# data[].attributes.headline
Different Types of Context Clues for Teaching Vocabulary

# data[].attributes.subject
Different Types of Context Clues for Teaching Vocabulary

# data[].attributes.body
Also has great information on morphological analysis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This post is courtesy of the MCVIP vocabulary research team, which includes primary investigators Jim Baumann (University of Missouri-Columbia), Patrick Manyak (University of Wyoming), and Camille Blachowicz (National Louis University). Mike Graves (University of Minnesota, Emeritus) has been a consultant on the project, and it has been his research and writing that have formed the basis for the MCVIP instructional framework (see Mike's prior post. Also see his newest book, Teaching Vocabulary to English Language Learners by Graves, August, and Mancilla-Martinez). Other persons whose work is represented in this post and who have been instrumental in both developing MCVIP and conducting the research on it are Steven Olejnik (University of Georgia, Emeritus), Jeni Davis (University of South Florida), Justin Arner (Hillsborough Co., FL, Schools), Heather Peterson (Wyoming), and Char Cieply and Ann Bates (National Louis). Most importantly, we wish to acknowledge the teacher-participants, co-researchers, and professional friends whose expertise, enthusiasm, and insight made this project possible. Thanks to David Autenrieth, Julie O'Farrell, Carolyn Gillis, Elizabeth McDermott, Dianne Williams (Wyoming); Marie Chang-Pisano, Carol Clay, Kelly De Rosa, Tom Erf, Vanessa Herrera, Colleen Kelly, Julia Starenko (National Louis); Elizabeth Quintero, Brent Wade, Jill Walters, Heidi Watson (Missouri). A recent publication in which the researchers have contributed one or more chapters on or related to MCVIP is Vocabulary Instruction: Research to Practice (2nd ed., Kame'enui & Baumann, 2012). The research team also has a web site under construction, on which detailed information and lessons from MCVIP will be available upon its completion.

MCVIP is a research and development project funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. MCVIP is based on Graves's (2006, 2009) four-component vocabulary program, which includes "(1) providing rich and varied language experiences; (2) teaching individual words; (3) teaching word-learning strategies; and (4) fostering word consciousness" (2006, p. 5). Working from these four components, we have developed and evaluated the implementation of MCVIP in multiple Grade 4 and 5 classrooms in three states.

1. Providing Rich and Varied Language Experiences:
We know that students learn words informally through context by being immersed in a fertile vocabulary environment. To promote vocabulary learning through rich and varied language experiences, MCVIP teachers do the following:

Lead Students in Character Trait Analysis (Manyak, 2007) lessons, which involve reading engaging, grade-appropriate picture books and then focusing on words that describe the behaviors or actions of characters in the picture books. For example, after reading aloud Mailing May (Tunnell, 2000), the students discussed characters in the story to determine if they are ingenious, glum, cross, or plucky.

Use Vocabulary Graphics to build relational sets of words with frames and semantic maps. For Example in Keep the Light Burning, Abbie (Roop, Roop & Hanson, 1985) students used a Vocabogram (Blachowicz & Fisher, 2010) for discussing how authors used words like seafarer, wicks, and emotion in structuring their story. Vocabulary graphics promoted team talk, class discussion, and writing.

Read Aloud to Students and Provide Time for Independent Reading and Writing. Specifically, MCVIP teachers:

-- Schedule time regularly for students to read quality, self-selected books and other materials from multiple genres, which exposes them to new words in natural contexts.

-- Provide a regular time for writing, during which students can experiment with their growing vocabulary knowledge as they prepare compositions.

-- Engage students regularly in rich oral discussions, during which they begin to use the words they have learned (or are learning) in speech. They also infer the meanings of words they hear from speakers, all in a safe, supportive environment.

-- Establish a literate classroom environment that supports students' vocabulary activities and experiences. This environment includes a large classroom library and displays MCVIP word walls, instructional charts, and students own vocabulary work.

2. Teaching Individual Words

Students must learn and know well many specific individual words to be proficient language learners and users. To achieve this goal, MCVIP teachers provide instruction in two types of words:

Teach High Frequency Words that appear regularly in written text across multiple genres but go beyond the highest frequency words (e.g., basic sight vocabulary). For example, some of the fourth-grade high frequency words include struggled, worthy, prevented, vast, and rationale-words that appear commonly in written texts but which students may not know or know only in a limited fashion.

