Vocabulary
Shifting Educational Goals Towards a Better Tomorrow!
It's not just about the textbook definition!
- Understanding vocabulary is more than just understanding the "textbook" definition
- Understand and know how the words are used also
- Tier system that shows the level of understanding required as students become more proficient
Rethink the way you teach!
- Teach the students in ways that will engage them and help them to master their comprehension of the English language
- Tier 2 words pertain to the academic language that they hear often
- Do not try to teach them every word possible, pick the most common ones
- Several online tools like "instragrok", "wallwisher" and "thinklink" all allow for easy implementation of Tier 2 words
How I will implement a new way of thinking!
Word Sorts
When my students have words and their definitions, I will have them put the words into categories of their own choosing. They will have to group the words together, and tie them together with a common thread.
Quiz Me Cards and Word Wall
My students have their vocabulary words and common ideas on index cards, and keep them on the word wall for easy access. Every other week they need to take down their words and have other staff members quiz them, and initial it when done so. Students need to be able to put the terms in their own words and be able to give an example of each term when asked.
Create a Lesson
Students will use 21st century technology sources, such as Prezi, in order to create a lesson plan, explaining a certain topic. They must have objectives, essential questions, key vocabulary and examples. Students need to be able to teach their lesson to other students, as a means to show their own understanding. They will be required to pick 3-5 vocabulary terms, that they feel are most important to understand for their lesson, and why.
Shift 6- Shifting to a new way of teaching and planning
Differentiate your lessons!
Shift 6 is a new way of thinking and lesson planning.
- It is not important to focus on literary terms as a whole, but to focus on the words that students are most likely to encounter.
- Teachers should not rely solely on synonyms of words, but teach that word as a whole.
- They should teach not only how the word is used in context, but why that word was chosen, when another word may have been used as well.
- Why chose ignite instead of start? There is a reason certain words are chosen, and it is important to discuss this with students.
- Explain each word, and even have them use these words in their own written responses to their readings.
Citation
Oxnevad, S. (n.d.). Common Core Connections: Unpacking Academic Vocabulary. Retrieved February 17, 2016, from http://d97cooltools.blogspot.fr/2012/09/commoncoreunpackingacademicvocabulary.html#.VBOEK0gu99F