USING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Presented by:
Mark Barratt

WHAT IS ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY ?
⮚ Academic vocabulary is the vocabulary critical to understanding
the concepts of the content taught in schools.
⮚Words used in schoolwork, including words used in each
curriculum area and general academic terms.
⮚Academic vocabulary is important because our knowledge of
any topic is encapsulated in the terms we know that are
relevant to the topic.
⮚A language learner who has 1book read to them each day is
exposed to 1825 books by the time they reach 5.

WHY IS VOCABULARY
IMPORTANT?
People’s knowledge of any topic is summed up in the words they know
that are relevant to the topic.
Example:
People who know about skiing understand terms
such as fall line, snow plow, corn snow, unweight,
powder, packed powder, green slope, blue slope,
black slope, mogul, carving, and face plant.
The more students understand these terms, the
easier it is for them to understand information
they may read or hear about the topic.

VOCABULARY
Research is clear that vocabulary predicts reading ability, and should
be explicitly taught.
How many times does an average student need to see a word to be
able to recognize it and its meaning?
The average student needs to see a word between 25 to 45 times
prior to independent recognition.
Struggling readers needed to see words an average of 76 times or
more before they could recognize each word in isolation for three
consecutive times (Hargis, 1988).

DIRECT VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
🞂 The same student placing at the 50th percentile in reading
comprehension, with no direct vocabulary instruction,
placed at the 83rd percentile when provided specific
instruction in academic vocabulary.

WHY TEACH ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY?
•According to Marzano (2005) the strongest action a teacher can take to
ensure that students have the academic background knowledge to
understand the content they will encounter is providing them with direct
instruction in these terms.
•When students understand these terms, it is easier for them to understand
the information they will read .

RESEARCH FACTS
⮚The vocabulary of entering 1st graders
predicts not only their word reading
ability at the end of 1st grade
(Senechal &Cornell 1991).
⮚But also their 11th grade reading comprehension
(Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997).

CONE OF LEARNING
How Much we Tend to Remember
Hearing Words
Reading
10 % of what we read
Looking at Pictures
Watching a Movie
Looking at an Exhibit
Watching a Demonstration
Seeing it Done on Location
Participating in a Discussion
Giving a Talk
Doing a Dramatic Presentation
Simulating a Real Experience
Doing the Real Thing
20 % of what we hear
30 % of what we see
50 % of what we hear & see
70 % of what we say
90 % of what we
say & do

SIX STEP PROCESS FOR VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION
• Marzano describes a six-step process in the
instruction of vocabulary:
• The first three steps are to assist the teacher in
direct instruction.
• The last three steps are to provide the learner practice and reinforcement.

BUILDING ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY
SIX STEP PROCESS FOR TEACHING NEW TERMS
Step l: Teacher provides a description,
explanation or example.
Step 2: Teacher restates the description,
explanation or example.
Step 3: Students draw a picture, symbol or
graphic representation.

BUILDING ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY
SIX STEP PROCESS FOR TEACHING NEW TERMS
Step 4: Students add to their knowledge of
the terms in their notebooks.
Step 5: Students discuss terms with one
another.
Step 6: Students play games that allow
them to practice new terms.

SIX STEP PROCESS FOR TEACHING
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
1. Provide a description, explanation, or example of the
new term.
If working with ELL students the teacher should first
provide the description in the native language and a
visual representation of the word.

STEP 1: TEACHER PROVIDES STUDENTS
WITH A DESCRIPTION, EXPLANATION OR
EXAMPLE ( NOT A DEFINITION) USING
COMMON LANGUAGE
❖Determine prior knowledge
1. What do you think you know about
this word?
2. Where have you heard this word
before?

STEP 1: CONT…
• Tell a story that integrates the term.
• Use video or computer images as the stimulus in
understanding the information.
• Use current events to help make the terms applicable to
something familiar to students.
• Describe your own mental pictures of the terms.
• Find or create pictures that exemplify the term.
• Ask individual or small groups to do some initial investigation
into the term and present the information-perhaps in the
form of a skit or pantomime- to the class

STEP 1 EXAMPLE : HABITAT
•Don’t give the formal definition:
•A habitat is an environment or place where a group of
organisms live together.
•Have a discussion to simplify the definition:
•It is the place where something lives. For example your
habitat is your house. A den is a bear’s habitat. The lake
is a fishes habitat.

EXAMPLE: HABITAT

MY UNDERSTANDING OF
THE WORD
•1. I know the word well
•2. I recognize it in context, and I can tell you what it is related to
•3. I've heard of it, but I don't know what it means
•4. I have never heard the word before

SIX STEP PROCESS FOR TEACHING
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
2. Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in
their own words.
If students struggle:
🞂 Provide more examples
🞂 Discuss in partner pairs
🞂 Move on to step 3 and let them create a picture
-ELL students may write their definition in
their native language.

