Warm-Up Sit in groups of four at a numbered table. In your group determine the percent of informational and literary text our students should be reading.

Warm-Up

• Sit in groups of four at a numbered table.• In your group determine the percent of

informational and literary text our students should be reading at each grade level.

Answers to the Warm-UpGrade Literary Informational

4 50% 50%

8 40% 60%

12 30% 70%

Essential Questions

• How do we ensure the texts our students are reading are in the appropriate text complexity?

• How will I teach vocabulary to increase student comprehension?

Shift Happens

• With your partner place the shifts and definitions into your template.

• Have two people join your group and check your answers.

• Be prepared to come to the Elmo and justify your answers.

• Review Answers

3 Shifts 6 Shifts Definitions

Building knowledge through content-rich literary nonfiction and information texts.

PK-5 Balance of information and literary text

A balance of authentic informational and literary texts

6-12 Building knowledge in the disciplines

Knowledge-based questions about discipline-specific, informational text

Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text.

Text-based answers Evidence form text, including paired passages, to make an argument, inform or explain; short, focused research

Writing to/from sources

Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary.

Staircase of Complexity Higher level of text complexity appropriate to grade level

Academic vocabulary Tier Two words which can be discerned from the text

What’s New with Vocabulary?

From Tears to Tiers

Vocabulary is defined as all the words an individual knows.

• A student must know approximately 95% of the words to comprehend what is read or heard.

• 80% to 90% of what is tested on high stakes standardized tests is based on vocabulary and concepts.

• Explicit vocabulary instruction closes the achievement gap.

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Why Students Struggle With Vocabulary

Meaningful Differences (Hart & Risley, 1995)

Words Heard

per Hour

Words Heard in a 100-Hour

Week

Words Heard in a

5,200 Hour Year

Words Heard in 4

Years

Assisted Living

616 62,000 3 million 13 million

Working Class 1,251 125,000 6 million

26 million

Professional 2,153 215,000 11 million 45 million

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The Matthew Effect (Stanovich, 1986)

They read less than their peers who are strongerreaders.

They do notexpand theirvocabulariesand backgroundknowledge.

Their limited vocabularies interfere with theircomprehension.

Children who fail at early reading, begin todislike reading.

Their limitedcomprehensioncontributes to reading failure.

Shift: Academic (Tier 2) Vocabulary

• Rationale: Teachers need to spend more time on academic vocabulary (Tier 2).

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No More Tears !Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

Words used in everyday speech

Students with a limited vocabulary will need support

(Simple words generally used in conversation)

General academic words

Words found more often in written texts across disciplines

Words that allow students to describe concepts in a more detailed manner.

Contain Multiple Meanings

( More mature words used in adult conversations and literature)

Domain-specific words

Uncommon words that are typically associated with a specific domain

(Low frequency words used in specific settings)

clock, baby, happy, us describe, trip, joyous peninsula, climate, barter

Maybe think of Tiers as Crayons…Crayola: Which box will make the best picture?

Box of 8: Brown

Box of 64: Sand, Tan, Khaki, Copper

Box of 120: Almond, Antique Brass, Beaver, Cornflower, Tumbleweed, Chestnut

Tier Example

“Old”

Tier 1:

Old

Tier 2:

Aging

Tier 3:

Geriatric( Health Profession)

Group Activity

• Create a tiered vocabulary hierarchy diagram for your group’s Tier 1 word.

• Discuss your Tier 1 Word with your partner and brainstorm Tier 2 words that have a similar meaning.

• Think about Tier 3 words and be sure that you add the discipline where the word would be found.

• Share Out /Hang

Academic Words:• Are critical to understanding academic texts• Appear in all sorts of texts and are highly

generalizable• Require deliberate effort to learn, unlike Tier 1 words• Are far more likely to appear in written texts than in

speech.• Often represent subtle or precise ways to say

otherwise relatively simple things• Are seldom heavily scaffolded by authors or

teachers, unlike Tier 3 words

Beck, et al15

Criteria for selecting words to teach Importance of the word for understanding the text

◦ What does the word choice bring to the meaning of the text? (E.g., precision, specificity?)

General utility of the word◦ Is it a word that students are likely to see often in other texts?

Are there multiple meanings? ◦ Will it be of use to students in their own writing?

Students’ prior knowledge of the word and the concept(s) to which it relates◦ How does the word relate to other words, ideas, or experiences

that the students know or have been learning?◦ Are there opportunities for grouping words together to

enhance understanding of a concept?

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How do I determine that a word is TIER 2?

Word Is this a generally useful word?

Does the word relate to other words and ideas that students know or have been learning?

Is the word useful in helping students understand text?

