Introduction. What is Phonemic Awareness?

Instructional Guides Vocabulary Guide Introduction The National Reading Panel (NRP) issued a report in 2000 to provide “an evidenced-based assessment...
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Instructional Guides Vocabulary Guide

Introduction The National Reading Panel (NRP) issued a report in 2000 to provide “an evidenced-based assessment of the

scientific literature on Reading and its implications for reading instruction.” The findings of this report provide analysis and discussion in five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension. While this panel did address low-achieving students, it is likely that this did not specifically include students with severe/profound disabilities, who are the focus of this document. Because these areas have been identified as central to learning to read, they should be considered as a component to reading instruction for all students. Learn more: National Reading Panel (NRP) Frequently Asked Questions http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/faq/faq.htm

Becoming a literate reader or writer requires fast and accurate recognition and production of words and their meaning within text materials. When students are able to do this, they can concentrate on comprehension or making meaning of what is being read.

Vocabulary refers to the words we must know to communicate effectively.

In general, vocabulary can be described as oral vocabulary or reading vocabulary. Oral vocabulary refers to words that we use in speaking or recognize in listening. Reading vocabulary refers to words we recognize or use in print. Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. As beginning readers, children use the words they have heard to make sense of the words they see in print. Unique Learning System has developed three guides: Phonemic Awareness, Word Study and Vocabulary. While we must recognize the interdependence and overlap of these components of learning to read and write, this document will focus on the strategies and skills for developing word meaning. Unique Learning System provides content vocabulary within all lessons. This guide will suggest ways that vocabulary activities can be integrated into all reading instruction at all grade bands, while using the current materials that are provided with Unique Learning System.

What is Phonemic Awareness? Vocabulary development is a critical component of reading instruction. For our students with cognitive, physical, sensory and communicative disabilities, it is often difficult to evaluate the individual’s vocabulary level. In many instances, the listening vocabulary may be much greater than the speaking vocabulary. We must be careful not to deny instruction in reading and writing vocabulary based on limitations that are manifested in speaking or other modes of expressive oral vocabulary. The National Reading Panel (2002) concluded, “no single method of vocabulary instruction will result in optimal learning.” The report emphasizes that “effective instruction must use a variety of methods to help students acquire new words and increase the depth of the word knowledge over time.” Effective methods should include: © 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. ULS, August 2012

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• • • •

multimedia aspects of learning, richness of content, active student participation and numerous exposures to words.

Vocabulary instruction involves two major elements: • selecting appropriate words for instruction and • selecting effective ways to teach these words. The selection of vocabulary may be considered in three tiers for students with significant disabilities: Tier 1: Basic Words • Basic words occur in high frequency in the student’s home, school and community environments. Most students will recognize these words receptively and will not need to be directly taught the meaning. Examples might include Mom, Dad, own name, McDonalds®, chair, eat, home, school. Some students may need to have these words integrated into aspects of daily activities to gain meaningful understanding. Tier 2: Useful Words • These words are those that students encounter with high frequency across multiple environments, situations and text. Understanding of these words is considered necessary for listening and/or reading situations. Words from this tier are where we want to focus most of our vocabulary instruction. Some words are environmentally important, such as teachers’ names, classmates’ names, locations in the school or menu items. These may be the new definition of “survival words.” Also in this tier, we need to include basic high frequency sight words, such as play, the, come, and. If a student is to gain meaning from reading materials, he/she must have recognition and understanding of these words that occur regularly in text passages. Tier 3: Low Frequency Words • These are words that are important for understanding a particular content. These may be words that are related to content areas that are being taught yet occur in low frequency in daily conversations or text reading. Some examples might include universe, experiment, equality, ecosystem. Meaning of these words may be necessary for gaining understanding of a larger concept that is relevant to the information being taught. Vocabulary instruction may well include words form all tiers. There is also no specific list that identifies words in these tiers. The basis for tier assignment will depend on the individual student. Most instructional activities will likely focus on words that you have identified in Tier 1 and 2 for your classroom setting. Unique Learning System provides academic content units that include vocabulary that can be easily assigned to these tiers for your purposes. The activities in this guide provide instructional strategies that can be used with words that are identified in these tiers.

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Activity #1: Category Sorts Select words and pictures from unit materials that fit the criteria of the categories identified. This is a categorization skill that allows students to find similarities and order among words they encounter. Sorting words is a powerful way to help students make sense of words. • A simple frame for sorting 2 sets of pictures/words is included at the end of this activity. This may be laminated for repeated use. The top 2 sections will include the sorting criteria. • Sorting frames may be used with a dry erase marker to write words as well. Modeling the written word is a good strategy for building word skills. Plants

Animals

• Materials: Pictures, pictures with words or words that can be sorted into categories. These may be related to the unit topic or other areas of categorization that are at the student level of vocabulary understanding. • •

Begin the lesson by identifying the sorting criteria (e.g., plants/animals; actions/people). Refine the category as students progress (e.g., farm animals, zoo animals).

