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In my last post, I shared briefly about a strategy that I use to build vocabulary for my beginning English Language Learners (ELLs) called the K.I.M. Strategy. Today I want to share with you in more detail about what this strategy is, why I use it, and how I differentiate it to meet the needs of ALL students.

The K.I.M. Strategy is a low prep, high yield strategy that supports ALL levels of learners across ALL content areas. Now, you can't get much better than that!

What is it? It's a direct vocabulary instruction strategy. The acronym stands for Key word, Important information, Memory clue and S entence. I have my students do this right inside their notebooks (no-prep), but you could also use a graphic organizer or vocabulary booklet (low-prep).

Why I use it! I use it because it's effective in building vocabulary, and my students enjoy it. As vocabulary grows, so does comprehension. I teach English language learners who happen to be of low socio-economic status. Those are two subgroups who come to school with significantly lower vocabulary knowledge than their English only and higher SES peers. I believe explicit vocabulary instruction is a crucial component of instruction, especially for kids in these subgroups. However, as we know, every child benefits from direct and purposeful vocabulary instruction. I say purposeful because looking up definitions in a dictionary is not purposeful, or meaningful, IMO.

How I use it! In my students' notebooks, I have designated a section to vocabulary. This includes notebooks across content areas (math, science & social studies).

The K.I.M. Strategy format is easily modified to meet the needs of students. For example, my beginning English language learners build their basic vocabulary using K.M.S. because they are new to the language, I do not have them add "Important information;" I simply want them to learn words and what they are.

My intermediate and higher students always include K.I.M., and usually add "S" for a sentence as a follow up activity.

A typical vocabulary lesson looks something like this... Before I give my students a word, I show them examples, pictures or drawings of the word. Then I'll say, this is a "_____." So, what do you think "_____" means? I let them explore the meaning first based on the visuals that I provide. I then steer them to the important information that they need to add in their notebook.

Here's a recent example with my 6th grade math group. They were starting a geometry unit and needed to learn some new vocabulary. I used the document camera to project my notebook.

The visual of my notebook provides them with a scaffold to ensure accuracy with their spelling and the "important information" of new terms. Memory clues and sentences are independent activities.

First, they drew 6 KIM boxes for their 6 new words...

... then, I drew various sized and shaped quadrilaterals on the whiteboard.

I said, "These are all quadrilaterals. What do you think a quadrilateral is?" Hands shot up and students shared their guesses. With teacher support, we narrowed down the information to the most important information. Students then filled in the Key word - quadrilateral, the Important information - 4 sided shape with 4 angles, then they drew a quick picture for a M emory clue.

Next, I drew several examples of parallel lines and told them that these lines are parallel. "What do you think the word parallel means?" Again, hands shot up. After that, a right angle, and so on...

On this day I did not have them write a sentence because of time constraints, but that could be a follow up activity at a different time or day.

When I do direct vocabulary instruction, I typically teach about 5 new words in a lesson, but that can vary. I also typically add a fun, kinesthetic activity as an exit ticket. Recently I needed to teach my students just 2 words, "ascending" and "descending." We did the K.I.M. Strategy for those 2 terms, then towards the end of class we did a quick human number line activity! I passed out index cards with a percent written on each, then told them to get into "ascending" order. Once that was complete, I mixed them up and told them to get into "descending" order.

For the follow up activity of the geometry terms, I wrote each term on an index card, and corresponding pictures on another. I randomly passed out all the cards and told them to find the classmate who has the matching term or picture for their card, then stand next to each other. That was their exit ticket for that day.

We are a good ways into the school year now, so my students know the process and expectations of using the K.I.M. strategy, however, when the strategy was first introduced, I did provide an anchor chart for students to use as a reference.

If you are looking for a new way to incorporate direct vocabulary instruction into your lessons, I think you'll find this strategy to be effective, engaging and super easy to implement. I also think that your students will find it to be a fun way to learn new vocabulary. It's my go-to strategy this year for teaching new vocabulary.

If you have a great strategy for direct vocabulary instruction, I'd love to hear about it!

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K.I.M. - A Highly Effective Strategy to Build Vocabulary Across Any Content Area - A Walk in the Chalk

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In my last post, I shared briefly about a strategy that I use to build vocabulary for my beginning English Language Learners (ELLs) called the K.I.M.

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Emerging level students benefit from explicit use of visuals to support their comprehension and language acquisition around a specific topic. The PWIM explicitly and systematically teaches essential nouns, verbs, details, grammatical structures, and vocabulary words associated with a topic using a single visual. The strategy can be used in any content area to support emerging level students as they develop academic language and content.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Choose a highly detailed image that teaches a concept.

