Vocabulary Station
The best approach to teaching vocabulary has been a hotly contested issue in Literacy development circles for a while now. There is certainly an argument to be made for wide reading and repeat exposure to new vocabulary through reading. However, there is also a place for direct teaching of some of the more tricky ‘Tier 2’ words. These are words that typically show up more in the written genre than in oral conversation. They are generally transferable to multiple contexts and have a more precise meaning than ‘Tier 1’ words. It is widely accepted that these ‘Tier 2’ words are best suited for direct teaching.
Lesson Structure
Down below, you will find a sample station structure for a ‘Vocabulary Development’ lesson cycle. This cycle teaches children between 6-8 new words over the course of 2 weeks. This station would be one in a rotating block of stations for the year. These usually run for 7-10 weeks depending on the needs of the children. This station does need a teacher to run successfully. Further below, you will find the resources needed to set up this station in your classroom.
Organisation
This station can be resource heavy initially. You will need to have all your resources for the fortnight printed off in advance. For this station the children will need the following:
- One whiteboard and marker per child
- Laminated ‘new word’ sheets per child
- Vocabulary cards (Day 1 and 2)
- Mentor Sentences (Day 1 and 2)
- Cloze sentences (Day 3)
- Analogies sentences (Day 3)
- Sentence completers (Day 4)
- Game Resources (Day 5)
- Assessment materials (Day 6)
Day 1 and 2: Talk about Words
The session starts with each child taking a ‘new word’ brainstorming sheet and a whiteboard marker. The vocabulary cards are placed word-side up on the table for everyone to see. The teacher points to and reads each of the words aloud. The group then ‘votes’ on which word they will begin with. All other words are then removed from the table for now.
The word is read aloud by the teacher and children are tasked with telling us 4 things they know or think they know about the new word. They record these in each of the bubbles on their ‘new word’ sheet. I usually provide a list of aspects they can think about to scaffold them (syllables, definition, in a sentence, draw a picture, antonyms, etc.) The teacher can provide some of the ‘mentor sentences’ if children are stuck.
The group then feeds back information about the word and the vocabulary card is flipped over. This process is repeated for all new vocabulary words.
Day 3: Working with Words
The session starts, as always with a review of the new vocabulary words and their meanings. All of the vocabulary cards are placed face-up on the table and the teacher asks a child to read a word, define it and tell the group what type of word it is.
The focus of Day 3 is to start using the new words in a context. There are several activities that we use to do this. The first is the most familiar, ‘CLOZE sentences’. The vocabulary cards are placed face-up on the table. Children are either given a CLOZE worksheet or the sentences are called out orally by the teacher. The second activity is the ‘Analogies’ activity. Again, the worksheet can be given to each child or they can be called out orally by the teacher. The final activity is the ‘Complete the Sentence…’ activity and this can be completed similarly to the last two activities.
Day 4: Play with Words
Today’s focus is on getting the children to use the words in contexts that they invent in a playful way. This is done through games-based learning. Before beginning with the games, start the session as always by reviewing the new words. All of the vocabulary cards are placed face-up on the table and the first child is asked to read a word, they then choose someone else to define it and tell the group what type of word it is.
There are absolutely tons of different games that use the basic resources you’ve already made for this station at this point. I will list more detailed instructions on how to play some of these games in a seperate section below. When selecting a game ask yourself if the children are practicing defining the new words and if they are getting to use the new words in lots of different contexts to show understanding. I usually prepare 2 games for this day to keep things fresh.
Lesson 5: Assessing Learning
Today’s focus is on assessing how well the children know the new words that were taught over the last 2 weeks. I like to use two different assessment tools to get a sense of where the children are with these new words.
The first assessment is the ‘Who Wants to be a Dictionary’ game. This follows similar rules to the TV show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’. The children draw a symbol for the following on their boards:
-Phone a Friend: Ask someone in your group what they think the word means
-50:50: Teacher gives two similar meanings and they choose the correct one.
-Ask the Group: ask everyone for their meaning and choose one to use.
The words for the week are review in a round robin fashion. A child is shown a vocabulary card and they have to define the word. They may use a ‘lifeline’ if they wish. I will leave it to you to decide the ‘consequence’ for getting the definition wrong. Each lifeline can only be used once per game per group. As the weeks go on, I add vocabulary cards from previous weeks into this game as a constant review.
The second assessment tool is the ‘Exit Ticket’ multiple choice test. If you have seen the Drumcondra Reading Tests you are familiar with this format. Children choose the option that best fits the question. Between these two, you will have a good idea of what children have picked up over the two weeks.
How to Choose "Tier 2" Words
Having read countless articles and peer-reviewed papers, the simple answer is that there is no ‘one shoe fits all’ way of selecting words for direct teaching. Beck, McKeown and Kucan (2013) are frequently referenced in any modern vocabulary conversation so it makes sense to follow their logic for selecting words. In simple words, they suggest that your “Tier 2” words should be useful, found across different texts and relates to other words they already know. Using those criteria you can easily come up with your own ‘Tier 2’ list of words appropriate for your class. Context and starting with the children in front of you is key. Be wary of lists that describe themselves as ‘4th class’ vocabulary lists. Any appropriate words can be taught to any age group if they are ready for them.
With all this in mind, I try to include a mix of different ‘Tier 2 words’ in our vocabulary cycles. I generally work with 6-8 words per fortnight. This list is usually comprised of 2 content specific words based on our S.E.S.E theme, 2 Tier Two words from the Marzano list, 1/2 words from our First Steps Genre, and 1 academic language word. This has worked for me so far but as I mentioned above, your context could call for a totally different word list!
Station Resources For Download
Where to Learn More?
I have spent a lot of time over the last 2 years looking at how to hone my direct teaching of vocabulary. Over this time, I have looked at different international programmes and the research they have based themselves on. No programme is perfect and they all needed to be adapted for my context, but if I was to recommend one paid programme it would have to be Vocabulary A-Z, offered by Reading A-Z. The lesson cycle I use in my class is based on some of the approaches from this paid programme. It is worth even signing up for the ‘free trial’ to see what it offers. I have also left links to some of the current research and thinking on ‘Vocabulary Development’ in case you wanted to go down that rabbit hole!