Explicit Vocabulary Instruction - including Promethean Instruction

Requirements for a strong school-wise vocabulary development program:

1. Wide reading across all subject areas.
2. Researched based instruction across all subject areas.
3. Balance instruction in content area classes.
4. Balanced Instruction in English L.A.
5. Narrow reading of informational text. 
6. Development of word knowledge using affixes and meaning in context.
7. Develop context analytic skills, including rereading sections if the word seems important to understand.

Which words?

1. High incidence word using Latin prefixes and suffixes
2. High Incidence acadmeic word families

How?

1. Structured opportunities to use new words in speaking and writing (used throughout several classes)
2. Meaningful frequent assessments
3. Productive study systems
4. Appropriate dictionaries
5. Accountability for explicit instruction
6. Work Rich Environment
• Word walls
• Encourage word usage
• Homework
• Word Wizard Competitions
• Word Detectives
• Word Collections
• Free Rice (computerized vocabulary game)
• Vacab Journal Entries

Homework:

1. Make a list of five high incidence words in your content area
2. Introduce words in TA - have students record them in their planners
3. Teachers explicitly teach those words in class
4. Have a Vocabulary Bee at the end of the year

PROMETHEAN BOARD (pulled off of Promethean Planet)

• Hidden word game (hidden by color of text, background color, or object).

VOCABULARY ASSESSMENT

Vocabulary gurus - Feldman and Archer

Always teach the format of the test to the students before testing.

• Assessment that uses beginning of sentences and student completes the sentence in a way that shows he know the meaning of the word.
• Provide an example sentence using the vocabulary word and have the students identify whether or not it is correct and if incorrect, how to correct it.
• Cloze or Maze assessment where vocabulary words are missing (fill in the blank).