; such as Concept Circles, Linear Arrays, and my Generating Gyre

Class discussion and student collaboration

Visual representation and reinforcement

Concept attainment strategies

Semantic Feature Analysis & Semantic Mapping

Focused Cloze

Forced Association

Strategic prefix, suffix, root word and base word instruction

Word rich & Word Conscious classroom environments

Through my approach I wish (using Shakespeare’s apt words) to show how to move students from seeing vocabulary as simply “words, words, words” into viewing them as “gracious words to revive…drooping thoughts”.