Teach Domain-Specific-Academic Vocabulary: words and expressions found in textbooks and other curricular materials that are essential for understanding and learning the content. For example, several MCVIP teachers taught a science unit titled Nature Unleashed, during which they taught academic vocabulary like organism, population, and ecosystem, which enabled students to understand and learn the science content.

Vocabulary Review Activities are essential for long-term learning. For example, MCVIP teachers use Word Walls and other tools (e.g., Smartboards, rings of word cards of words taught, dictionaries and thesauruses, games and other activities) to provide students regular review of words that had been introduced and taught.

3. Teaching Word-Learning Strategies

Another essential component of a balanced, comprehensive vocabulary instruction program is teaching students to be independent word learners. To achieve this goal, MCVIP teachers provide instruction in three types of word-learning strategies.

Contextual Analysis is a reader's ability to infer word meanings by using clues available in the sentences and paragraphs around an unknown word. MCVIP teachers provide instruction in several types of context clues, first in short, instructional texts and then in longer, authentic texts.

Morphemic Analysis, sometimes called structural analysis, is a reader's ability to recognize and use word parts that include root words, prefixes, suffixes, Latin and Greek word roots, and, as appropriate, Spanish cognates.MCVIP teachers teach lessons on frequently occurring prefixes and suffixes that are organized into semantic families. They also teach high-utility Latin and Greek roots. Lessons in contextual analysis and morphemic analysis are followed by considerable guided and independent practice in different types of texts.

Dictionaries and Thesauruses were available to students in their classrooms and became integral in MCVIP. Students referred to them during lessons, and they used them regularly when looking for precise words to include in their written compositions.

4. Fostering Word Consciousness

Successful language users develop word consciousness, or "an awareness of and interest in words and their meanings" (Graves, 2006, p. 7). Word consciousness also involves curiosity about word "histories, relationships with other words, word parts, and most importantly, the way writers use words effectively to communicate" (Nagy, 2005, p. 30). MCVIP teachers address word consciousness in several ways, which include:

Focusing on Word Categories and Relationships, in which students look for or generate semantic clusters. These may include synonymous groups of words, synonym/antonym pairs, or words on a semantic continuum (e.g., very hot to very cold) that demonstrate the multiple words that denote certain ideas and how the word have connotative difference.

Promoting Word-Play, in which students and teachers explore how writers and speakers use figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor, personification) or playful or clever word usage (e.g., oxymorons, onomatopoeia, spoonerisms, puns, Tom Swiftys). MCVIP teachers also provide students opportunities to play word games, puzzles, and riddles (e.g., hink-pinks, anagrams, palindromes). These activities promote students' interest in words and enhance their motivation to learn and explore new words and to include them in their speech and writing.

MCVIP has been shown to be effective across our three-year research project, which was funded by the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. Our teacher co-researchers implemented MCVIP in their fourth- and fifth-grade classroom. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that students grew in word knowledge, acquired the ability to use word-learning strategies to infer the meanings of previously unknown words, and developed an interest in and awareness of the importance and power of a strong vocabulary.

References

Blachowicz, C. L. Z., & Fisher, P. (2010). Teaching vocabulary in all classrooms (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Graves, M. F. (2006). The vocabulary book: Learning and instruction. New York: Teachers College Press.

Graves, M. F. (2009). Teaching individual words: One size does not fit all. New York: Teachers College Press and International Reading Association.

Kame'enui, E. J., & Baumann, J. F. (Eds.). (2012). Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice. (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.

Manyak, P. (2007). Character trait vocabulary: A schoolwide approach. The Reading Teacher, 60, 574-577.

Nagy, W. E. (2005). Why vocabulary instruction needs to be long-term and comprehensive. In E. H. Hiebert & M. L. Kamil (Eds.), Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing research to practice (pp. 27-44). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Roop, P., Roop, C., & Hanson, P. E. (1985). Keep the lights burning, Abbie. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books.

Tunnell, M. O. (2000). Mailing May. New York: Greenwillow.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
MCVIP - A Multi-Faceted, Comprehensive Vocabulary Instruction Program (Baumann, Manyak, Blachowicz, Graves, Arner, Bates, Cieply, Davis, Peterson, & Olejnik)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This post is courtesy of the MCVIP vocabulary research team, which includes primary investigators Jim Baumann (University of Missouri-Columbia), Patrick Manyak (University of Wyoming), and Camille Blachowicz (National Louis University). Mike Graves (University of Minnesota, Emeritus) has been a consultant on the project, and it has been his research and writing that have formed the basis for the MCVIP instructional framework (see Mike's prior post.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Kimberly Tyson, Ph. D.