STEP 2 (CONT.) : TEACHER RESTATES
THE DESCRIPTION, EXPLANATION OR
EXAMPLE
Monitor students to determine if any confusion exists
Allow students to discuss the term with partners or small groups
Provide more descriptions, explanations, or examples if necessary
Remind learners to use their own words; no parroting of teacher’s
description

SIX STEP PROCESS FOR TEACHING
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
3. Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or
graphic of the term.
⮚Add the drawing to the academic notebook.
-This activity is critical for ELL students.

STEP 3: STUDENTS DRAW A PICTURE,
SYMBOL OR GRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION
•Ask the student to draw a picture, symbol, or locate a
graphic to represent the new term.
•Dramatize the term.
•Provide examples of students’ drawing and your own
drawings that are rough but that represent the ideas.
•Allow students to work together.
•Model for the students.

STEP 4:SIX STEP PROCESS FOR
TEACHING ACADEMIC
VOCABULARY
⮚ Engage students every other week in
activities that help them add to their
knowledge of the terms.

STEP 4: STUDENTS ADD TO THEIR
KNOWLEDGE OF THE
TERMS IN THEIR NOTEBOOKS
🞂 Identify synonyms or antonyms
🞂 List related words
🞂 Write reminders of common confusions
🞂 Draw an additional graphic
🞂 Write metaphors and analogies
🞂 Compare terms
🞂 Classify terms
🞂 Write a cognate
🞂 Student records in Academic Notebook Work Sheet

EXAMPLES OF
ACTIVITIES
•Free Association (warm up)
•Relationship Building
–Concept Circles
•Comparing Terms
–Sentence Stems
–Venn Diagram
–Double Bubble
–Matrix

CONCEPT CIRCLE
EXAMPLE
Polygons
Quadrilaterals

VENN DIAGRAM EXAMPLE

SENTENCE STEMS
•___________ & ___________ are similar because
they both________________________________
•____________ & ____________ are different because
____________is__________, but ________is_________

STEP 5: SIX STEP PROCESS FOR TEACHING
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
5. Every other week ask students to discuss the
terms with one another.
Example of a structured Strategy:
⮚Think_Pair_Share:
Think: Allow quiet time
Pair: Put learners in pairs to discuss. Ask students to
discuss, describe and explain terms with each other
Share: 2 minute vocabulary BUZZ where students share
their work in pairs or with whole class

STEP 6: SIX STEP PROCESS FOR
TEACHING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
6. Involve students periodically in games that
allow them to play with the terms.
After playing the reinforcement games, students
can add to the new info section of the Academic
Vocabulary worksheet.

STEP 6: STUDENTS PLAY GAMES THAT
ALLOW THEM TO PRACTICE WITH THE
NEW TERMS
Games are the most underused instructional tools in
education
Games help teachers keep new terms in the forefront of
students’ thinking
Games allow students to reexamine their understanding
of terms
Students improve their academic vocabulary and their
communication skills (ELPS)
Provide opportunities for students to work together
(lowers anxiety level, practice of the English language )
Teachers need to set aside blocks of time each week or
play games in order to energize students and guide them
in the review and use of important terms

EXAMPLES OF GAMES
•Pyramid
•Vocabulary Charades
•Talk, Talk, Talk
•Draw Me
•Talk a mile a minute
•PowerPoint Games
• BINGO (K-2) http://dltk-cards.com/bingo/bingo1.asp
• BINGO (K-6) http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/STUDY_BINGO.xls
• PASSWORD http://jc-schools.net/read6-12/Password.ppt
• JEOPARDY http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/jeopardy-game.ppt
• PYRAMID http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/Pyramid.ppt
• MILLIONAIRE http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/Million.ppt

WEBSITES
Online Games www.its.leesummit.k12.mo.us/gameresources
🞂 Jeopardy – www.hardin.k12.ky.us/res_techn/countyjeopardygames
🞂 Word Sift – www.wordsift.com
🞂 Pictionary – www.pictionary.com
🞂 Charades - www.charades.com
🞂 Bingo- www.bingo.com
🞂 Wordle- www.wordle.net
Vocabulary Websites:
www.visuwords.com www.visuwords.com www.dictionary.com
www.wordsmith.org www.wordsmith.org www.isualthesaurus.com
www.thesaurus.com www.thesaurus.com www.askoxford.com
www.merrian-webster www.merrian-webster www.alphadictionary.com
www.metaglossary.com www.metaglossary.com www.thsrs.com

Tell me, I forget.
Show me, I remember.
Involve me, I understand.
Ancient Chinese Proverb
REFLECTION