Effective vocabulary instruction is like providing a velcro surface for new information to cling to. The more vocabulary your students have, the more "hooks" there are for new information to stick to.
The more new information sticks, the deeper the learning.
This is helpful for all students. But it's especially crucial for students who learn and think differently. Vocabulary is, in many ways, a bridge to understanding and engaging with the world around us. The stronger we build that bridge, the more confidently we can cross it.
And much of our students' vocabulary acquisition comes from casual, everyday experiences. They pick up new words through conversations with friends, family, and teachers. They learn from observing the world around them, from television shows, movies, and social media. And of course, they learn new words from simply reading!
But here's the thing. While these everyday encounters with language are valuable, they aren't enough. That's where knowledge-rich texts and effective vocabulary instructional strategies come in.
Believe it or not, for a reader to fully grasp a text, they need to understand at least 90 to 95 percent of the words within it (Hirsch, 2003). It is through reading that students encounter those new words and concepts in context. This encounter with vocabulary yields something much greater than understanding a definition in isolation. Knowledge-building texts accompanied by explicit vocabulary instruction lead to deeper domain knowledge, which is the most critical factor in comprehension.
At ThinkCERCA, we are passionate about providing easy-to-implement vocabulary best practices. So we are rounding up our top three vocabulary best practices that you can implement in your classroom today!
Vocabulary Best Practice #1: Frayer Model
The Frayer model vocabulary strategy is a reliable and effective routine for word study for high value concept words that will help students understand and express complex concepts.
Students dig into the meanings of target vocabulary words, building deeper undersatndings of key concepts.
They generate examples and non-examples of the word in context. They can jot down key characteristics. Or, they might even sketch a picture that captures the essence of the word's meaning. This allows students to build schema prior to application in reading and writing experiences.
👉See 15 ways ThinkCERCA’s Core Explicitly Supports Vocabulary Growth
The root word challenge is a fun way for students to delve into the origins of words and discover their connections.
Although a word's root doesn't offer its precise definition of every word in the word family, but it provides valuable clues about its meaning so students can decode more easily. These clues can jog their memory, making it easier to tackle new words.
This practice engages students in listing, grouping, and identifying derivatives while uncovering patterns. Plus, it's a breeze to turn into a friendly classroom competition!
Vocabulary Best Practices #3: Gallery Walk
Engage your visual learners with a vocabulary gallery walk!
This effective instructional strategy sparks creative thinking by diversifying the media forms related to the words being studied. Varied experiences with research and representation of the words in different mediums help students make stronger connections to the words and concepts within the domain. In a gallery walk, students decide how to represent a word beyond its definition - through a synonym, a drawing, or various examples.
It's an interactive, low-prep method that’s easy to scaffold.
Looking for more of the good stuff?
Check out our entire catalog of best practices with dozens more vocabulary strategies right here.