Adaptations: For students with motor and speech challenges, provide the model of the word sort with aided participation. Oral and written models become the “voice in their head.” • Present two choices of the “next” word or picture to be sorted for the student to select using a non-verbal mode of selection. This allows for active participation.

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Word Sort Frame Sorting Criteria Stimulus

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Sorting Criteria Stimulus

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Activity #2: Word Meaning Sorts Words and pictures may be sorted in a variety of ways to increase understanding. Select vocabulary for the unit materials and high frequency sight word lists. Create additional word or picture cards as needed to build vocabulary meaning. Additional pictures can be found in the SymbolStix Online library. (SymbolStix requires a separate subscription.) Sort by Opposites:

in

out

in

out

Sort by Feature: (color, size, function)

Sort by which word does not belong:

Adaptations: For students with motor and speech challenges, provide the model of the word sort with aided participation. Oral and written models become the “voice in their head.”

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Activity #3: Definitions Defining a word should not be an activity that merely involves “looking it up in the dictionary.” A definition should be written in student-friendly language. This definition activity includes visual representation and application of the words being studied. • Several of the vocabulary activities in Unique do provide simple definitions of content specific vocabulary. Select words and answer the questions to fill in each section of the definition quadrant. 1.

What is the word?

friend 3.

Add a picture.

2.

What is the definition?

A person whom you know well and like.

4.

Write or tell a sentence.

Amy is my friend.

For students with motor and speech challenges, model and “talk through” the four quadrants. Oral and written models become the “voice in their head.” • This is a good activity for building vocabulary on an AAC device.

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Definition Quadrant

1. What is the word?

2. What is the definition?

3. Add a picture.

4. Write or tell a sentence.

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Activity #4: Covered Words Covered Words is an activity that can be considered a Word Study activity as well as vocabulary building. • Select a paragraph or sentence from unit materials. (This works well as a group activity if the sentences are enlarged on a chart.) • Cover a word in the sentence with a Post-it® note. Students will read the sentence and predict the covered word based on the content. • This is a “cloze” activity if no word options are given.

Matt and Mike are twins. Matt

Mike are the same.

• This same activity is a “maze” if word choices are given.

ate

and

can

• When a word is selected, the student will reread the sentence to check if the sentence makes sense with the selected word. For students with motor and speech challenges, read the sentence aloud, pause on the covered word and offer choices in the maze format.

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Activity #5: Parts of Speech – Vocabulary Wheel Understanding vocabulary also involves identifying the words by the parts of speech. Select given words from unit materials. Use the vocabulary wheel to identify the word as a person, a place, a thing, an action or a descriptor. • Use the dial on the wheel to make the selection of the part of speech. • Present the word in a sentence to note the way these word parts are used in a sentence.

Matt red likes pizza

person descriptor action thing

Matt has a red shirt. Matt has a red shirt. Mike likes pizza. Mike likes pizza.

This activity can also be reversed. Present a sentence. Turn the wheel to a part of speech. Read the sentence to find a word that is the part of speech identified on the wheel. For students with motor and speech challenges, present the options on the wheel verbally and wait for the students to indicate “that’s it” through a mode of expression which has been identified for the student.

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Activity #6: Same Meaning “Same Meaning” is a strategy for presenting synonyms. • Select words or sentences from unit materials. Chapter books in the Middle and High School are good tools to find appropriate sentences for this activity.

• Read the sentence. What is another word we could use for “mad?”

happy

angry

sad

• Reread the sentence with the new word substituted to show that it means the same with either word in the sentence. For students with motor and speech challenges, present the options on the wheel verbally and wait for the students to indicate “that’s it” through a mode of expression which has been identified for the student.

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Activity #7: Scrambled Sentences Scrambled Sentences is an activity that is presented regularly in the Elementary and Intermediate grade bands. In these lessons, the sentences are presented as an adapted writing activity. Putting the sentences together is a way to “write” grammatically correct sentences. It is also a language building skill to arrange words in a grammatically correct order. • Choose a sentence from reading materials. It may be advisable to enlarge the words in the sentence for easier manipulation. Retain the capital letter at the beginning of the sentence and the punctuation marks at the end of the sentence.

We

are

We work together

a

team.

as

a team.

• Present the picture or graphic from the story, article or chapter to support meaning. • As the student arranges the words, have him/her read the sentence to determine “does it sound right?” Rearrange as necessary. • When selecting sentences, consider the verbal language skills of the student. If the student is speaking in 3 – 4 word phrases, then he/she should be presented with sentences that are commensurate with the spoken level. The student may say, “We are team,” with omitted word markers. This becomes an oral as well as print instructional activity. For non-verbal students, this language activity can be integrated as an AAC strategy. It involves learning vocabulary and creating sentences with these words. • This activity also puts a focus on the parts of speech that were discussed in Activity 5. There is an order in which words must go together to make sense. • Conventions of print can also be taught. The first word in the sentence begins with a capital letter. At the end of the sentence we have a period. © 1997-2012 n2y, Inc. ULS, August 2012

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