Vocabulary and its strong relationship to comprehension has been verified over and over again. Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read as well as reading to learn. We also know that increasing vocabulary knowledge plays a large part in overall school success and has a direct impact on comprehension.

Effective vocabulary instruction is a key foundation to helping students acquire a wide and diverse vocabulary. Students need both direct and indirect instruction in vocabulary and word meanings as well as multiple exposures to words. It is through multiple exposures and repetition that students begin to understand the nuances of words and how to use them when speaking and writing.

Additionally, active engagement helps students take part in the learning process and begin to "own" the words and understand word meaning in multiple contexts. Independent reading, intentional read alouds, and wide reading all encourage students long-term vocabulary development and growth.

Teachers need a variety of instructional strategies for teaching vocabulary. Unfortunately, there remains a gap between what we know are effective strategies and what often takes place in the classroom. In Building Background Knowledge, Bob Marzano laid out a six-step process for building academic vocabulary. It includes direct instruction, linguistic and nonlinguistic definitions, recording word learning in a notebook or journal, talking about words, and playing with words. Multiple exposures are at the heart of the process.
Vocabulary Instructional Strategies: Marzano's 6-Step Process
The six-step process includes the following steps:

1. The teacher provides a description, explanation, or example of the term.

2. Linguistic definition - students restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words.

3. Nonlinguistic definition - students construct a picture, pictograph, symbolic representation, or act out the term.

4. The teacher extends and refines understanding of the word by engaging students in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in vocabulary notebooks.

5. Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.

6. Involve students in games that enable them to play with the terms and reinforce word knowledge.

For several years, I've been teaching this process to teachers and helping them implement it in their classrooms. I've found that when teachers become intentional in regard to vocabulary instruction, they become more excited about word learning and observing growth in their students. Soon, teachers get on board with a schoolwide vocabulary improvement effort and they begin selecting words with more intention, develop a toolbox of vocabulary strategies, create word walls to support learning, and observe growth in learning and achievement.
Lessons Learned
As a teacher, you can't teach every word which is why students also need to be engaged in independent reading to build their vocabulary. However, for targeted words that are key to mastering content or comprehending text, you should try implementing the six-step process. Since Marzano's six-step process has been around a number of years, he reports several " lessons learned." Keep these in mind as you implement the six-step process:

The process works best when you don't skip any steps. Don't pick and choose which step you "like" best - do all 6 steps.

Students need to generate their own definition of a term - sometimes I call this a "kid friendly" definition.

Step 3 - the nonlinguistic definition - is a powerful and important step. When students visualize, create a pictogram, or act out a word, they learn it well and achievement soars.

Games - Step 6 - help students play with words and internalize word meanings in a non-threatening atmosphere.

I find that teachers like to use this summary as they're learning the six-steps process. Use the six-step process as a grade-level team or content-area team and report back to each other.

Which step did you find easiest?

Are there any that you're having difficulty with implementing?

Discuss with your teaching partners and work to refine implementation. Check for student learning in both informal and formal ways.
Featured image attribution flickr user surlygirl

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Kimberly Tyson, Ph. D. Vocabulary and its strong relationship to comprehension has been verified over and over again. Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read as well as reading to learn. We also know that increasing vocabulary knowledge plays a large part in overall school success and has a direct impact on comprehension.

# data[].attributes.body
Lots of great strategies as well as a guide for choosing the words that will be of the most benefit to teach our students
https://www.weteachnyc.org/media2016/filer_public/f6/d7/f6d7c6b2-1ee4-4315-acdb-3ea2b8b53314/word_work_and_word_play_a_practice_guide_for_vocabulary_instruction_in_k-12_classrooms.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
https://growingbookbybook.com/muffin-tin-reading-games/

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/neuman.pdf

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sonja recently wrote a post about ways we need to change our vocabulary instruction in Wordshop. I admit that I find it challenging to teach vocabulary in my classroom. I hate to blame time constraints, but I do struggle to find enough time to do Wordshop justice.

