Vocabulary Is Comprehension

Getting to the Root of Text Complexity

Laura J. Robb

• Publisher: Corwin
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781483383613
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Tackle students’ biggest barrier to complex text: word knowledge In our rush toward complex texts, somehow we forget to put a new systematic vocabulary plan in place. Luckily, Laura Robb provides that instructional plan in Vocabulary Is Comprehension. The best part? Laura’s plan takes just 10 to 15 minutes, and much of it is spent in partner and independent work so this is no “add on” to squeeze in. All materials are included. There are 35+ lessons paired with 50+ complex texts that:

• Cover academic vocabulary, figurative language, denotative and connotative meanings, and more
• Align with specific CCSS vocabulary and writing standards
• Include strategies for ELLs and developing readers, along with formative assessments

Chapter 1 How the Common Core Has Changed the Rules of the Game Forever (Even If the Standards Go Away)

I wrote Vocabulary Is Comprehension to help teachers address the Common Core State Standards’ (CCSS) expectations for vocabulary in particular and their emphasis on students’ reading complex texts in general. Because here’s the thing: If students are going to succeed in reading grade-level literary and informational texts, we are going to need a better game plan in regard to vocabulary instruction. One of the main reasons students are below grade level in their reading proficiency, and struggle to catch up, is their vocabulary deficits (Hart & Risley, 2003b; National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP], 2012; Rowe, 2008, 2012; Rowe, Raudenbush, & Goldin-Meadow, 2012).

In this book, I offer that game plan—one that is systematic and yet doable for teachers who are already overloaded with curricular demands. It mirrors the CCSS vocabulary standards and yet also exists on its own, a timeless framework for teaching students how words are built, what they mean, and how to comprehend them in the midst of complex text reading.

At the risk of sounding Pollyannish, excellent vocabulary instruction has the power of closing the big divide between students who do well in school, and in what the CCSS refer to as college and career readiness, and those who don’t. Knowing a much bigger bank of words—especially general academic vocabulary—will give a tremendous leg up to our English language learners (ELLs), children living in poverty, and African American and Hispanic students. These capable, smart students may come into school lacking the vocabulary, background knowledge, and experiences necessary for moving from reading two or more years below grade level to reading grade-level complex texts (NAEP, 2011), but that doesn’t mean we can’t step it up in order to help them progress toward grade level.

And we must. In the 21st century, literacy skills are more essential than ever for success at school and in the workforce. The National Adolescent Literacy Coalition (2007) asserts that the literacy demands that students and teachers face today are 20 times greater than students faced two generations ago. The Common Core vocabulary standards address this urgent issue head on, and that’s the way we teachers need to address it.

As you delve into this book and the Common Core vocabulary standards, I encourage you to keep in mind all the English language arts (ELA) standards: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Really, you can’t separate word learning from what it means to read complex ideas, to write in ways that show ourselves and others what we think and know, to use words we know to speak what we know and what we believe, and to use our knowledge of the nuances of language to listen closely to others. Word knowledge is at the heart of it all.

Big Ambition: Vocabulary in the Context of All the ELA Standards

The authors of the CCSS point out that “vocabulary instruction has been neither frequent nor systematic in most schools,” (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers [NGAC/CCSSO], 2010, p. 32). This correlates with the results of a survey of teachers I conducted in 2013 (see box below). The Common Core calls for comprehensive and long-term vocabulary instruction in all subjects because vocabulary “has been empirically connected to reading comprehension since at least 1925 (Whipple, 1925) and had its importance to comprehension confirmed in recent years” (NGAC/CCSSO, 2010, p. 32). The Common Core vocabulary standards on pages 3 and 4 stress the importance placed on vocabulary instruction as a pathway to improving reading, thinking, writing, and speaking.

From Sporadic to Systematic

To take the pulse of how teachers currently address vocabulary instruction, I surveyed 300 English language arts and content teachers working in diverse settings in Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York.

Vocabulary Questions for ELA and Content Teachers

Please answer these questions in an e-mail.

Provide 3 to 4 sentences for each question.

I will not use your name or your school’s name when discussing vocabulary instruction. I might refer to the city and state that you live in.

On page 2 you will find a survey for students to take along with easy-to-complete directions [see Student Vocabulary Survey form at www.corwin.com/vocabularyiscomprehension].

