inferential

Secondary Content Teachers

VOCABULARY
Content Area Vocabulary

Reading Services Center

SUBJECT:

Content Area Vocabulary

COURSE OR GRADE:

Content Area/Classroom Teachers

GOAL:

This strategy enables students to comprehend both fiction and nonfiction by building the ability to determine the main idea of a passage.

Supports this Learner Characteristic:

Has reading skills consistent with reading tasks.

WHO:

Content Area Teachers

WHEN:

Use at the introduction stage of a new textbook chapter.

TEACHING PROCEDURES/
STUDENT PRACTICE:

Strategy for Learning Content Area Vocabulary

List all the words from the chapter that you feel may give the students difficulty. After each word, provide space for note-taking.

Distribute the words to students. Have them circle all the words which they cannot define.

When this is done have the students pair up. Student #1 can ask student #2 to define and use any uncircled (familiar) word on his/her paper in a sentence. When they have discussed those words and feel comfortable with all the uncircled words, they compare meanings of the circled words on either person's paper. When agreement is reached on a word meaning, they should both make sure that it is recorded on their word list sheet.

Next, students group in fours and continue the process. A fifth person (the "contact" person) may be added who will be the only person with a dictionary/thesaurus and the textbook. This person may speak only when spoken to, and he/she will settle disputes and look up the words.

By this time all the words should be defined. The teacher then asks the "contact" people to report which words were the most difficult. In this way, the list of words will be narrowed to only a few, which the students still should work on.

List the reported difficult words in the order that they appear in the text. Have students read the selection, record the page number on which the word first appears, and then verify the definition, changing their original definition when necessary.

CHECK-UP:

With a partner, have students compare definitions of the difficult words. If there is a discrepancy, they must look up and prove their answers to one another.

FOLLOW-UP:

Students who are unable to demonstrate mastery of the vocabulary, either during class discussions or in written exercises, might add simple illustrations to enhance the word meanings. These illustrations may serve as mnemonics for remembering words.

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SUBJECT:	Content Area Vocabulary
COURSE OR GRADE:	Content Area/Classroom Teachers
GOAL:	This strategy enables students to comprehend both fiction and nonfiction by building the ability to determine the main idea of a passage. Supports this Learner Characteristic: Has reading skills consistent with reading tasks.
WHO:	Content Area Teachers
WHEN:	Use at the introduction stage of a new textbook chapter.
TEACHING PROCEDURES/ STUDENT PRACTICE:	Strategy for Learning Content Area Vocabulary List all the words from the chapter that you feel may give the students difficulty. After each word, provide space for note-taking. Distribute the words to students. Have them circle all the words which they cannot define. When this is done have the students pair up. Student #1 can ask student #2 to define and use any uncircled (familiar) word on his/her paper in a sentence. When they have discussed those words and feel comfortable with all the uncircled words, they compare meanings of the circled words on either person's paper. When agreement is reached on a word meaning, they should both make sure that it is recorded on their word list sheet. Next, students group in fours and continue the process. A fifth person (the "contact" person) may be added who will be the only person with a dictionary/thesaurus and the textbook. This person may speak only when spoken to, and he/she will settle disputes and look up the words. By this time all the words should be defined. The teacher then asks the "contact" people to report which words were the most difficult. In this way, the list of words will be narrowed to only a few, which the students still should work on. List the reported difficult words in the order that they appear in the text. Have students read the selection, record the page number on which the word first appears, and then verify the definition, changing their original definition when necessary.
CHECK-UP:	With a partner, have students compare definitions of the difficult words. If there is a discrepancy, they must look up and prove their answers to one another.
FOLLOW-UP:	Students who are unable to demonstrate mastery of the vocabulary, either during class discussions or in written exercises, might add simple illustrations to enhance the word meanings. These illustrations may serve as mnemonics for remembering words.
home \|content vocabulay\| Parents' Corner