WEBVTT

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[Music] Welcome to the overview

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on Providing Explicit
Vocabulary Instruction.

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It's only the second
week of middle school

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and Miguel is already
experiencing challenges

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with his new textbooks.

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He'd never had much trouble
with reading assignments back

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in elementary school, and when
he did encounter a new word,

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it wasn't too hard to
figure out what it meant.

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Now he's coming across a lot

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of words he's never
seen or heard before.

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Although he doesn't
know it, he's not alone.

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Most middle school
students are finding

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that their new assignments
are a lot more difficult.

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Fortunately, the teachers

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in Miguel's school started
a schoolwide initiative

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on explicit vocabulary
instruction

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to help students read and better
understand their textbooks.

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As students move from the
elementary grades to middle

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and high school, their
reading assignments start

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to include academic terms and
phrases they're unlikely to know

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and even less likely to
hear in casual conversation.

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When they take on specialized
areas of study, like algebra

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and biology, the sheer amount
of new vocabulary accelerates.

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Further, students discover

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that some new words
have multiple meanings

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and that meanings may vary
by subject area and context.

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For all these reasons, it's
vital to help students learn

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as many vocabulary words
as early as possible.

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Vocabulary instruction is
not only for reading classes,

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but is applicable to
all subject areas.

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All teachers, regardless
of their specialty,

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can improve student
comprehension

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by providing explicit
vocabulary instruction.

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Explicit instruction includes
teaching students both the

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meaning of selected words
and word learning strategies.

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First, teachers can help
students learn the meaning

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of specific words and phrases

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that are frequently
encountered in school.

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This "academic language" is the
formal language of classrooms,

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colleges, and the workplace.

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Mastering it entails
understanding the structure

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of language and the precise way

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in which words and
phrases are used.

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Second, teachers can help
students learn how to figure

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out new words that
they encounter

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when reading on their own.

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This includes teaching
them how to work

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with word parts to
unlock meaning.

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Many teachers already
provide vocabulary definitions

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to students, but research
suggests that in order

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for students to master
a new term or phrase,

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they need multiple exposures
to it and a variety of contexts

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in which to practice its use.

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Some suggest that as
many as 17 exposures

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to a new word may be required
to fully learn its meaning.

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Of course, teachers
know they can't teach

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in advance every new word
students will encounter

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in assigned or independent
reading.

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The question then is,
"Which words need to be part

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of explicit vocabulary
instruction?"

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As part of a schoolwide
initiative,

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each department can develop a
vocabulary framework to identify

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which words and phrases should
be part of explicit instruction.

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Some researchers
suggest sorting words

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into three categories or tiers.

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Tier I words are common
words that students hear

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in everyday conversation.

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These are easy words
that almost all students,

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with the possible exception
of English learners, know.

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Tier III words are specific
to a particular subject area,

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are often technical in
nature, appear infrequently,

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and are typically taught
by content area teachers.

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Tier II words are ideally
suited for explicit instruction

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by both content area and reading
teachers because they appear

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in a variety of texts
and part of mature oral

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and written vocabularies.

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Students need exposure to
Tier II and Tier III words

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over an extended time period.

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The key is to focus on
the vocabulary needed

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to understand the material,

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regardless of how frequently
any given word occurs.

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As necessary as it is to
explicitly teach specific terms,

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it is also essential
to teach students how

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to determine the meaning
of new words on their own.

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By learning how to analyze word
components-- prefixes, suffixes,

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and roots-- that frequently
occur in each area of study,

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students are able to figure
out the meaning of new words

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that they encounter while
reading on their own.

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Equally important is showing
students how to infer meaning

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from the context of
what they are reading.

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Introducing students to
glossaries, dictionaries,

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encyclopedias, and
online reference sites

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and regularly modeling how to
use these resources is helpful.

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In addition to formal
instruction,

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teachers can help boost
student comprehension

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by using targeted Tier
II vocabulary words

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in their own everyday
conversation.

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Regular modeling improves
comprehension of the meaning

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of terms by placing
them in context.

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Giving positive feedback

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when students use new vocabulary
during text discussions

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and in their written
work helps to affirm

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that they are using the terms
correctly and encourages them

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to keep expanding
their vocabularies.

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When content teachers engage in
explicit vocabulary instruction,

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students are better equipped

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to master the material
in their courses.

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A schoolwide commitment

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to explicit vocabulary
teaching brings together faculty

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from different departments who
are able to share strategies

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and successes and
coordinate their expectations

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of weekly word mastery,

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strengthening school
community and purpose.

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At the beginning of the year,

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Miguel wondered whether
he would be able

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to handle all the reading
that middle school required.

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Now he looks forward to
what each new lesson holds.

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He is surrounded by the words
he is expected to learn posted

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on the walls of his classroom,
carries a word journal

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in his backpack, and has
learned how to use several types

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of online reference tools.

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His English, math, and science
teachers have been working

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on word analysis, and his social
studies teacher uses a variety

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of graphic organizers to
show the relationships among

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key words.

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Miguel now treats the
unlocking of word meaning

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as a welcome challenge--

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one that he's well
equipped to take on.

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[Music] To learn more

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about providing explicit
vocabulary instruction,

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see the additional materials on
the Doing What Works website.