# data[].attributes.headline
A Focus on Vocabulary for Early Childhood

# data[].attributes.subject
A Focus on Vocabulary for Early Childhood

# data[].attributes.body
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED483190.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
Marzano Six Steps with GREAT Strategies Flip Chart

# data[].attributes.subject
Marzano Six Steps with GREAT Strategies Flip Chart

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.commlearnonline.com/files/Classroom-Tip-4-Marzano-Vocabulary-Game.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
8 Characteristics of Effective Direct Instuction

# data[].attributes.subject
8 Characteristics of Effective Direct Instuction

# data[].attributes.body
Marzano's Research

# data[].attributes.body
http://busyteacher.org/21009-teach-vocabulary-without-students-realizing.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Susan Verner 24,484 views

One of the never-ending questions ESL teachers ask themselves is, "How do I increase my students' vocabulary?"

Learning a language and becoming fluent in that language is a long and complicated process. Much of it revolves around grammar rules and their exceptions along with discourse rules and how native speakers use language to communicate with one another. But knowing all these things won't get your students very far if they don't know vocabulary - individual words in the English language and what they refer to in the real world, be it the things we see around us or things we can't see. My guess is that no matter what area of English you are teaching, you probably include some element of vocabulary in your class. The good news is you don't have to subject your students (or yourself) to boring lists of vocabulary words that only offer a tedious memorization task. You can teach your students vocabulary without them even knowing what you are doing. Here are some ways you can slip those English words into your students' subconscious and then conscious minds.

How To Develop Your Students' Vocabulary

1. Decorate with Words

There is a reason that most people envision language classrooms with labels on everything from the clock to the pencil sharpener. Labeling the items in your classroom is a great way to teach vocabulary to your students without them even realizing it. Ok, so they might realize you have labeled the items so they will remember the names that go with each, but they might not realize they are also learning spelling whenever they read those simple classroom labels. My advice to any English teacher is to label everything. You don't need anything fancy - just scraps of paper and a black marker will make labels sufficient for this purpose. If you are worried about the labels showing when your students are taking tests, just cover them up. Get yourself a stack of large sticky notes and cover up what you don't want your students to see during the test. It's simple, and having the labels there reaps more benefits than the trouble it takes to cover them.

2. Motivate with Posters

Not every ESL student will need to learn the names for the objects in your classroom. Those words are basic English after all, but don't let that stop you from decorating with vocabulary. Put posters around your room that include or center around English words. Motivational posters are one option. They usually offer a nice picture with some less familiar words underneath. If your students' attention wanders during a lesson, they just might wander over to the saying on the poster and end up internalizing the words they see there. Grammar posters are a great option, too. Posting grammar rules around your classroom does double duty. Your students internalize the rules they read, and they also internalize the words with which those rules are written. You can also keep posters that your class creates specifically for vocabulary development. Write out your current vocabulary list and post it on the wall, post a collection of words related to an upcoming holiday, or post words that follow particular spelling patterns or pronunciation rules. All of these words on display in your classroom will help your students internalize vocabulary every day, and you won't have to take time out of class to teach them.

3. Use It. Don't Lose It

You have probably noticed it yourself and seen me write about it before: ESL teachers tend do decrease their speaking vocabulary without even realizing it in order to communicate more easily with their students. It's happened to me, and I'd bet it's happened to you, too. You can help your students learn more vocabulary by keeping your own words in check. Don't' simplify your language. In fact, do more than that. Include words in your spoken English that you know your students don't already know. When you use the words you want your students to learn, they will learn them. Don't settle for saying, "Good job," ten times a day. Change your words up: excellent work, well done, I'm impressed, you should be proud of yourself, great performance, etc. Expose your students to a variety of vocabulary right from your own lips, and they will eventually absorb what you are saying.

4. Say It and Say It Again

And while you are focusing on using unfamiliar words in your own speaking, try saying everything to your students in more than one way. Take your books out and Get out your textbooks may sound the same to you, but they won't sound the same to your ESL students. Every word they haven't encountered is a new opportunity for them to increase their vocabularies. But when you say things more than once and use different words to get your meaning across, you are actually doing two things. First, you are introducing them to new words. Second, you are also telling them what those words mean. If your students understand what take out your books means, they can probably figure out what get out your textbooks means, too. New vocabulary introduced and defined? Check.

