Teaching Vocabulary: The Best Practices

Today was a great Monday in my classroom!  We start class with 20 minutes of independent reading, and so far, that is going great.  I set the standards high and I hope that will holdout throughout the school year.  After the 20 minutes of reading, we record our reading on the Status of the Class form that I found in the book called The Book Whisperer.  Next, we go over the mentor sentence of the week and notice the qualities that make it our mentor sentence.  Finally, we do the vocabulary portion of the class.  So, I decided that, on Mondays, I will give the students all of the vocabulary words and that will take the place of the "lesson" for that day.  Today, that worked perfectly.
So, we all get out our little dictionaries that we made.  This is a folder with prongs in the middle and pockets. We put paper in the middle and, on each page, we wrote a letter of the alphabet to create a dictionary for each student.  Today, we had 5 words for the week for the 7th grade and 6 words for the 8th grade students.  These words come from the story that we will be reading this week.  I give the students the word, part of speech, correct definition that goes with our text, and a good example sentence.  Many teachers think that the students should look up the words on their own, but I prefer to give this to the students so that I know they have the correct definition and sentence.  They write all of this in their dictionary under that word's entry.  Then, I follow a little "script" that I found online that worked wonderfully!
Here is how the script went:
1. The word is ______.  What is the word? (I make the students say the word aloud to ensure they can say it properly.)
2. The defintion of _________ is __________________. (Again, they read it aloud. I make them redo it until they are all saying it.)
3. Let's look at our sentence. (I read the sentence again.)
4. Talk at your tables and figure out another way we could say this word in the sentence. (I make sure to tell students that this word does not have to be a synonym of the word.  This is to make sure that students have an idea of what the word means and can replace it to make the same sentence make sense.)
5. Then, we share what they talked about at theit tables.
6. At the end, I try to think of a higher order question that goes with the word. So, if the word was faulty, I might ask: what are other things that can be faulty? This really makes them (and me) think about the word.

So, we did this with all 5 of the 7th grade words and then all 6 of the 8th grade words.  It took some time, but I feel that the time was well-spent and I hope to see great improvements on their vocabulary development from these vocabulary practices.
Tomorrow, we will begin doing some paper-and-pencil activites that are Marzano-approved.
I will be sharing these soon!

Connect 2 Vocabulary Game

One of the best professional development days that I have been to EVER was this past June with Jami Corwin.  She was an incredible instructor for the embedded grammar ideas that have me stoked!  She recommended the book Mechanically Inclined, by Jeff Anderson and it is a great read for sure.  One of the vocabulary strategies/games that she demonstrated is called Connect 2 or Select and Connect.

How to Prepare:
To prepare for this game, the teacher needs to have cards for the week's vocabulary words.  Since I am only teaching 5-6 vocabulary words a week, I have decided to also use words that will be in the week's story.  I may also throw in some synonyms, but the goal here is to try to make sure that every student has a card.  The teacher should pass out the cards at the beginning of the game.  I like to do this after going through the definitions of the words for the week so that students will at least know the definitions of some of the words.

How to Play:
All that Jami Corwin told us for instructions was that she wanted us to find at least one other person in the room whose word somehow "connected" to ours.  Make a connection.  So, we all immediately asked, "How?"  There are so many ways to make connections with words.  Endings. Beginnings. Synonyms.  So, I will explain to my own middle school students that I want them to make ANY connection.  I want them to read the work, process it, and use their brains to just make some kind of meaningful connection from their word to another word.
Jami turned the lights off and told us that we had until the lights came back on to make our connections.
In the PD with Jami Corwin, some people connected words because they all ended in -ed.
Other people connected words because they were synonyms.  Other people connected because the words were antonyms.  Some connected because the word had the same prefix.  Then, still others connected because the words just had to do with one another in a contextual setting.  For example, the two words were computer and mouse and we made the connection that a computer needs a mouse with it.
After all the connections were made, Jami turned on the lights and we were ready t o begin analyzing the word connections.  As the teacher, she would go to certain groups of students who were holding their words and she would just ask what the connection was between the words.  The students told her why they felt the words connected.  It was as simple as that.

The point with this is that the kids made connections between and among words.  These words would be in the story that they were getting ready to read and making these connection is very important for students when reading and learning new vocabulary.

