Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Holt McDougal VOCABULARY & READING STRATEGIES By Tracie Carr and Cathy Roberts New Word Analysis New word analysis is a sequence of strategies for analyzing and decoding new words and terms in context. For English learners, vocabulary competence is the key to communicating successfully and appropriately. English learners need multiple ways to attack new words, and word-association techniques have proven to be successful. Use the following procedure for the new word analysis strategy. 1. Look at the word carefully beginning, middle, and end. 2. Read on to try to find the meaning in its context the words and phrases around the word. Then try to read the word again. 3. Stretch out the letters and say the word slowly. Then put the word back together again. 4. Try some words that you know would make sense in place of the unknown word. 5. Try some words you know that sound right where the unknown word is. 6. Look at the parts of the word. Think of words you know that have pieces of the word or that look like the word. Use these parts to figure out what the unknown word might mean. 7. Divide the word into parts or syllables according to the way in which you say the word. Think: What do these parts mean? How do you say them? Then put the word back together and try to read it. 8. Skip the word and go on. If you still can t make sense of the word, ask someone what the word means, look it up in the glossary, or check an English dictionary or a translation dictionary. Student Vocabulary The student vocabulary strategy helps students analyze word meanings from context and to use sensory connections that are associated with their particular learning styles. You can use this strategy before students read a section or chapter. Use the following procedure for the student vocabulary strategy. 1. Assign a passage for students to read. 2. Before students begin, preview key vocabulary words, writing them on the chalkboard or on a tablet. 3. Ask students to identify unfamiliar words on the list and to use the vocabulary strategy on the transparency to learn their meanings. Frayer Model The Frayer model is a good way for students to think about a term in a variety of ways. Students define the word and provide examples and characteristics. Because students must think of examples
and non-examples, this strategy works best for broad terms. The non-example square helps students better understand what something is by thinking about what it is not. Word Squares A word square is a tool for multidimensional vocabulary development. Students use a variety of ways to study a new term. Use the following procedure for the word square strategy. 1. Have students help you make a word square for an unfamiliar word in the chapter you are studying. Help them provide a translation, a symbol or picture for the word, the meaning in their own words and in the words of a dictionary or glossary, and a sentence that demonstrates the meaning of the word (not just one that uses the word). 2. Help students each select an important word to study with a word square. 3. Have students make their word squares. Circulate and offer feedback and suggestions. 4. Have students pair up and teach one another the words. Remind students that they can use this tool on their own with challenging words. List-Group-Label List-group-label is a strategy that helps students brainstorm a list of key words related to a topic they are about to read, and then organize a vocabulary list from the reading selection. Use the following procedure for the list-group-label strategy. 1. Introduce the main idea or topic of the chapter section. 2. Ask students to list or call out words they think are related to the topic. If students are unsure of what a word means, choose a volunteer to explain the word s meaning. 3. Write down the words as the students brainstorm. 4. Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Have each pair or small group organize the large list of words into smaller groups. Make sure students are able to explain how the words in the smaller groups are related to one another. 5. Have students label each group of words with a descriptive title. 6. Instruct students to read the section. When they are finished reading, have them go back over their vocabulary lists and eliminate terms that are unrelated to the reading. Additional words important to the section that are not on their vocabulary lists should be added. 7. Finally, have students take another look at their word list and have them regroup the words as necessary. Context Clues A good way to help students make sense of an unfamiliar word is to have them look at the context in which the word is found. Sometimes a sentence will provide a comparison or contrast to help students understand the meaning of a word. Certain words or phrases signal comparison or contrast. Comparison Signals Contrast Signals: like similar to but although as resembles unlike however also related to rather than as opposed to
Another strategy is to look for a restatement of the meaning of a word within the sentence in which the term is defined. Restatements are often signaled by words or phrases such as: or which is that is also called also known as in other words A third strategy is to look for an example provided in the text to help the student understand the meaning of a word. Examples are often signaled by words or phrases such as: like for instance includes especially these for example other such as Concept Definition Map A concept definition map is a strategy that helps students link together key terms and concepts from a reading selection. A graphic organizer is used to make four associations with the key concept: Category (what type of thing is it), Properties (that define it), Examples, and Comparisons. Use the following procedure for the concept definition map strategy. 1. Choose a key concept to analyze. 2. Introduce students to the concept definition map table format. Write the key term or concept in the center box. 3. Move to the Properties box and have students suggest characteristics of the key terms. If students are unable to list characteristics, then have them fill out the graphic organizer while reading the text. 4. Move to the Examples and Comparison boxes. You may choose to have students complete this part in pairs. Be sure to offer some models for this section. 5. At the end of the reading selection, have students fill out the same graphic again as a review and study aid. DRTA (Directed Reading/Thinking Activity) DRTA is a four-step directed reading and thinking activity. You can introduce it by explaining what the letters stand for (directed reading/thinking activity), and reading the following points aloud or writing them on the board. Preview the section. Write what you know you know, what you think you know, and what you think you ll learn. Read the section. Write what you know you learned. Encourage students to compare their entries in the third and fourth boxes to determine if they learned what they expected to learn. If they did not, discuss whether their expectations were reasonable, and whether they learned information that they did not anticipate. SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review)
