TITLE: The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy

File: JHS1919. Compiled by Mr. J. Smith

Source: Journal of Reading (29:7, April 1986), p. 634

Date: 8/24/94

I. Three major forms of vocabulary instruction

A. General vocabulary development

Preselected lists of words are studied weekly.

B. Basal reading vocabulary development

Selected words from a story are pretaught to develop concepts and increase comprehension and are reviewed during discussion and extension activities.

C.Content area vocabulary development

The language and concepts associated with a given topic are taught. Clarification and refinement of concepts is emphasized. Instruction may or may not precede reading. Targeted words make up some, if not a major portion, of endofunit tests.

II.Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy

1This strategy differs from the preceding strategies in that the words to be studied are selected by students. The emphasis is upon studentgenerated word lists and emphasis on students' personal experience and world knowledge.

2The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy may be used for general, basal reading, or content area vocabulary development.

3PROCEDURE. The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy (Haggard, 1982) begins with an assignment for each student and the teacher to bring to class a word that he or she believes the entire class should learn. Students are encouraged to find words in their own environment and to determine the meaning as best they can from context; they do not have to look the words up prior to presentation in class.

On the day of presentation, students and teacher write their words on the board and take turns identifying their word and telling (1) where each word was found, (2) the contextderived definition, (3) why they think the class should learn the word.

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TITLE: The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy

File: JHS1919

Source: Journal of Reading (29:7, April 1986), p. 634

Date: 8/24/94

During this time the teacher leads discussion for the purpose of clarifying and extending word meanings; other students and the teacher add information they have about each word to arrive at an agreed upon definition. This definition may then be compared to a dictionary definition if that seems desirable.

Following discussion, the list is narrowed down to an appropriate number of words by eliminating duplications, words most of the class already knows, or words the students do not wish to learn.

Final list words are redefined as students record words and definitions in their vocabulary journals. Words eliminated from the class list may be entered on personal lists, as students wish.

Study assignments may be made at this time, or the teacher may use the class list to develop activities for assignment the next day.

At the end of the week, students are tested on the class word list according to instructional goals (spelling requirements, definitions, use in sentences, etc.). On the next day, the cycle begins again.

4Basal reading vocabulary development. (1) Open choice vocabulary selfcollection. Following reading and discussion of the story, students are asked to go back to the story and find one word they believe the group should study or learn more about. The teacher also identifies one word. The teacher writes words on chalkboard as students give definitions from context. The student may give his or her reasons for wanting to know more about the word. Group discussion allows other students to add information as students relate meaning both to personal experience and story events. After all words have been nominated, the group agrees upon a final list.

(2) Limited choice vocabulary self collection. Using the words identified in the teacher guide or a list taken from the story, the teacher prepares, in advance, activities for teaching or extending concepts associated with each word. These activities may be taken directly from the basal teacher guide or adapted. Students, working as a group or individually, decide which of the words are to be studied, discuss reasons for their choices, and complete the activities.

To use this strategy in basal reading assignments, the text must be well within their instructional reading range; if not, words critical to story comprehension should be pretaught in the traditional manner.

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TITLE: The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy

File: JHS1919

Source: Journal of Reading (29:7, April 1986), p. 634

Date: 8/24/94

5Content area vocabulary development. Differs from basal reading instruction in two ways: (1) primary attention is to learn content. Therefore, student attention should be directed to locating words and terms which will assist them in acquiring content knowledge. (2) Basal reading usually occurs in small group settings, content instruction usually in whole class settings. To use time efficiently and achieve maximum student participation, identification of words should first occur in two or three member teams. This permits discussion of words and their meanings prior to their nomination for class consideration.

Student teams nominate one word or term that team members believe is important for learning the lesson content. The teacher nominates a word. Teacher writes words on chalkboard as teams give definitions from context. Words/terms are tested as they apply to content information.

6Vocabulary selfcollection research. The vocabulary selfcollection strategy differs two ways from traditional instruction: (1) use of studentgenerated (as opposed to preselected) word lists, and (2) emphasis on student experience and world knowledge.

Haggard, in a study with college students using a modified form of the vocabulary selfcollection strategy [modification=no instruction took place regarding the words] studied (1) motivating factors, (2) source of new words, (3) strategies for learning, (4) metalinguistic awareness.

Students kept vocabulary journals in which they logged their vocabulary development for six weeks. Students were to record (1) each word learned (by date), (2) the definition as perceived, (3) how the definition was obtained (e.g., context, dictionary, explanation), 4 where the word was found (e.g., reading, course lecture, conversation) and (5) why the word was learned. At the end of the six weeks, the students wrote a one page analysis of their own vocabulary development. Instructions prior to the study emphasized that students were to record only those words learned, rather than all new words encountered, that they were to record "no new words today," when appropriate, and that there was no requirement for words to be looked up in the dictionary.

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TITLE: The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy

File: JHS1919

Source: Journal of Reading (29:7, April 1986), p. 634

Date: 8/24/94

7Student responses. Fortytwo students collected a total of 1,456 words, of which 1,403 words were available for analysis. Log entries were analyzed under the categories of motivation for learning new words (why the word was learned), source of new vocabulary words (reading vs. nonreading, course related vs. not course related), and strategy for word learning (context, dictionary, direct instruction, structural analysis). Written analyses submitted by the students were used to derive conclusions regarding their metalinguistic awareness of word learning.

8Motivation for learning new words. (1) sound, (2) interesting/unusual word, (3) curiosity, (4) immediate usefulness, (5) clarification, (6) new word.

