Expanding Academic Vocabulary

Chapter 7 (in both 6th and 7th editions)

Important: Limited vocabulary does negatively affect reading achievement. Avid readers have larger
vocabularies simply because they read more. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer (known as
the Matthew Effect)
How can we make sure that our students vocabularies are not limited?

Immerse them in a word-rich environment through listening, talking, reading, and writing
Read aloud daily
Allow time for independent reading daily
Use explicit vocabulary instruction to teach specific words and word-learning strategies
Develop student interest in words
Allow for multiple exposures to words

Teaching Academic Vocabulary (words that are frequently used in the content areas: language
arts, social studies, science, math, etc.); show words from all tiers on word walls, in mentor texts, in
read alouds, etc., but explicitly teach Tier 2 words in language arts classrooms

Tier 1 Words-common words found in the content areas for which students do not need much
direct instruction; they are commonly used in oral language; examples: animal, clean,
laughing, etc.
o For ELL or Struggling Readers: use pictures, demonstration, etc. to help students learn
these words
Tier 2 Words-common words found in the content areas for which students do need direct
instruction; they are not commonly used in oral language; for examples: preposition in literacy
and aroma in literature
o For ELL or Struggling Readers: remember to teach the multiple meanings of words and
use cognates (words that are similar in the home language) to help with understanding;
also do not forget that transition, and other abstract words, need to be taught
Tier 3 Words-uncommon words that are content specific, abstract, and rarely found in either
written or oral language; language arts instructional time should not be used to explicitly teach
these words; they will be taught within specific units or content-area classrooms; during units,
teachers can use word study, word posters, word sorts, semantic feature analyses, etc.; for
example: osmosis in science and suffrage in social studies
o For ELL or Struggling Readers: the same teaching practice listed above applies

Another Point to Consider:

Students need word consciousness (an interest in learning and using words). Students who
have developed word consciousness:
o Use words skillfully
o Appreciate and value words
o Know when to use a social and academic words
o Understand the power of word choice

o Are motivated to learn new words

Teachers can facilitate word consciousness by:
o Modeling interest in words
o Modeling the precise use of vocabulary
o Highlighting excellent vocabulary (in read alouds, mentor texts, spoken language, etc.)
o Encouraging students to collect great vocabulary words in journals, word walls, etc.

Playing with language can develop word consciousness and vocabulary knowledge.
Consider:

Playing with literary language/word play:

o Alliteration-a series of words that start with the same beginning sound; example: Peter
Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
o Eponyms-something that is named after a person; example: sandwich is named after
the John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792)
o Hyberbole-extreme exaggeration; example: My feet are killing me. (Do your feet actually
kill you?)
o Idioms-groups of words that have special meanings; example: in hot water means that
you are in trouble
o Onomatopoeia-words that imitate sound; example: tick-tock
o Oxymoron-two contradictory words that create a paradoxical image; jumbo shrimp (How
can a shrimp (something small) be super big (jumbo)?)
o Palindromes-words that read the same forward and backwards: example: mom
o Personification-when inanimate objects get human traits: example: The raindrops
danced on my umbrella. (Can raindrops actually dance?)
o Portmanteau-fusing two words to create a new word with meaning; example: spork (a
utensil that looks like a spoon and a fork combined)
o Simile-comparison using like or as; It is as hot as an oven in here. It feels like an oven
in here.
o Metaphor-comparison without using like or as; example: This room is an oven.
o Spoonerisms-slips of the tongue or intentionally switching sounds in words to make a
new, humorous word; example: flutterby for the word butterfly
Playing with multiple meanings of words:
o Investigate grammar forms that can change meaning (verb, noun, etc.); example: bank
is a noun in this sentence (I put my money in the bank.), but it is a verb in this sentence
(The plane banked to the left.)
o Investigate word origin (etymology can be found in dictionaries and through Google
searches) that can change meaning- example: bank from Viking origin relates to a
slope, like a steep bank of a hill, but bank from Italian origin relates to a money
changers table, like saving your money in the bank
o Investigate figurative use of the word that can change meaning-example: dont bank on
it is figurative for dont depend on it happening
Playing with same and different
o Synonyms-words that express similar meanings
o Antonyms-words that express opposite meanings
o Homonyms-words that have different meanings but are spelled or sound the same

Homophones-words that sound the same but have different spellings and
meanings; example: air and heir
Homographs-words that are written/spelled the same but sound differently and
have different meanings; for example: wind (I wind the clock. The wind blew
hard.)
Playing with Roots/Affixes
o Roots/bases-whole words or word parts that carry meaning
o Affixes-prefixes-letters that come before a root/base that carry meaning; suffixes-letters
that come after a root/base that carry meaning or change part of speech
Example: previewpre is the prefix meaning before; view is the root word
meaning to see
Example: legibleleg is the base that cannot stand alone and comes from the
Latin (to read); ible is the suffix meaning worthy of/can be