Vocab Strategies That Don't Suck

I don’t know about you, but I’m not entirely certain that my hand and my brain are connected. I can totally copy something and not engage my brain at all.

It’s possible that something is wrong with my brain (no comments, y’all!) but it’s also possible that some (many?) kids don’t engage their brains when they copy things either.

Let me tell you the reasons why I STOPPED having kids copy definitions for vocabulary terms.

Seven Reasons to NOT Have Kids Copy Definitions.  (#5 will surprise you!)

1. It takes forever. Who’s got extra class time to take on that?
2. The kids don’t always understand the written definition, so they can’t fully “get” the term.
3. Kids hate to write.  It makes them grumpy, which makes them less receptive to learning.
4. Kids don’t have to mentally interact with the definitions. So they often don’t.
5. Copying definitions don’t allow kids to construct their own meanings. And a meaning a kid constructs herself is a meaning that lasts.
6. Even if a kid memorizes the written definition (and many don’t), they get a 2-dimensional definition, not a dynamic, elastic, adaptable definition that they can use in different situations and contexts.
7. We live in 2017. We have copy machines (copy limits absolutely acknowledged)! But we can just GIVE the kids the definitions. They don’t NEED to copy them by hand like a European monk before the printing press.

“Okay, okay, Tracy, I get it.”you say to me in my imaginary conversation, “But I don’t know what ELSE to do! Copying vocab helps me get the vocab in the kids’ hands and get around my copy limits and keeps the kids quiet”

True, true, all of it.

But we can do better. Here goes....

Four Strategies for Making Vocabulary “Stick” in the Kids Brains (And Suck Less)

1. VOCABULARY QUICK-WRITES https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1337.html  

Students should already have journals and the definitions of the vocabulary words should already have been made available to them. This is simply using quick-write entries that incorporate vocabulary words. In most cases only one word would be used for each entry, unless the words are connected in some way. Students simply respond to a question using the vocabulary word. Here is an example:

For the word irritating: "List three things that you consider irritating. Why do these things irritate you?"

2. VOCAB DISCUSSIONS  https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/1337.html

This should be done when first giving out vocabulary words. Vocabulary list should be limited to about 5 words or less as students tend to lose interest after that.

First, explain the "formal" definition of a word, then give several examples of the word in context. After that, provide a question (like the questions for the Vocab Quick Writes) and have the students discuss this in class together, using the word in their discussion. Have them share the highlights of their discussion with the class. This strategy might take more time, but the students thoroughly understand the words afterwards. And it takes less time than copying definitions.

3. WORD SORTS http://www.adlit.org/strategies/21829/

It is incredibly simple to use in the classroom but it can have a huge impact on your kids.

Basically this strategy asks students to organize words or phrases into piles that make sense to them. The strategy is useful as both a pre-and-post reading strategy. During pre-reading, kids use their prior knowledge to organize words and establish a purpose for reading. As an after-reading strategy, students reflect on what they read and process the ideas presented in the text.

There are two types of sorts:

1. Closed word sorts are when the teacher defines the process for  categorizing the words. This requires students to think critically as they look for specific concepts, word structures and definitions. Meaning, the teacher gives the students the categories (examples of categories could include: people, places, things OR 15th, 16th, 17th century OR England, France, Italy)
2. In an open word sort, students determine for themselves how to categorize the words. Because of this, open sorts can prompt divergent and inductive reasoning. Meaning, they have to come up with their own categories. a)      Select 15-20 words that are important to the understanding of the lesson. At this time, the teacher should determine if it will be an open or closed sort.

Copy words onto index cards or print them on slips of paper. Provide enough words for each group of 3-5 students. Pass out words to groups. Based on if this is a pre-reading strategy or after-reading strategy, the teacher should decide how much support to provide.

If the activity is a closed sort, remind students they will need to use the categories provided to them. If it is an open sort, suggest to students that they categorize the words into groups that make sense to them. Remind them that they will need to be able to explain their rationale for the groups they created.

Give students approximately 10 minutes to create their sorts.

As students read the text or discuss it in more detail, allow them to reclassify their words.

Have students to reflect on their sorts and how it increased their understanding before and/or after the reading of the text. Did they make changes? Why or why not?

4. SEMANTIC FEATURE ANALYSIS http://www.adlit.org/strategies/22731/

With a Semantic Feature Analysis chart or grid, one can examine related concepts but make distinctions between them according to particular criteria across which the concepts can be compared.

A set of concepts is listed down the left side (or across the top; it doesn't much matter which) and criteria or features are listed across the top (or down the side). If the concept is associated with the feature or characteristic, the student records a Y or a + (plus-sign) in the grid where that column and row intersect; if the feature is not associated with the concept, an N or - (minus-sign) is placed in the corresponding square on the grid. For instance, consider types of government: democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, and republic. What might be the characteristics of governments that might be associated with various types?

Which of these strategies do you already use? Which ones could you try this week? Can you give up the precious silence of copying vocab for engaged chatter? What if it helps them learn the terms better? As always, I love to hear from you! Email me at newmantr@pcsb.org

-Tracy

	FDR	JFK	Nixon	Reagan	Clinton
Democrat	+	+	-	-	+
War Time President	+	-	+	-	-
Congress of Same Party	-/+	+	-	-/+	-/+
Re-Elected	+	-	+	+	+
Served in Congress	-	+	+	-	-
Won Majority of Popular Vote	+	-	-/+	+	-

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I have a love-hate relationship with Cloze Notes, otherwise known as fill-in-the-blank notes.

