Strategies
My third grade classroom has students with a variety of reading levels ranging from first grade levels to fourth grade levels and perhaps beyond. Many of my students come from households in which poverty is a reality and therefore require extra consideration. In a study by Hart and Risley, it was suggested that students from low-income households are exposed to far fewer words than from their working-class or white-collar counterparts. After looking at the data, researchers stated, "Extrapolated out to the age of 4, this shows that children from white-collar families would be exposed to approximately 45 million words, and children in low-income families to only 13 million words—a vocabulary gap of some 32 million words." 6 It is my intention to scaffold vocabulary and comprehension instruction in order to provide an entry point for all learners. Vocabulary instruction is an integral part of student's comprehension. This is especially true in the science content area since many of the words and topics covered are not used in everyday language. I will deliver direct vocabulary instruction to explicitly teach words in this content area. Through pre-reading activities, word banks, and journaling students will be exposed to scientific words and will be encouraged to use these words not only in their writing, but also during discussions in our classroom. As students learn to think like a scientist, they will speak like one as well.
Connecting to Prior Knowledge
One of the best ways to improve comprehension is to link current information to previously known information or prior knowledge. In order to provide effective instruction, teachers need to assess what the students already know about a given topic and develop a path that the learning will take based on the needs of the students. Teachers have been using a K-W-L chart to help students link background knowledge to the purpose of the lessons and finish with a summary of their learning. This chart asks students to tell what the KNOW prior to instruction, then explain what they WANT to learn through the unit, and finalizing the unit with a summary of what they have LEARNED. Through my years of teaching, I have struggle with asking students what they know about a topic and hearing them present me with false information. I was never sure if I should immediately address this false information or let the true facts come out through the instruction and revisit the inaccuracies at the end. What I have done instead is to just retool this chart. In my classroom we now will be working with a T-I-D chart. As we begin our unit, the "T" portion will be: What do I THINK I already know? Then to guide our learning we will complete the "I" portion: What can I do to INVESTIGATE this knowledge? Our summary will be completed in the "D" section and will ask the question: What did I DISCOVER? By making these changes, facts and inaccuracies will be deemphasized. Students will develop a plan for their learning as they determine what and how to examine the topic. They will analyze their findings and communicate these findings. In a sense this forms allows the students to begin to think like a scientist to build on previous information, formulate a plan, and then communicate the results, which is exactly what this unit is all about! See Appendix B
Vocabulary Instruction
Vocabulary development is an integral part of all content learning. There is an undeniable link between vocabulary understanding and comprehension. As a teacher in the elementary grades, one must realize that direct and implicit instruction of vocabulary is vital and should occur daily in the classroom. A variety of vocabulary activities can aid in highlighting the most important words for content area comprehension. Certain words are needed by students to understand the text that they are engaged in, other words will need to be added to their long-term, working vocabulary. The words that are needed for text comprehension should be taught prior to reading the text, but more than an introductory definition may not be needed. However, there are vocabulary words that are integral to the understanding of the entire unit. Students will need to be exposed to these words through a variety of methods. Using the Frayer Model or similar instructional device will aid in this instruction. The Frayer Model utilizes a framework to provide students with the correct definition, examples and non-examples of the word, and discusses the etymology of the word. Especially in science, it is extremely helpful to discuss root words, prefixes, and suffixes, this will help the students unlock the meaning of similar words and will enable students to make connections within and between concepts.
Student VOC Strategy
This strategy helps students analyze word meanings from context. Create a list of key vocabulary words that are coming up. Have students write the original sentence from where the vocabulary word is found. Next students should make a prediction of what this new vocabulary word means. They should then consult a friend or a reliable resource, such as a dictionary, to determine the meaning of the word. Students will create an original sentence to show the meaning of the word. Finally they should draw a picture that will help them understand the word and explain it. This is a fantastic way for students to analyze and decode words in a text they don't understand. This is the great strategy for students to tackle the vocabulary in the science content area. See Appendix C
Word Banks
Word Banks are places where students can keep a list of words they have learned so that they can refer to them as needed. I prefer to have students keep their word banks on rings. I use a variety of color coded index cards and assign a specific color to a specific part of speech, such as all nouns are on blue cards. Using the rings enables students to develop alphabetizing skills, parts of speech skills, and is more mobile than a journal. Students should be expected to use the words in their writing and their speaking.
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