5. Reference That

Do you keep English reference books in your classroom? You should. English only dictionaries can make a huge difference in what your students learn and how well they learn it. I am a big proponent of English only dictionaries rather than bilingual dictionaries, and you can help your students increase their vocabulary with these simple tools just by keeping them on hand in your classroom. When a student looks up a word in an English only dictionary, he finds a definition, you guessed it, in English. Likely, that definition will contain words your student does not understand. Now the point is not to send your students on a chain reaction definition hunt, going from one word to the next until he forgets the word he looked up in the first place. But likely, your student can get the gist of a definition even if he doesn't understand every word, and those words he doesn't understand, when he encounters them in enough contexts, will begin to work their way into his receptive and then productive vocabularies. Likewise, a thesaurus is a good reference book to keep around the classroom. Seeing a group of words with similar meanings, even if your students don't at first understand the nuances that make them individual words, will help your students learn vocabulary in clusters, another great vocabulary learning tool.

Vocabulary will always be a part of learning English, but it doesn't always have to be the main focus of a lesson. These are easy ways to slip new vocabulary into your students' minds and mouths without making it a big deal. Try it and see for yourself.

How do you slip vocabulary into your students' day?

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.

Get the Entire BusyTeacher Library:

Dramatically Improve the Way You Teach

Save hours of lesson preparation time with the Entire BusyTeacher Library. Includes the best of BusyTeacher: all 80 of our PDF e-books. That's 4,036 pages filled with thousands of practical activities and tips that you can start using today. 30-day money back guarantee.

Learn more

Popular articles like this

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Get Rid Of Those Lists! How To Teach Vocabulary Without Your Students Even Realizing It

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Susan Verner 24,484 views Learning a language and becoming fluent in that language is a long and complicated process. Much of it revolves around grammar rules and their exceptions along with discourse rules and how native speakers use language to communicate with one another.

# data[].attributes.headline
Do's and Don'ts of Effective Vocabulary Instruction

# data[].attributes.subject
Do's and Don'ts of Effective Vocabulary Instruction

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.learningunlimitedllc.com/2014/01/infographic-10-dos-donts-effective-vocabulary-instruction/

# data[].attributes.headline
Implications of Teaching Vocabulary related to CCSS

# data[].attributes.subject
Implications of Teaching Vocabulary related to CCSS

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat-read-lit-k-5.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
Great info on effective vocab instruction and strategies

# data[].attributes.subject
Great info on effective vocab instruction and strategies

# data[].attributes.body
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED453515.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
https://education.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/casei/AV-5-4%20Learning%20Point%20Integrated%20Vocab%20Instruction.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
Marzano 6 Step Process for Vocabulary Instruction

# data[].attributes.subject
Marzano 6 Step Process for Vocabulary Instruction

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.learningunlimitedllc.com/2012/12/marzanos-6-step-vocabulary-process/

# data[].attributes.headline
Alpha-List (great for content areas to have students pay attention to both Tier II and Tier III words since they will not be able to locate a Tier III word for each letter of the alphabet)

# data[].attributes.subject
Alpha-List (great for content areas to have students pay attention to both Tier II and Tier III words since they will not be able to locate a Tier III word for each letter of the alphabet)

# data[].attributes.body
http://devotedtovocabularydevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Alphaboxes.png

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.fortheteachers.org/Printables/5_Minutes_Content_Vocab.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.timrasinski.com/?page=presentations

# data[].attributes.body
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8I0nPgkY1s4/UxZ7HwxtA4I/AAAAAAAAHKs/rhce74Codj8/s1600/Whats_my_Word_pic1.png

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.jc-schools.net/

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.jc-schools.net/

# data[].attributes.body
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/e6/f3/65/e6f365655eb5f870ad523e881712d179.jpg

# data[].attributes.body
http://eslcforum.forumactif.com/t826-7-best-ways-to-introduce-new-vocabulary

# data[].attributes.headline
Graphic Organizer: Definitions in Students Own Words

# data[].attributes.subject
Graphic Organizer: Definitions in Students Own Words

# data[].attributes.body
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FM-DdCgMOjU/TeYXR_WWVpI/AAAAAAAAA3M/XUPVJAGDKow/s1600/Picture+1.png

# data[].attributes.body
http://thankgoditsfirstgrade.blogspot.com/2013/11/first-grade-common-core-language.html?m=1

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.jc-schools.net/

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.visuwords.com/