Do you use Cloze notes?

HOW do you use them?

Like any teaching tool, Cloze Notes can be used to varying degrees of success. I tend to think of them “Clint Eastwood -style” as “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly”.

Cloze Notes can be GOOD because they can help kids who are reading way behind grade level to keep up with the rest of the class. They can help make sure all students are on the same page. They make sure all students have complete notes, since it is easy for any student to keep up with his or her peers.

Cloze Notes can be BAD because they don’t require a student to actually comprehend anything they are reading or hearing. I could complete Cloze notes in Swedish or Swahili or Samoan because I don’t have to have any clue what they’re about.  Put the original piece of text in front of me, and I can complete an entire page of Cloze Notes in Arabic (which I don’t speak or read at all) and not know anything about what I just wrote.

Cloze Notes can be UGLY when we give them to entire classes just because a tiny number of students are five or more grade levels behind in their reading level. When we teach to the lowest common denominator, we lessen the comprehension of our at-grade level and our above-grade level students. When we give Cloze Notes to a whole class, we don’t give our students an opportunity to try the reading and the comprehending on their own. We assume that they can’t and we take that learning opportunity away from them.

So, are Cloze Notes really that awful?

Well, I think nine times out of ten, they dumb a task down, lower than most of our kids need. And even if they DO need it, it doesn’t allow the kids a chance to stretch upward -- if we do them past the first quarter of the year.

Cloze notes keep a child reading exactly where they are. It does not help them learn to read any better because the KIDS don’t have to do the actual thinking.

Think about it. How could it? The kids don’t have to figure things out for themselves. They don’t have to read. They only have to identify what the next word looks like and copy it down.

Cloze notes don’t teach meaning. Copying doesn’t equal learning.

So, what can we do with Cloze Notes so they DO help our students?

• First, we can think like the best parts  of Cloze Notes. When we do read-alouds, we can teach our students to choral-read the next word aloud when we give them a pause or a cue.
• We can make lesson differentiation decisions where Cloze notes are only used for students who are five or more grade levels behind.
• We can have students create cloze-notes where THEY make strategic blanks and explain WHY they chose those blanks -- and what term goes in them.
• We can use Cloze Notes for their original purpose -- to gauge fluency in reading. The Original Cloze Notes were where the teacher omitted every 7th or 10th word to see if readers were following along.
• We can teach note-taking strategies that help students create their own meaning -- even struggling readers and writers. Try Cornell Notes or Outlining.

What’s your take on Cloze Notes? When is the appropriate time to use them? Have you experimented to see if there are strategies that better increase comprehension for your struggling readers? As always, I love to hear from you! Email me at newmantr@pcsb.org

Keep Looking

We live in a fast world. We have the answer to most factual questions in our pocket, in the form of smart phones. We text each other and expect quick replies. We love Twitter, with its fast, 140 character limit and we adore Snapchat, where our pictures disappear just as quickly.

With the missed hurricane days, we are all trying to move at warp speed, too.

But sometimes, a slowdown can be a speed-up at the same time.

Like this strategy, called, “Looking 10x2” from Harvard Project Zero: Artful Thinking.

If you do it well, you actually get farther by slowing down.

You will use this strategy with an image -- a painting, a photograph, a political cartoon, a picture of an artifact. If you’re not sure where to start, try your textbook or curriculum materials.

Here’s how the strategy works. It’s pretty simple.

1. Instruct the students to look at the image quietly for at least 30 seconds. Have them let their eyes wander.
2. Ask them to list 10 words or phrases about any aspect of the image.
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2. Have the students look at the same image again and try to list ten more words or phrases to your list.

This thinking routine encourages students to slow down and make careful, detailed observations by encouraging them to push beyond first impressions and obvious features.

How often do we (AND our students) look at a visual for 3 seconds or less before moving on? Before looking at our phones? Before assuming that we’ve “got it” and speeding along?

But there are a billion powerful images to use to teach content in our classes. Try it yourself with images like this ...

.

Or this...

Or this ...

Think about the time involved. If you put up the image in front of your students and then explain it TO them, it will take you several minutes.

I’m long winded. I could easily spend 5 whole minutes on one of these images.

But if you put it up, ask them to look for 30 seconds, jot down ten things they notice, look again, and jot down ten MORE things -- then you have four clear benefits.

1. The kids are doing the thinking (and you have proof!)
2. It takes 2-3 minutes (as opposed to my five minutes of talking and another minute or two to answer the question from that one kid who always has a question.
3. The kids “own” their learning and it will therefore “stick” better in their brains.
4. The kids are examining the image more carefully and more deeply and therefore will have deeper understanding of the image and the topic.

You can also use it with non-art images or objects as well, although I would start with art to teach the strategy.

I think you can slow down with “Looking 10x2” and cover images more thoroughly, which means you actually speed up.

Practice it yourself, so you can experience the struggle of finding a SECOND set of observations before you ask your kids to try it.

Have you used this before? Are you going to try it? As always, I love to hear about it! Email me at newmantr@pcsb.org