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Hi friends! This blog is for teachers and families- all for the sheer joy of literacy. When we are enthusiastic about reading and writing our students and our own kids become excited to read and write. I hope that we all can be models for those in our care- how did you show your passion for reading, writing, learning, language, or words today?? It's in those small, daily moments that we teach kids to love literacy.


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Teaching Tipster: Clarifying Unknown Words


When I use this Predicting, Clarifying, Questioning, and Summarizing form with my students, for each book we read in small group. First, they choose the vocabulary words that are challenging for them. After they choose the words that "are tricky for them," I work with them to clarify the words.

Here's what we do:
  1. We write down the words on chart paper. I check the words that are repeats. This helps me to see the words that are tricky for all of the students.
  2. Then I choose words that are essential to the comprehension of the text or words that are Tier 2 words that they will encounter often. See this article from Colorin Colorado for more help on choosing vocabulary for ELLs. We talk about 5-10 of the words.
  3. Next, the students read the word in context and make inferences about the meaning.
  4. I draw a picture of the word, and we discuss the word togther- giving examples and non-examples.
  5.  
I took some quick pictures of the work we did with clarifying  this week:


On the bottom are Tier 2 words (clogged, harder), up top are Tier 3 words (geysers, craters, cinder cones, shield volcanoes).

This process could always be improved on. But, I think it's esecially essential to discuss the tricky words with my students, and giving them an illustration is especially important- it helps to anchor the word for them.

How do you teach vocabulary to the kids you teach?

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