So, you cannot go wrong with this simply wonderful game!  And, you could also use the cards that you created to play the game for your word wall!

You can write or type the word cards you use for this game.

Some things I noticed about the game as I played:

• Make sure you have the students read their words aloud as you call on them.
• Make sure to engage with the students and call attention to WHY the connections were made.
• Make sure other students are listening as the connection explanations are being explained.

As we read the story after this activity, she asked us to highlight words we remembered from the activity.  It was actually pretty fun and I can't wait to see how my 7th and 8th graders enjoy it!

Be sure to share what you think in the comments!

I'd love to hear from you!

KABOOM! Vocabulary Game

I have spent the summer searching for fun vocabulary games to use in my classroom.  Marzano believes that if students interact with new vocabulary words in meaningful ways, they will learn them more thoroughly and they will invest in them.  I believe that, too.  In fact, when I integrated more meaningful vocabulary games into my classroom, my kids actually knew and used the words.
P.S--> test scores went up.

Planning for KABOOM!
To play KABOOM! you need some Pringles cans (or that is what we used).
You take strips of paper and write the vocabulary words on them.
You can use one word more than once.
You also need to have a strip of two with the word KABOOM! on it.

How to play
I like to have groups of 5.  Out of the 5 students, one student has the definitions to the vocabulary words.  I try to choose someone who I know will have a grasp on the words and that person is the Game Master.  So, this person doesn't play the game while they are the Game Master.
Student 1 takes his/her turn: They pull out a strip from the KABOOM! Pringles Can.  They say the word and then I have them tell the definition of the word.  You could also have them give a synonym of the word or use it in a sentence.  You could have them play a round of all three!  If the Game Master agrees that they have given the correct definition (or synonym or sentence), they get to keep the strip of paper.
The game moves on to the next player and they keep going through the game.
When a student gets a KABOOM! strip, that student has to put all the strips he/she has earned back into the Pringles can and then the game keeps going.
I like to have students play for a set amount of time.  I set a timer and when the timer goes off, that round is over and the person with the most strips of paper wins the game.

My kids love this and I have played it for years.  I first heard of the game when I started teaching in Greeneville, Tennessee back in 2011.  The kids taught me how to play.

You can decorate the Pringles cans (if you find the time).  I have a few that are decorated and a few that are not.  The kids don't mind.

Plus, it gives us a great reason to eat Pringles!

Vocabulary Revamp

I love all of Marzano’s teachings about the best practices for vocabulary instruction and I have been working to implement these over the past 2 years when I truly began researching on my own and learning what worked best for me as a teacher (and my students).  However, with the constraints of time, I could never get a good, strong method of teaching vocabulary.  I would have too many words or not enough words.  I would run out of time in class to do vocabulary and for the most part, I was just inconsistent myself.  So, how could I ask my kids to be consistent with it?

This summer, I have been reevaluating my vocabulary-teaching plan and I think I have a plan that will work for this coming year (and hopefully for forever).  I am still planning to use Marzano’s methods, but it is just going to take a minute of planning on my part to get it all organized.

These are some of the books that guided my research.

All of my words will come from context so that the students will be able to make stronger connections with the words and what they are reading in class.  So, ditch those vocabulary workbooks, even if they say they are “in context.”  Words can only be in context if they are in what the kids are reading.  If the worksheet gives you a sentence and says it is in context because it was in a passage at the beginning of the workbook, that is not meaningful! I used to use these, and sometimes, my kids would say they didn’t even realize there was a story.  Not meaningful!  What makes it meaningful is interaction. 

Each week, I have a list of pre-determined vocabulary words that will be the words for that week.  I am going to try to pick 5 or 6 words.  Marzano explains that you don’t want to give students too many words because it will be difficult for them to truly “learn” the words and how to use them.  So, we are going to have fewer words, but more interaction with the words during the week. 

This is what my vocabulary folders will look like. Simple and affordable.

What does a week of vocabulary look like?

Monday & Tuesday

On Monday, I will introduce 2-3 words to my kids.  You heard that right: I give them the definitions to the words.  I have found that, when students are asked to find definitions, they simply look up the word and put the first definition that is listed whether this is the correct one for the word in context or not.  In turn, they learn the word incorrectly and it is stored incorrectly.  It sets up a plethora of issues for the kid.