2. Share the picture with the class on a large screen.

3. Write the name of the noun on the image in one color and draw a line from annotation to that particular noun.

4. Then write the verb for this noun in another color.

5. Complete the sentence with the details of that noun in a different color.

6. Repeat this process for the rest of the nouns in the image.

7. Ask students to tell their partner about the picture using the annotated image.

8. Ask students to write about the picture using the annotated visual.

Lessons Learned

Limit the number of sentences per image to only the most essential as this process can take a long time.

Provide students with their own image so they can also write the sentences as the teacher models.

Ask students to contribute ideas for vocabulary and sentences during the annotation process.

Have students orally practice the sentences with a partner throughout the process.

Use pictures for review regularly.

As students gain more vocabulary and sentence structures, have them contribute more ideas for each sentence and eventually create their own PWIM.

Pair this process with a Sentence Pattern Chart.

Differentiation

This process is designed for entering and emerging level students. Additional differentiation ideas include the following:

Write words and sentences in the students' heritage language in addition to English.

Encourage students who are literate in their heritage language to write words and sentences in their heritage languages.

You can also add a Sentence Pattern Chart at the bottom of the picture to make the patterns written in the colored-coded sentences more explicit.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Choose the detailed image that captures key concepts for the grade-level lesson.

2. Share key vocabulary with the ELD teacher.

3. If the concept is a process, number the annotations so students see the sequence in the process.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Use PWIM with small groups of beginning level students before the content lesson to build background knowledge and vocabulary.

2. Encourage beginning level students to use their PWIM pictures during the grade-level class as a support.

3. Add heritage language words to the PWIM.

4. For students at the Developing phase of proficiency, provide the image and have students work together to add the sentences.

5. For the students on the Expanding phase of proficiency, have them write the annotations for the image. Then write a one-paragraph summary that includes transitions (provided in a word bank).

Examples

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentEmerging level students benefit from explicit use of visuals to support their comprehension and language acquisition around a specific topic. The PWIM explicitly and systematically teaches essential nouns, verbs, details, grammatical structures, and vocabulary words associated with a topic using a single visual.

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The Picture Word Inductive Model - How To

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Free Downloadable Graphic Organizer Templates

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Use these free graphic organizer templates to help your students communicate more effectively by classifying ideas, structuring writing projects, and more.

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

A sentence pattern chart sequences each component of a sentence and provides words that students can put together to communicate their own ideas. Charts can include images, icons, and examples for student modeling.

These charts build students' ability to speak and write with 'sentence patterns' that can be used in multiple contexts. A sentence patterning chart can make students' speech and writing more structured and accurate.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make a table that contains columns for the essential elements of the sentence pattern students will need to communicate about the topic: nouns, verbs, and details (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions).

2. In each column, provide a list of possible content-specific words or phrases.

3. Have students speak or write in sentences using the chart.

Lessons Learned

Choose a model sentence with the pattern students will be practicing from a familiar text or context.

Work with the students to list additional words and phrases for each column.

Model the first few sentences for students.

Point out the explicit sequencing of the parts of the sentence (e.g., an adjective goes before a noun, an adverb can go before or after the verb).

While the columns can be labeled with linguistic terms (nouns, verbs, prepositional phrases, etc.), teachers do not need to spend a lot of time teaching those terms to students in early phases of English acquisition.

Start with an image to build comprehension of the words and phrases in the chart.

Differentiation

Entering/Emerging

Include a visual for each of the words and phrases on the chart (e.g., pictures of the nouns, picture for verb actions, arrows to show preposition).

Use students' heritage language as needed.

Offer sentence pattern charts with simple sentence structures (noun, verb, object).

Begin with the Picture Word Induction Model to build sentence patterns with a detailed image.

Developing

Create sentence pattern charts for more complex sentence structures such as those that start with a dependent clause (e.g. Although...; While...; Since...)

Have students contribute more of the words and phrases to the chart for each column.

Expanding

Choose a lengthy complex sentence from the text used in class. Have advanced students identify the 'sentence pattern' in that sentence and create their own sentence pattern chart.

Have students work in teams to complete the chart with possible words and phrases for each column in their chart.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Develop a grade-level speaking or writing prompt.

2. Write a grade-level model response.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Review the model response for one or two simple sentence patterns students will need to speak or write in their responses.

2. Create a sentence pattern chart with several columns.

3. Ask students for ideas for words and phrases to add to the chart.

4. Hold a discussion to reflect on how this strategy can be used in another class.

Examples

Type of chart

Sample charts

Chart w/ visuals

Sentence examples

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentA sentence pattern chart sequences each component of a sentence and provides words that students can put together to communicate their own ideas. Charts can include images, icons, and examples for student modeling.These charts build students' ability to speak and write with 'sentence patterns' that can be used in multiple contexts.

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions

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ELL Strategies: Accountable Talk in Classroom Discussions