Sarika Kahnijaun

 

 

Overview

Vocabulary is the pronunciation and the meaning of words. Words are related to concepts and it helps in reading fluency. Vocabulary also develops with the recognition of words, especially for children who try to recognize a part of a print word. Vocabulary can be categorized as oral or reading vocabulary. Oral vocabulary are words that we use in speaking or recognize in listening, whereas reading vocabulary is using words we recognize in print (NIFL, 2006).

Children tend to use words that they hear or words that they see in print more often. They are more comfortable with words that they know. Vocabulary is also very important in comprehension; your child has to know the meaning of the words in order to understand the whole sentence. Children also tend to learn meaning of words indirectly through their everyday experiences, from adults who read to them, and when they read themselves and relate it to the pictures they see.

• Vocabulary is the pronunciation and the meaning of words.
• There is oral vocabulary that is used in speaking and reading vocabulary that is used in print.
• Vocabulary is important for comprehension.

 

Research-Based Classroom Practices

Direct and Indirect learning

Research on vocabulary instruction has shown that most vocabulary is learned indirectly and some vocabulary must be taught directly in order for a child to receive the
most benefits (NIFL, 2006). Children learn vocabulary meanings in three ways: daily engagement in oral language, listening to adults read to them, and reading to themselves. Children learn word meanings, informally, through conversations with their parents, other adults, or other children. When adults read to their children at bedtime or during the day, the child is able to ask the adult to clarify words that are unfamiliar. This turns into a conversation and the child is able to use prior knowledge and experiences to relate. This is a reason teachers encourage parents to read to their child. When children read on their own, they are also learning new words and vocabulary.

Most vocabulary words are learned indirectly, however, direct words are also taught to children, especially words that are not in their everyday experience. For example, learning technical vocabulary words in science that children don’t use everyday helps them understand science books better. Direct instruction includes providing children with a specific word instruction and then teaching them word-learning strategies (NIFL, 2006). This helps them understand what they are hearing or reading and it helps them use the word accurately. In the classrooms, teachers teach a specific word before children read the text so the children are able to comprehend the text while reading. Extending the vocabulary words by using it more than once in a day helps children learn the words in different contexts as well. This also leads in to exposure of the vocabulary words which helps promote active engagement, especially, when the children know the meaning of the words. For example, a classroom teacher is reading the book, The Great Pancake Escape, by Paul Many, the teacher might explain the word escape before reading the whole book. She might first ask the children what they know about escape and then continue on with a more in depth version of escape. The book is a rhyming book so that also helps the children with rhymes. This is active engagement for the children to get more involved into the book.

 

Self-learning

Within the classrooms, teachers also try to get children to learn ways to teach themselves some vocabularies as well. Some examples are how to use dictionaries and other reference aids to learn word meanings and to deepen knowledge of word meanings; how to use information about word parts to figure out the meanings of words in text; and how to use context clues to determine word meanings (NIFL, 2006).

 

Comprehension

Vocabulary is important for communicating effectively. It is also vital for beginning readers to make sense of the words they see in print. Research suggests that the readers’ vocabulary is a strong predictor of their comprehension of what is read (Stahl & Nagy, 2006). Understanding a word will also help readers understand the whole text. Thus, learning vocabulary is important for aspects of reading and comprehension.

Teachers also encourage children to learn vocabulary when they stop at words that the children don’t know and begin to explain them. An example of a teacher stopping to explain a word that the children might not understand is the word “tenement houses” in the book, The Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton. The teacher will also try to relate it to the child’s experience so the child is able to understand it better. Personalizing learning is important in vocabulary development (Blachowicz & Fisher, 2006). There is also a word wall that is in most classrooms so children are able to go back to the word wall and check their spelling. The children also have small self-made dictionaries in the classroom, which can help them with some vocabulary words. Besides the self-made dictionaries, there are also very accessible dictionaries in the classroom for the children to use. The activities that happen during center time are also vocabulary related. There are boxes of vocabulary games, rhyming games, and other games that only enhance the child’s learning.

• Vocabulary is learned indirectly or directly.
• Vocabulary is learned indirectly through conversation and directly through the classroom
• Children also need strategies to learn the vocabulary by themselves.
• Vocabulary is also important for understanding the print the children see.
• The word wall is a good classroom practice for children to learn their words and spelling.

 

Family Activities

• Take a walk around the neighborhood or at the park and ask your child to tell you what he thinks certain things mean around him. Ask questions like, “What do you know about butterflies?” You could also talk about the weather for the day and what happens when it’s sunny or windy. This will allow your child to think beyond what he sees, and your child might start using vocabulary words that surround that particular concept.

 

• When you are cooking, invite your child to come and help you. Allow her to try to read from the cookbook and ask her what types of ingredients are required. This can become a family activity. When the child is stuck on a word, you can explain what it is or how it looks like to make the experience more meaningful.

• When you are shopping with your child, you can ask your child to go get a certain item. This encourages the child to read and recognize the package of the item. This will help the child’s vocabulary as well because he will come across words that he might not know. Then you can explain.

• PowerPoint Vocabulary game: A game that parents and children can play together and choose the correct word. There’s a picture that goes along with the words so the child is able to identify the picture and the words correctly.

 

 

Resources

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_1st.htm
This website contains first-grade online activities, including language arts and mathematics. Great for practicing sight words, consonants, and vowels. It includes many other fun activities children will enjoy.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Vocabulary/VocabWords1.shtml
First-grade vocabulary words ranging from A-Z and other activities in other content areas like science, math, geography, etc.
 
http://www.planetcdrom.com/discount-software/Education-Grades-K-8/  or http://www.planetcdrom.com/discount-software/Garfield-Its-All-About-Vocabulary-Spelling-Ages-6-7/
The first site provides software information for k-3 grades on a variety of topics, and the second site is software that explores vocabulary and spelling activities for children ages 6-7 with Garfield.

http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1vocab.html 10/24/06
This is a website for parents and teachers to learn more about vocabulary.

Many, P. (2002).  The great pancake escape. New York: Walker & Company
Three children try to catch their breakfast. New words are introduced that a parent can stop and explain. The children pursue the pancakes down alleyways, across town, and through the park.

Katz, B. (2006). Once around the sun. New York: Harcourt Children’s Books.
Poems for each month of the year. A boy has fun in the different seasons, which helps children learn different vocabulary words for each season.

Adlerman, D. (2001). Africa calling: Nighttime falling. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publication Inc.
A girl is able to imagine the different habitats each of her stuffed animals are from. It is a good way for parents and children to learn the animals and the words that belong to the animals’ habitat.

Burton, V. L. (1978). The little house. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin
This story is about a house in the country where the city moves in around her. Words, such as carriages, are introduced. Other words belonging to the country and to the city are compared. Children will be able to learn new words from the country and from the city.

 

 

References

Blachowicz, C., & Fisher, P. J. (2006) Teaching vocabulary in all classrooms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

National Institute for Literacy (NISL). VocabularyiInstruction. Retrieved from http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1vocab.html Retrieved on October 27th 2006.

Stahl, S. A., & Nagy, W. E. (2006). Teaching word meanings. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erblaum Associates Inc.