The first thing we do is write the sentence from our text down at the top of our paper.  This is the sentence that has the vocabulary word in it.  Then, I like to use the internet to let kids see the word and definition on my Smart board.  I project it up there and look up the word on the board, as a class.  I say the word and tell them the part of speech; then, I give them as many sentences as I can spout off in which I use the word in different ways.  One of Marzano’s ideas that I plan to use this year is a little list of different ways to introduce the word and I think it will help me cover more bases in my word introductions. 

Once I am sure they have the word, we take a look at the definitions on the screen (from Google or another online dictionary).  I read the first definition.  Now, by this time, there are those kids who have already figured out which one is the correct definition and they have already written it down.  But, I still do this part. I go through the definitions until we get the correct one.  Then, we write it down.  I will always write my own definition of the word, too, so that the kids who have trouble putting it in their own words will have some scaffolding here.  Eventually, they will see what I’m doing here, so don’t worry if you think you are doing all the work for them.  It’s your job to help them.

Ok. So, now we have the word and definition correctly written down.  I also have them put the part of speech of the word, too, and we discuss this along with any other important things about the word.  Things I would discuss are things like: does the word have a homophone that might confuse them? Is the word commonly mispronounced? Is the word used a lot in this story? Does the word have two definitions that are both commonly used?

This looks like a lot to do, but it doesn’t really take that long in class.  It is a discussion with a little bit of writing, but it is necessary for students to be able to interact with the word while it is being used correctly. 

Once this introduction is over and they have a definition down in their dictionaries, they will interact with the word by doing a little assignment (Marzano approved).  I have a list of 9-10 activities that allow the students to really think about the word.  (More on these later.)  The kids work independently on these assignments.  They do 1 assignment per word.  Each assignment takes about 10-15 minutes.  Now, I said independently, but I honestly hate the quiet and I don’t mind if they talk a bit if they are actually helping each other.  I encourage educational talk and I LOVE to hear it!  I walk around the room and try to help them myself.  The goal of these short assignments is to get them interacting with the words and to make them think about the words.

On Tuesday, I introduce 2-3 more words and follow the same procedure as Monday.  Now, they have about 5-6 words for the week.  I don’t do more than 6 words per week.  These are all words that are in the context of our story.  I read the story and find the words that I think will give them the most trouble.  So, I use my own professional judgement when picking the words.  But, choose them wisely because you only get 6 words a week!

At some point after introducing the words, I put the new words on my word wall.  I was never really sure how to use a word wall effectively, but my summer research shows that they are very effective if used correctly.  So, post those words and we will discuss the word wall in a later post.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, our vocabulary time consists of interaction with the words in a game format.  I used to hate letting my middle school kids play games, but it was only because I was not the best classroom manager back then.  But, for real, these games are the key to getting kids to remember the vocabulary words—for life.  There are many different games out there, but you need to remember that, if this is the beginning of the year, you only have 6 words to work with here.  I like to rotate through the games so that the kids don’t get bored with them.  The first week, I will probably play a matching game similar to the game called concentration.  This game has little prep and it is fun but forces the students to know the words, their meanings, and be able to use the words in a sentence correctly if they want to play the game. 

For concentration or vocabulary match, I use index cards and cut them in half, so one index card will give you two concentration cards.  Then, I write the same word on each side of the card.  I do this for each card and a “deck” of cards consists of each word having a card and a match.  This will be for a group of 2-3 students to play with.  Now, a better way to do this is to create a little template on the computer and type the words in and just use cardstock so that you don’t have to write the words out a million times.  You could just create a table in word and type them out that way.

To play, the students will turn all the cards face down and take turns flipping over two cards.  If the cards have the same word, they get to keep the pair if they know the correct definition of the word.  So, having a list of the words and definitions will come in handy—it’s a good thing they have their vocabulary work and folders! 

Another way to play this is to have the word on one card and then the definition on the other card.  Either of these ways to play would cause them to really have to think about the word and its definition. 

Yet another way to play would be to have the word on one card and then a synonym on the other card.  OOOOHH! Then, they’d really have to study those words because they are having to think about the word’s definition and what other words are similar.  Just keep in mind for this one that, if you have several words that have similar definition, you might not want to use the synonym version.

