Division of Curriculum and Instruction

Social Studies Department

http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/davidj/

Social Studies:

Closing the Achievement Gap with Effective Vocabulary instruction

Contact:

John L. David

972-466-6180

1

What do your categories tell you to do with this information?

In the early 1860’s a ______issued the Emancipation ______. This order freed millions of s______. The C______had the authority to enforce this order. Emancipation alone did not give the former ______a new life. Decades of e______hardship and unequal rights continued. A______Plan was supported by many R______.

Six Steps to Vocabulary Instruction

  1. Provide description, explanation or example of the new term
  1. Students restate the explanation of the new term in their own words
  2. Students create a nonlinguistic representation of the term
  1. Students periodically do activities that help them add to their knowledge of vocabulary terms

·  Comparing Terms

·  Classifying Terms

·  Generating Metaphors

·  Generating Analogies

·  Revising Initial Descriptions or Nonlinguistic Representations

·  Understanding the roots and affixes

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

·  Should occur as a regular part of SS instruction

·  Pose questions to stimulate discussion

·  Raise questions and issues about terms

  1. Periodically engage students in games that allow them to play with the terms

Robert J. Marzano, Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement

1

1

The Frayer Model

1

Baby Frayer - Vocabulary Strategies Templates

Word / Picture
Example / Sentence

Verbal and Visual Word Association

Vocabulary Term / Visual Representation
Definition / Personal Association or Characteristic
Policeman / Mayor
Fireman / Teacher

1

Word Splash

Look over the 10 words below with your group of 3-4 students. Think up and write down a story using these 10 words. It is not important if you do not know what all ten words mean. Be prepared to share your story when finished.

*Don’t worry, you will learn what all these words mean as your voyage continues.

Meriwether Lewis

Fur traders cache

Prairie dogs

Shoshoni Journals

Grizzly bears Sacagawea

Keelboat Portage

1

1

Building Your Essential Vocabulary Lists

Not ALL terms are critically important!

•  So how do we decide what to put on our list?

•  Resources Collection-

–  National Standards

–  State Standards

–  Local resources

So how do we decide what to put on our list?

1.  Decide who will decide- Is it your job as the supervisor? Will you have a committee?

2.  How many words will you identify as “critical” or “essential” for each grade level?

3.  How do I decide which words to select?

a.  TAKS First Approach

b.  Teacher First Approach (Committee)

c.  Ranking system (Example)

i.  The word is critical TAKS

ii. The word is critical for “X” grade

iii.  The word is important

iv.  The word will be learned indirectly

4.  What do we do with the list?

a.  Break it down by unit/grading period for each grade level

b.  Supply each teacher with a copy

c.  Have a school/district expectation that these words will be taught “directly”

5.  Resources –

a.  SSC Glossaries - http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ssc/teks_and_taas/teks.htm#TEKS_glossary

b.  Building Academic Vocabulary, Marzano and Pickering (National Standards

c.  www.esc13.net/socialstudies

i. Many of these activities are focused on the T3s (TAKS Testable TEKS)

References

•  Robert J. Marzano –

–  Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement

–  Building Academic Vocabulary

–  Classroom Instruction that Works

•  Debra J. Pickering

–  Building Academic Vocabulary

–  Classroom Instruction that Works

•  Eric Jensen

–  Brain Based Learning

•  Jane K. Doty

–  Teaching Reading in the Content Areas

•  Closing the Achievement Gap – Belinda Williams

1