Grade and subject you teach: _____________________________________________

Years of teaching: _____________ City and state: ____________________________

1. Do you teach vocabulary before, during, and/or after reading/learning? If so, how?
2. How often do you present vocabulary-building lessons? Can you estimate the length of a lesson?
3. What have you found to be the most effective vocabulary strategies? How can you tell? (For example, you can write “memorizing definitions” or “semantic mapping.”) You can also give a brief description if you have no name for it.
4. How does students’ knowledge of words influence their comprehension in English language arts? In content subjects?
5. How do you choose words to preteach?
6. Do you follow up with words you preteach during a unit and after the unit? If so what do you ask students to do?
7. Do you teach Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes in English language arts? In content subjects?
8. What do you ask students to do with words that come from specific roots?
9. When do you think students should use an online or print dictionary?
10. What would you look for in a book that explains how to teach vocabulary?

The three most consistent responses to the survey were as follows:

1. Teachers recognized that explicit teaching of vocabulary/word study improves reading comprehension.
2. Teachers characterized their vocabulary instruction as sporadic rather than systematic.
3. Teachers cited pressure to prepare students for the state test as a factor in sidelining vocabulary instruction.

The upshot is this: There is a disconnect between knowing that vocabulary is a vital part of student achievement and finding a way to consistently teach it.

Vocabulary in the Context of Complex Text Reading

Take a look at excerpts from the CCSS vocabulary standards for middle grades and middle school, listed below. The recommendations are pretty unimpeachable, right? The standards make clear that for students to comprehend grade-level complex texts, merely learning the definitions of words won’t cut it. I admire that they position students’ vocabulary acquisition as a multifaceted process and something that occurs through a variety of learning experiences. Teachers can quite easily mine these standards for lesson content and student practice ideas. Indeed, the chapters in this book follow the contours of these standards quite closely.

The CCSS Vocabulary Standards

Standard 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade (level) reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

1. Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrases.
2. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.
3. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
4. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

Standard 5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

1. Interpret figures of speech in context.
2. Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.
3. Distinguish among connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions).

Standard 6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Developing Readers Developing readers are students reading three or more years below grade level. They need to build their background knowledge and general academic vocabulary to read grade-level complex texts. I prefer this term because we are all developing readers when tackling texts with unfamiliar content and vocabulary.

Supporting English Language Learners and Developing Learners

It’s important to differentiate vocabulary instruction for ELLs and developing readers. A wide learning gap exists between ELLs who are newcomers speaking little to no English and those who have been in school for three to five years or more. It’s the same with developing readers; a student reading one to two years below grade level has different learning needs than a student reading three to five or more years below grade level.

When planning lessons for either group of students, consider their strengths and how you can build on them. In addition, figure out which parts of a lesson students are ready to receive and work on with you and/or their peers. As you develop lessons that build students’ vocabularies, think about designing differentiated experiences that provide success for these students and decide whether you should slow down or speed up the instructional process (Vawter & Costner, 2013).

Differentiation includes tiering or offering students tasks appropriate to their reading and speaking expertise (Tomlinson & Cunningham, 2003; Wormeli, 2007). Tiering means that the complexity of a task differs. For example, all students work on roots and affixes, but the teacher asks developing learners to generate fewer words and provides support for figuring out literal definitions. Besides tiering, there are other teaching ideas that advance and support the development of ELL students and developing learners.

On the basis of her case study of an African American immigrant youth, Park (2013–2014) offers recommendations for teaching students with diverse backgrounds:

• ◗ Provide, before reading, a historical context or overview; discuss the value and relevance of the text; provide some background information on the author.
• ◗ Choose specific passages that students reread to apply reading strategies and analyze vocabulary once students have the gist of a text.
• ◗ Introduce a variety of genres to students and th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Acknowledgements
• Acknowledgements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Companion Website Resources
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 How the Common Core Has Changed the Rules of the Game Forever (Even If the Standards Go Away)
• Chapter 2 Ten Short Lessons for the Big 10
• Chapter 3 Figurative Language
• Chapter 4 Getting to the Root of Words
• Chapter 5 General Academic and Domain-Specific Vocabulary
• Chapter 6 Assessing Vocabulary
• References
• References
• Index
• Publisher Note