If you answer yes to all three questions, it is a tier 2 word. If not, it is probably a tier 3 word.

Solid Yes Yes Yes Tier 2

Volcanos No Yes Yes Tier 3

Latitude

Adapt

Explain17

Practice time…• Read the excerpt from Volcanoes on the

following slide.

• With a partner, use the Tier 2 determination chart to identify examples of Tier 2 and Tier 3 words.

Volcanoes, Grades 4-5 Text Complexity Band, from Appendix A, pp. 33-34.

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In early times, no one knew how volcanoes formed or why they spouted red-hot molten rock. In modern times, scientists began to study volcanoes. They still don’t know all the answers, but they know much about how a volcano works.

Our planet is made up of many layers of rock. The top layers of solid rock are called the crust. Deep beneath the crust is the mantle, where it is so hot that some rock melts. The melted, or molten, rock is called magma.

Volcanoes are formed when magma pushes its way up through the crack in the Earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption. When magma pours forth on the surface, it is called lava.

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Tier 2 Words

In early times, no one knew how volcanoes formed or why they spouted red-hot molten rock. In modern times, scientists began to study volcanoes. They still don’t know all the answers, but they know much about how a volcano works.

Our planet is made up of many layers of rock. The top layers of solid rock are called the crust. Deep beneath the crust is the mantle, where it is so hot that some rock melts. The melted, or molten, rock is called magma.

Volcanoes are formed when magma pushes its way up through the crack in the Earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption. When magma pours forth on the surface, it is called lava.

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Tier 2 and Tier 3 Words

In early times, no one knew how volcanoes formed or why they spouted red-hot molten rock. In modern times, scientists began to study volcanoes. They still don’t know all the answers, but they know much about how a volcano works.

Our planet is made up of many layers of rock. The top layers of solid rock are called the crust. Deep beneath the crust is the mantle, where it is so hot that some rock melts. The melted, or molten, rock is called magma.

Volcanoes are formed when magma pushes its way up through the crack in the Earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption. When magma pours forth on the surface, it is called lava.

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Know What, So What

• Know What: – Tell something you know about each of the three

tiers of vocabulary.

A Word on Word Lists: Caution

• Words should not be learned in isolation– Students need to hear them, read them, speak

about them, write about them, including writing their own definitions

– They need context (Note: p. 25 CCSS Language Standards)

• Remember: Lexile levels are being ramped up; therefore, so is vocabulary

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Careful Selection of Tier 2 Words• In school settings, students can be explicitly

taught a deep understanding of about 300 words each year.

• Divided by the range of content students need to know (e.g., math, science, history, literature), of these 300–350 words, roughly 60 words can be taught within one subject area each year.

• It is reasonable to teach thoroughly about eight to ten words per week.-- more at K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core (Oregon)

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The Six-Step Process forTeaching New Terms- Marzano

• Step 1: Provide a description, explanation, or example of the new term.

• Tell a story that integrates the term.• Use video or computer images as stimulus for

understanding the term.• Find or create pictures that exemplify the

term.

• Step 2: Ask the student to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words.

• It is important when asking students to restate or describe that the student does not simply copy what you have said.

• Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representing the term or phase. – Draw the actual thing– Draw a symbol– Draw and example– Represent by graphics– Dramatize the term- cartoon bubble

• Step 4: Engage student periodically in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the terms.

• Highlight a prefix or suffix that will help them remember the meaning of the term.

• Identify synonyms or antonyms for the term.• Draw and additional picture or graphic.• List related words.

Step 5: Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.

• Think, Pair and Share

Step 6: Involve students periodically in games that allow them to play with the terms.

• Pictionary

From the New to the KnownThis word is totally new to me.

I’ve heard or seen this word, but I’m not sure what it means.

I know one definition for this word. I could use this word in a sentence.

I know several ways this word could be used.

Word RatingWord Can Describe

ItHave Seen It Not A Clue Now Know

Subtract

Add

Letter RatingLetter Can Describe It Have Seen It Not A Clue Now Know

A/a

Z/z

Vocabulary Chain

lavaeruptionmagma vent

shapes square triangle circle

12 Powerful WordsIt is important that our students are exposed to and understand the 12 Powerful Words.

• Trace• Evaluate• Describe• Explain• Compare/ Similarities• Predict• Infer• Formulate• Support• Summarize/Retell• Contrast/Differences• Analyze

Suggested Follow-up Activities

• Work in grade level teams to analyze anthology vocabulary to categorize into Tier 2/Tier 3 vocabulary.

• Share identified vocabulary words through cross-grade level articulation.

• Utilize a vocabulary strategy discussed in this presentation. Share the strategy and results with your grade level team.

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