The SQ3R strategy prompts readers to think about what they are about to read and what they might learn from it before they read it. Introduce the strategy by explaining what each of the letters stands for: survey, question, read, recite, review. Cause-and-Effect Diagrams Introduce students to the idea of multiple causes and multiple effects by reading aloud or writing on the board the following points: One cause can have several effects. Several causes can combine for one effect. Ask students to suggest events in their daily lives that have more than one cause or more than one effect. For example, turning on a radio allows a flow of electricity through the radio, the production of sound waves, and probably some change in the person who hears the radio. Y Diagram A Y diagram can be used instead of a Venn diagram to show how two processes, ideas, or things are alike and different. The steps to make a Y diagram include: 1. Write the two topics you would like to compare on separate limbs of the Y. 2. List the characteristics of each topic separately on the correct branch. 3. Find the characteristics that are listed on both limbs of the Y. List these characteristics on the bottom portion of the Y, and cross them out on the top half. 4. When the Y diagram is complete, the top limbs of the Y list the differences, and the bottom part shows similarities, between the two topics. Cluster Diagram A cluster diagram is a flexible method of picturing the relationships among ideas. Cluster diagrams are also called word webs. They are useful for generating ideas and brainstorming. Concept maps are a more formal and structured way of mapping concepts. As students make clusters, words and ideas that they hadn t thought of as being connected before suddenly appear as patterns. Cluster diagrams can be a great way for students to acquire new vocabulary. You can introduce the concept of cluster diagrams by reading the following points aloud or writing them on the board. 1. Draw a large circle in the middle of the sheet of paper. Write the main topic in the circle. 2. Draw one to four medium-sized circles connected to the large circle by lines. Write a word or key idea related to the main idea inside the circles. Point out that the number of circles can vary based on the information. Jigsaw Reading Jigsaw reading is similar to reciprocal teaching. In this case, however, students have a home group and an expert group. Students separate into their expert group to study a specific section of text. When they return to their home group, students teach their home group about the specific
section that they studied. Learning strategies targeted by this interactive strategy include: cooperating with peers summarizing self-assessment The steps to using the jigsaw reading strategy include: 1. Divide the class into home groups of about four members. Assign each student in a group a number from one to four. (If a group has five students, two of them should share a number.) 2. Divide the reading into four numbered sections. Group 1 will study section 1, group 2 will study section 2, and so on. 3. Students reassemble into expert groups all the group 1 students get together, all the group 2 students get together, and so on. Each group reads and studies its section and develops a lesson plan for summarizing and teaching the concepts. 4. When the material has been mastered, experts return to their home groups, where each expert teaches the group about his or her part. This strategy can be used as an informal assessment to check comprehension. Round Robin/Round Table Round robin and round table are two reading strategies that help English learners to feel more confident in their oral and written English skills. In the round robin strategy, the class is divided into groups, and each member of the group must state an example or fact that relates to the main topic initiated by the teacher. Students must be strategy original in their contributions; each statement or fact may be said only once. The round table strategy is the written version of round robin; in this case, students write down facts that relate to the main topic, and the class compiles a list from each group s list. Learning strategies targeted by this reading strategy include: active listening categorizing activating prior knowledge The steps to using the round robin strategy include: 1. Divide the class into groups of three or four. 2. Write the topic, such as Types of natural selection, on the board. 3. Ask a student to give an example of that topic. 4. Have another student give a different example. Explain that students cannot repeat something that has already been said. Have students continue to add responses until you call time, after three to five minutes. 5. Ask one student from each group to give as many answers as he or she can remember. Ask students not to repeat an answer already stated by another group. Chart each group s answers on the board or chart paper.
The steps to using the round table strategy include: 1. Divide the class into groups of three or four. Give each group one sheet of paper. 2. Write the topic on the board. For example, you might write Respiratory and circulatory functions. 3. The first student writes something he or she knows about the topic and passes it to the next student. That student writes something different about the topic, and so on. 4. After five or ten minutes, ask one student from each group to read what is on the group s list. Compile a class list from student responses. ROUND TABLE VARIATION: Rather than having the papers rotate among students, rotate the group of students. Set out papers with questions or prompts on them and have groups of students move from station to station writing answers. Quick-Write Quick-write is an interactive learning strategy in which the teacher asks a question and gives students five minutes to write everything they know about that topic. Learning strategies targeted by this interactive strategy include: checking comprehension summarizing The steps to using the quick-write strategy include: 1. Introduce students to the topic, such as the process of photosynthesis. 2. Give students an open-ended question or statement about the topic, and have them write about the topic for a period of five minutes. 3. Students must write for the entire time period. If they run out of ideas, they can write the same word or their name over and over again until they get a new idea. 4. After the writing time period is up, you can opt to have students break into pairs or groups and discuss what they wrote. (The quick-write technique works well with the think-pair-share strategy.) 5. After allowing pairs or groups time to discuss their paragraphs together, have each pair or group share what they wrote with the entire class. Instead of student discussion, you can opt to collect each student s work to gauge his or her level of comprehension.