You could even have several of these versions going on at the same time and the kids could rotate through the groups.  There are so many possibilities with this game!  These different variations would be a nice way to differentiate among learning levels as well.

Thursday

On Thursday, we also have a game with the words during our vocabulary time in class.  What’s so great is that the kids love the games and don’t even realize that it is causing them to learn the words!  For my first week of school, I am going to play Vocabulary Taboo.  I am going to make some “cards” for our vocabulary words of the week and just copy them and cut them out so that each group has their own little set of Vocabulary Taboo games cards.  If you have never played Taboo before, let me explain what fun it really is! This is what happens: there are 2 teams and I let each team have 2 players per team to allow for more interaction for each student.  If they get in a big group as their “team” it is easier for them to do less work and pawn it off on the other members.  We have to stop this as much as possible for these games to be effective.  So, we have 2 teams with 2 people on each team.  A table of four people playing the game.  My team member has a card that has the vocabulary word on the card at the top.  Then, below the card, there are synonyms and/or phrases that are similar to the word.  I set the timer on the board for one minute and one of the 4 people at the table has the taboo card.  (I make one card for each vocabulary word.  Sometimes, I will make 2 cards per word and have different synonyms/phrases on each card if the word has a lot of synonyms.  This allows for a longer game, if needed) The person with the card has one job: to get his/her partner to say the vocabulary word that is on the card.  However, the student with the card cannot say the vocabulary word or any of the “taboo” words on the card.  It is hard sometimes, but it is really fun and the kids love it, too!  It gives them a lot of interaction with the word and allows them/forces them to have a need to know this word.  Because we all know that no one wants to be left out of playing games in class! Heck no!

If the partner guesses the word, the team “wins” the card and then it is the next teams turn to try to guess a different word on a different card.  If the team member did not correctly guess the vocabulary word, the other team’s players get a turn to try to guess.  I give each team member a chance to guess to allow for more individual interaction.  Either way, it is the other team’s turn and the teams keep playing until the cards are all “won” by one team or the other.  If there is time, I let the winning teams face off using brackets like in a tournament and the kids really do love competing.

Friday Vocabulary Quiz?

In the past, I have struggled with how to “quiz” kids on their vocabulary words.  I do want them to learn the words and be accountable for studying the words, but I really dislike the multiple choice tests that are usually used for vocabulary tests because I think it is not the most useful test to see if they have really learned the words.  So, here is what I’ve got:

On Fridays, I will have a little writing prompt that will deal with the vocabulary words.  It will be on a separate piece of paper from their vocabulary folders or from their interactive notebooks.  This is the quiz.  What they are to do is respond (yes, in writing) to the little prompt I give on Friday.  The key is that they have to use X amount of the vocabulary words correctly.  The words have to be spelled correctly, used correctly, and they must underline the words in the paragraph.  Now, I don’t intend for this assignment to take all of the class period, but I do want to tie it into the rest of the course as much as possible.  So, I am also going to have them use a sentence like our mentor sentence for the week as well so that I can assess the vocabulary words and the mentor sentence use all in one.  I think that when a student can use a word in their own writing, they have truly mastered that word and are more likely to use it in writing and verbally in the future.

While I intend to change the games up from week to week as we learn more words and I learn more games, this is just the procedure that I intend to use after much research that I have done on teaching and vocabulary this past summer.  The important aspect of this method is that they are always interacting with the words.  They play with the words to learn the language.  But make sure the games are reinforcing the words, their definitions, synonyms, usage, etc.  You also want to plan the games as you choose the words to ensure the game will work with the words you chose for the week.  For example, don't choose a game dealing with synonyms if the word only has 1 synonym.  Make sense?  Plan beneficial games that use time wisely and efficiently.

Some other games that I have found and intend to use (and blog about) are:

•        Charades
•          Vocabulary Scattergories
•          Bingo
•          Word guess
•          Trashketball
•          Scavenger Hunt Vocabulary
•          Spoons
•          Kahoots
•          Fly Swat Game

So, what do you think? Does this method look like it will fit into your classroom?

If you have a great game that you’d like to share, please comment so I can use it, too!