9Source of new vocabulary. Reading: (1) college course work, (2) pleasure/information. Nonreading: (3) direct instruction, (4) mentioned in class, (5) peer use, (6) other: television watching, conversations with children. The most unexpected result was the emergence of pleasure/informational reading as the most frequent source of new vocabulary.

10Strategy for word learning. Dictionary (42%), context (36%), unsolicited explanation (16%), asking someone for the meaning (6%), structural analysis (1%).

11Metalinguistic awareness. Student commentaries revealed (1) they learned words most easily when words labeled or defined their own experience, (2) students developed a general attitude of playfulness and enjoyment of word learning. Collecting words increased sensitivity, interest.

12Internal motivation and effects. (1) Internal motivation exerts a strong influence on vocabulary acquisition and development. (2) Written text is a major source for new words and terms. (3) Adults develop systematic, personalized strategies for word learning. (4) Words which label or define experience are learned more easily than those which do not. (5) The act of collecting words increases sensitivity to new words and enjoyment in word learning.

These conclusions provide strong support for the use of the Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy in the classroom, particularly in light of the absence of instruction during the study. With instruction, one would expect even richer results. Such instruction allows student interests to be the primary focus of vocabulary learning.

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TITLE: The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy

File: JHS1919

Source: Journal of Reading (29:7, April 1986), p. 634

Date: 8/24/94

Words students bring to class are drawn from all areas of their lives: popular books, current issues, various content fields, fads, and people/places/ things in the news.

13"Evidence from classroom practice, research, and theory suggests that the Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy is an effective instructional alternative. It stimulates interest and enthusiasm, builds upon and expands world knowledge, and establishes independent learning behaviors. These instructional features are critical in developing students who are active, enthusiastic word learners."

14References:

Haggard, Martha Rapp. "The Vocabulary SelfCollection Strategy: An Active Approach to Word Learning." Journal of Reading, vol. 27 (December 1982),pp. 203207.

Haggard, Martha Rapp. "An Interactive Strategies Approach to Content Reading Instruction." Journal of Reading, vol. 29 (December 1985), pp. 204210.

Ruddell, Robert B., and Richard Speaker. "The Interactive Reading Process: A Model." Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, 3rd ed., edited by Harry Singer and Robert B. Ruddell. Newark, Del.: International Reading Association, 1985.

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TITLE: An Interactive Strategies Approach to Content Reading

File: JHS1919

Source: Journal of Reading (29:3, December 1986), p. 204210.

Date: 8/24/94

STEPS FOR USING THE INTERACTIVE STRATEGIES APPROACH

I.Content directed readingthinking activity

Steps

  1. Students, working with partners, list everything about a general topic. (810 minutes)
  2. Teacher announces focus of the reading assignment.
  3. Students predict what ideas they have listed will appear in the reading. New ideas may be added to the list.
  4. Students read the assignment, noting how well they predicted.
  5. Teacher leads large group discussion about the accuracy of predictions: How well did you predict? How many of your ideas appeared in the reading? What new ideas appeared?

Student Behaviors

  1. Recall prior knowledge.
  2. Identify what they know.
  3. Raise questions about what they do not know.
  4. Organize information while reading.
  5. Predict what information will be found.
  6. Confirm/adjust predictions.
  7. Relate new information to prior knowledge.

Teacher Behaviors

  1. Assess students' prior knowledge.
  2. Determine what students already know.
  3. Determine the magnitude of difference between what students know and what is to be learned.
  4. Provide a means for students to organize information while reading.
  5. Focus student attention and predictions.

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TITLE: An Interactive Strategies Approach to Content Reading

File: JHS1919

Source: Journal of Reading (29:3, December 1986), p. 204210.

Date: 8/24/94

STEPS FOR USING THE INTERACTIVE STRATEGIES APPROACH

II.Group mapping activity

Steps

  1. Students individually map their interpretation of text without referring back to the reading (10 minutes).
  2. Partners share maps and assist each other with organization and content.
  3. Teacher leads group map sharing and followup discussion.

Student Behaviors

  1. Organize information after reading.
  2. Identify major concepts and elements.
  3. Perceive relationships between concepts.
  4. Perceive relationships with prior knowledge.
  5. Understand relative importance of ideas.
  6. Synthesize and articulate new learning.
  7. Find out how much they learned.
  8. Establish base of information for further learning.

Teacher Behaviors

  1. Provide a means for students to organize information after reading.
  2. Develop a variety of organizational structures.
  3. Direct discussion.
  4. Assess new learning.
  5. Find out how much students learned.
  6. Determine degree of teaching/learning success.

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TITLE: An Interactive Strategies Approach to Content Reading

File: JHS1919

Source: Journal of Reading (29:3, December 1986), p. 204210.

Date: 8/24/94

STEPS FOR USING THE INTERACTIVE STRATEGIES APPROACH

III.Vocabulary selfcollection activity

Steps

  1. Students and teacher choose one or two words from the assignment that they believe the class should learn. Each team contributes one word.
  2. Teacher leads discussion as words are put on the board and defined.
  3. Teacher and students choose the class vocabulary list from the pool of words nominated.
  4. Students record the words and definitions. Words not chosen for the class list may be added to personal lists.
  5. Students enter vocabulary words on maps.
  6. Teacher leads final discussion and makes appropriate assignments for followup activities.

Student Behaviors

  1. Learn vocabulary which labels important concepts, elements, and relationships.
  2. Identify new words and terms.
  3. Identify known words and terms in new contexts.

Teacher Behaviors

  1. Identify and teach vocabulary which labels important concepts, elements, and relationships.
  2. Determine words students already know.
  3. Determine words students need to know.
  4. Teach new words.

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