Writing Homework Help

Reply:

The assigned readings provided insightful information on the “do’s” and “dont’s” of teaching vocabulary. It seemed that all three texts were at a consensus of the most efficient and least efficient ways of teaching and learning vocabulary. There is a misconception that vocabulary can be learned simply by opening a dictionary and looking into the definition of words. The Feldman and Kinsena article mentioned that there is not any research that supports that this way of teaching vocabulary is effective at all. Instead, researchers suggest reading extensively, learning individual important words, and “teaching independent word strategies” (Feldman Kinsena 1). One of the aspects that struck me in this article was the mention of impromptu teaching of vocabulary. The article states that these “teachable moments” are not necessarily effective because teaching vocabulary requires an appropriate amount of planning.

The Bromley article provided great activities that show what appropriate planning for teaching vocabulary means. One of the activities that I would like to use in the future is the passage activity mentioned on page 529. For this activity, students will be given a passage in which they will mark overused words like “said” or “happy” and rewrite the passage with substitutes for said words. Another teaching strategy I will use in my future classroom is providing a lesson for suffixes, prefixes, and root words. By widening their understanding and knowledge of them, students will be able to comprehend more words. Figure 1 of the Bromley article provided an example of the three-dimensional word strategy for learning vocabulary. This strategy includes defining a word, using a “sensory image along with the linguistic image”, and writing a sentence using the word (531). This activity will be particularly helpful for teaching important words needed for the comprehension of course texts. For example, before assigning a chapter or an article, the teacher should go over the important words necessary for the comprehension of the assigned reading. All articles agreed that going over specific words is a great way of teaching vocabulary. Finally, the Bromley article explains that an instructor’s enthusiasm for vocabulary and the learning of new words is essential for the student’s success. I completely agree that a teacher’s enthusiasm needs to be evident in order for it to be manifested onto the students.

Like with the concept of close reading, learning vocabulary has to do a lot with background knowledge. The best way to learn words, Bromley argues is by linking a new word to a student’s “existing schema” (531). When taking a look at the Schema for the English Language Arts also known as the “big picture” or “mindmap for success”, one of the initial components is background knowledge. Learning vocabulary is just like it! A great way to incorporate and identify a student’s background knowledge is by engaging in some sort of KWL activity. Here, students will identify what they already know and use it to guide them towards what they want to know. In summary, it is important to follow research-based approaches to teaching vocabulary and dedicate an appropriate amount of time to vocabulary expansion.

Reply:

In Beth Burke’s “A Close Look at Close Reading” argues in selecting a text, the teacher should select passages that “leave you considering thought-provoking messages that go beyond the text.” Burke goes on to discuss three components of text complexity, with one component being Qualitative measures which she claims included vocabulary. When it comes to the topic of vocabulary, most of us will readily agree that encouraging students to read helps with vocabulary development. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether vocabulary instruction needs to be explicitly taught. Whereas some are convinced that the more students read the broader their vocabularies become, others maintain there needs to be direct instruction in vocabulary in order to foster “comprehension, fluency, and achievement” (Bromley 1). I believe the later be to be true. The question then becomes, what methods of vocabulary instruction are most effective?

One approach that I believe would be valuable in the classroom is focusing on a few key vocabulary words at a time. In “Nine things every teacher should know,” Bromley believes that “teaching fewer words well is more effective than teaching several words in a cursory way”(Bromley 8). This type of vocabulary instruction lends itself nicely to close reading where instructors and students can focus on new vocabulary related to the main ideas of the passages being read. This approach allows the students to make important connections between the vocabulary and the material being taught which supports comprehension far more than a static list of random words pulled from an SAT prep book for example.

In “Narrowing the Language Gap,” Feldman and Kinsella model a way to develop vocabulary that consists of both wide reading and the direct teaching of words. Keldman and Kinsella argue both are essential for vocabulary instruction and comprehension. I agree that vocabulary instruction is important in acquiring literacy in reading, writing and understanding, but the way we traditionally have taught vocabulary in the classroom needs to be reassessed, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe the old was of giving out vocabulary lists and having students look up dictionary definitions has been sufficient. Feldman and Kinsella’s outline a five step vocabulary instruction routine that I could easily implement into my classroom. The five steps include pronouncing the word, explaining what the word means (in general and in context to the passage being read), providing more examples of how to use the word in various contexts, elaborating and finally assessing to check for level of comprehension. This type of focused vocabulary instruction is especially important in scaffolding vocabulary instruction for students who may be struggling and require extra support, helping to narrow the language gap.

Similarly, Burke’s “Language Study: Vocabulary, Grammar, and Style” discuss four components identified by Graves (2006) of an effective vocabulary program (Burke 262). I was drawn to the first component, “Provide rich and varied language experiences” where Burke claims, “It means the room is saturated with language, reading, words read silently and aloud, seen and heard, in some rare cases even tasted or smelled!” (Burke 262). Everyone comes into the classroom with their own language and their own experiences, and add value to the classroom as well as the vocabulary. When we engage in close readings, allowing the students to enrich the texts by discussing how certain words translate into their own languages or adding their own experiences only helps to build a fuller understanding of the vocabulary and the texts.

In short, old methods of vocabulary instruction are no longer sufficient in building literacy and understanding. As teachers we need to find new strategies to bring words alive in our classrooms. This can be achieved through close reading and explicit vocabulary instruction that goes beyond dictionary definitions.