Conversation

Vocabulary
Comprehension
Lindsey Meddings
CIRG 653
 Conversation
• “Learning language is not about adding
more items; it is about building more
access roads—more networks across
more neurons!” (Clay 2014)

• Reading, writing and speaking are not

separate entities to be taught, but rather
fragments of a more dynamic system
• Linking and patterning learning with all three
forms more powerful instruction

• Expansion of language occurs at

different rates, especially in the early
years
 Conversation
• Create a rich context for language learning
• Increase language learning opportunities
• Language is easily learned through conversation
• Consider what makes a child reluctant to speak
• Create a need to produce language
• New sources of language
• Repeating is not always sufficient
• Sometimes children say the same thing, but in
different ways
• Impacts of overloading a child’s grammar
 Read Alouds
• Reading aloud to students helps
introduce new language
• Choose appropriate reading
material
• Will this group bring enough
grammatical awareness to the
text without prior preparation?
• Should I prepare them in some
way for their first reading?
• How can I make it easier for
these children to read more
complex language than they use
in their talking?
Example 1:
Conversation in the Classroom
• During my unit for Dynamic Earth: Plate
Tectonics, I incorporate a fiction read aloud—
Jake and the Quake by Carley Sneider
• This read aloud chapter book incorporates many
scientific elements we are covering, but also
integrates numerous key terms from the unit
• We have extended conversations about the
situations in the novel
• We integrate vocabulary and scientific context
into our conversations; peer to peer, small group,
and whole group
 Vocabulary
• Learning new words is a gradual
process
• Words are learned 4 times faster
when introduced at the appropriate
level
• Words are better bonded to memory
by using key attributes, such as,
meaning, pronunciation, spelling,
morphology and syntax
• Words are organized into three tiers
—most instruction focuses on tier
two words
 Vocabulary
• Vocabulary is represented through two
cognitive tasks:
• establishing associations
• developing conceptual knowledge
• Developing Vocabulary
• Building Background Experiences
• Relating words to experiences
• Relationship Building
• Depth of Meaning
• Multiple Exposures
• Generate Word Interest
• Independent Word Learning Skills
Vocabulary: Robust
Instruction
• Word presented in context
• Understandable definition
• Presentation of word within other
contexts
• Relatable experiences
• Word review
• Integration of word in speaking and
writing
 Vocabulary: Six Step Lesson
• Words are presented in context and
defined in “kid friendly” terms
• Students provide definitions in their
own words
• Nonverbal word representations
• Activities to increase understanding
• Peer discussions
• Word review
 Vocabulary Strategies
• Graphic Organizers
• Pictorial Maps & Webs
• Memorable Events
• Semantic Features & Gradients
• Labeling
• Story Reconstructions
• Word Sorts
• Wide Reading
• Read Alouds
The least effective strategy for teaching vocabulary is
to provide an unrelated list with definitions
 Example 2: Venn Diagrams
• When teaching potential and kinetic
energy students create Venn
Diagrams to organize the important
qualifiers for potential and kinetic
energy
• This creates a more robust
understanding vs a simple word-
definition
• We will also include examples within
the Venn Diagram
 Example 3:
Visual Vocabulary
• During my unit on Earth Cycles:
Changing Rocks, I have my students
create visual vocabulary cards for rock
formation processes.
• They create a sequence of visuals to
illustrate the dynamics of the words and
their meanings
 Comprehension
• Choose key terms and teach them
thoroughly
• Complete sentence stems with correct
vocabulary
• Definition and context should reflect
how the word will be viewed in the
selection
• Repeated exposure to texts using the
same vocabulary

• Pre-teaching vocabulary does not

necessarily lead to increased
comprehension
“Knowledge of words, like knowledge more generally, bears a reciprocal relationship to
comprehension: knowledge of words begets comprehension and comprehension, in turn,
begets new knowledge of words.”
(Gunning 2020)
 Comprehension
• Proficient readers must build vocabularies and
use strategies to understand new words
• Morphemic Analysis
• Contextual Analysis
• Dictionary Usage
 Example 4: Morphemic Analysis
• When teaching vocabulary for energy,
I often have students break words
down into familiar parts and analyze
the structure

• Examples
• Thermal Energy
• “Therm” means heat
• Endothermic vs. Exothermic 
• “Endo” means within, absorbing or
containing
• “Exo” means outside, outer or external
 References
Clay, M. M. (2014). By different paths to common outcomes: Literacy teaching and
learning. Aukland, New Zealand: Global Education Systems (GES).

Gunning, T. G. (2020). Creating literacy instruction for all students. Tenth Edition. Pearson
Merrill Prentice Hall.

https://blog.maketaketeach.com/the-need-for-explicit-vocabulary-instruction/

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/revisiting-read-alouds-instructional-strategies-
encourage-students-engagement-text