Selecting Vocabulary
Selecting Vocabulary, Overview
For the full guide to using this tool, see Words Words Everywhere, but Which Ones Do I We Teach?
For a version of this tool to use with students who are ready to take on this task independently, see Tackling Unknown Words
What should I use it for?
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Selecting unfamiliar words to teach
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Determining the appropriate type of instruction for each word
What does it look like?
This is a behind the scenes approach to determining most valuable words to teach in a text. Find the chart here.
Selecting Vocabulary
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Identify potentially unfamiliar words
Read the text carefully, underlining words likely to be unfamiliar to students. List these words in column 1 of the chart.
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Sort words into 4 categories:
Essential Words
Crucial for comprehending the text students are reading.
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Informational texts: Words necessary for understanding the content of the text and key concepts in the content area. They are likely to be complex ideas and repeated several times in the text.
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Narrative texts: Words related to understanding the central story elements and the characters and their actions. Essential words in narratives often appear just once or a few times in a given text.
Valuable Words
Words with broad, general utility for reading and writing.
In choosing valuable words, consider both the text and your students’ vocabularies.
Accessible Words
Common words that are not likely to be understood by students who have limited vocabulary knowledge.
Imported Words*
These words are not found in the text, but enhance a reader’s understanding. Carefully selected Imported words will help students analyze and extend what they learn from the text.
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Informational texts: Connect to or enhance key concepts in the text (e.g., democracy, environmentalism).
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Narrative texts: Capture key thematic elements (e.g., prejudice) or address important character traits (e.g., gullible)
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Decide which of the words require in-depth instruction and which can be taught with brief explanations. Consider:
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How concrete or abstract the words are (abstract words require stronger instruction)
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Which of the type of words it is. Essential words must be taught more thoroughly.
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Whether the words’ meanings can be determined using context or word parts.
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Cull your list of words so that you have a manageable number to teach.
Teaching the words (3 types of instruction)
Vocabulary instruction should be the least intensive, most efficient form necessary to provide students with the knowledge they need to understand word meanings and comprehend texts.
Use with words whose meanings are complex and essential to text comprehension
Essential elements of powerful instruction:
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A clear, student-friendly definition
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Use of the word in context
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Involve students in discussion and active processing
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Review in various contexts over time
Words that have clear-cut definitions. When you encounter these words, stop briefly and provides a synonym or short definition and a context sentence.
For words with useful context or easily identifiable word parts, guide students to construct the meaning independently.
Read the sentence out loud.
Ask, “Does anyone see a context clue that might help you figure out the meaning of X?”
If the word can be broken into smaller meaningful parts, guide students in constructing meaning from these parts (e.g. phobia means fear and arachnids are spiders. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders)
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Use with words whose meanings are complex and essential to text comprehension
Essential elements of powerful instruction:
-
A clear, student-friendly definition
-
Use of the word in context
-
Involve students in discussion and active processing
-
Review in various contexts over time
-
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Words that have clear-cut definitions. When you encounter these words, stop briefly and provides a synonym or short definition and a context sentence.
-
For words with useful context or easily identifiable word parts, guide students to construct the meaning independently.
Read the sentence out loud.
Ask, “Does anyone see a context clue that might help you figure out the meaning of X?”
If the word can be broken into smaller meaningful parts, guide students in constructing meaning from these parts (e.g. phobia means fear and arachnids are spiders. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders)