This tutorial provides an overview of the vocabulary development assignment.

1. Submit by 11:59 p.m. Sunday of Week 7, March 6, 2016.
Please use the required template.
Vocabulary Development Tutorial
LIST 4373
SPRING 2016
Dr. Peggy Semingson
Dear Students,
Be sure to closely read this
book! It will help you not just
in English Language Arts
Reading (ELAR) but it will
help you in cross-curricular
areas like math, science, and
social studies! –Dr.
Semingson
Assignment Description:
The vocabulary development activity will help you to develop rigorous and interactive
vocabulary instruction. This is a task that will help you as you develop your lesson plan.
Overview: You can use either Brown Girl Dreaming, Ida B, or a non-fiction or fiction book
of your choice. Select 5-8 “Tier 2” vocabulary words (not rare but not easy words) that are
high-utility words. Be sure you have carefully read the Bringing Words to Life text before
starting this assignment. Design before, during, and after reading activities that help
students to analyze the word’s structure, make sense of the words, and interact with their
meanings. A vocabulary development tutorial will be provided to guide you as you
complete this assignment.
*I hope you enjoy creating ideas for this assignment!

2. The purpose of this brief tutorial….
• In this brief tutorial, you will deepen your
understanding of vocabulary development
and work towards creating authentic and
rigorous vocabulary instruction. You will also
create a visual way to display the 5-8
targeted tier 2 vocabulary books. This is a
chance to apply ideas learned from the
Bringing Words to Life text!
• Click on the 2-minute video on the right to
listen to a brief overview of this tutorial! 

3. Be sure you are familiar with the ELAR TEKS
that relate to vocabulary
• Click here for the ELAR TEKS:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chap
ter110/ch110a.html
• Be sure you fully understand guided
reading by reviewing the guided reading
tutorial from last week, if needed.
• The ideas in this lesson would be
integrated into a larger guided reading
lesson.
• I hope you enjoy working on this lesson!
 Image Source: Aaron Davis
Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/CMQx4n

4. Steps to getting started on this
assignment…..
• Read Brown Girl Dreaming or Ida B or your book of
your choosing closely and carefully; note some of
the Tier 2 vocabulary words. You have already read
this for your book club!
• Read the book Bringing Words to Life (required
textbook) before or during your completion of this
assignment.
• Read the Vocabulary Development Tutorial
PowerPoint closely and carefully prior to
completing this assignment.
• Design your vocabulary activities. Remember, you
are designing vocabulary development instruction
that you would potentially pose to students in an
elementary level class. You must come up with
your own original activities.
• Remember, the ideas in this lesson are part of a
guided reading lesson!
Image source:
NASA http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegalle
ry/index.html

5. You must create a visual component or a way to
display your words (whether digital or print)
• You must have a visual component to
your vocabulary development (e.g.,
Piktochart, flashcard, sentence strips,
index cards, white board, iPad app such as
Quizlet/digital flashcards, etc.).
• Also consider Popplet, bubbl.us, or
Text2Mindmap
(https://www.text2mindmap.com/) to
create a word map.
• Review the Multimedia 101 tutorials on
Blackboard!
• You can also do something low-tech but
do take a picture and insert the image
into your assignment. Include the image
or JPG/PNG at the end of the assignment.
Source: Created by Dr. Peggy Semingson
using Text2Mindmap
(https://www.text2mindmap.com/)

6. Tier 2 Vocabulary
• Read the ideas on Tier 2
vocabulary in Bringing Words to
Life.
• Skim the links to the right on
Tier 2 vocabulary.
Links on Tier 2 Vocabulary:
• Choosing Words to Teach (this
was in a previous tutorial):
• http://www.readingrockets.org/
article/choosing-words-teach
• Examples of Tier 2 vocabulary
words from Flocabulary:
https://www.flocabulary.com/w
ordlists/ [Skim selected grade
levels to get a sense of Tier 2
words.]

7. Displaying Words and Using Words
• How will you display your
words?
• How will you also provide
opportunities for students to use
the words in multiple instances?
• Video of displaying words in
strategy “College Talk”
• https://www.teachingchannel.or
g/videos/improving-student-
vocabulary

8. Before Reading
• Before reading, display the words
and echo read them with students.
• Other activities can draw on ideas
from Bringing Words to Life.
• Include an image or images that
show how you would provide a
display of your words. Include this
at the end of your lesson. Make
sure it is something you created
and not something found online.
Source: Jonathan Assink
Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/9jPCqA

9. During Reading
• During reading is the best time
to refer to context clues.
• There are lots of ideas in
Bringing Words to Life on using
context-based learning.
Source: Image created by Dr. Semingson
using the free mobile app Bitmoji.

10. After Reading
• Revisit the text and the use of
the word in the text.
• Ask students to give an example
of the word.
• Revisit and/or add to the graphic
organizer.
• Other ideas can be drawn from
Bringing Words to Life.
• Avoid having students look up
words in a dictionary. Source: Dr. Semingson’s Westie,
Dexter.

11. Please consider using digital tools. Using digital
tools will be expected in your future classroom.
• Explore how to use digital tools for
vocabulary on your own and locate
tutorials on YouTube! Ideas are also in
the Multimedia 101 tutorials on
Blackboard in our course.
• The article on evoc strategies is also a
good resource for ideas:
• Dalton, B., & Grisham, D. L. (2011).
eVoc Strategies: 10 Ways to Use
Technology to Build Vocabulary.
Reading Teacher, 64(5), 306-317.
doi:10.1598/RT.64.5.1
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.
uta.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a
9h&AN=58771203&site=ehost-live
Source: Image created by Dr. Semingson
using the free mobile app Bitmoji.

12. Final thoughts….
• Stay focused on rigorous and authentic
vocabulary instruction!
• Avoid having students draw a picture of the
word. The pacing of the guided reading lesson
means time is of the essence.
• Include discussion and dialogue with the lesson!
• You can do it!
• NOTE: I encourage you to continue practicing
writing and trying out the different approaches to
vocabulary development questions in your work
with students (e.g., tutoring, subbing, and
interactions with school-aged children). Also,
learn about vocabulary development through
Google searches, reading teacher blogs, Pinterest
boards, etc.
• Email me or post to EdModo or BBIM (1-on-1) if
you need help! 
Source: Image created by Dr. Semingson
using the free mobile app Bitmoji.