This document outlines Kenneth McKee's action research study on enhancing the tier 2 vocabulary development of English language learners. The study focuses on general academic vocabulary, which is most challenging for ELL students. It explores using morphological analysis and cognates to help students unlock meanings of new words. The study involved vocabulary lessons with 6 Spanish-speaking ELL high school students. Data was collected through pre/post-tests, surveys, interviews and student work to analyze the effectiveness of the instructional strategies.

1. Enhancing the Tier 2
Vocabulary Development of
English Language Learners
An Action Research Study by Kenneth McKee

2. Word Tiers
Tier 1
(everday speech
words)
Tier 2
(general academic
vocabulary)
Tier 3
(domain-specific
vocabulary)
Basic words that
require little to no
instruction.
Precise or
sophisticated words
that appear across
domains.
Low-frequency
words that appear
in specific domains.
Book, girl, sad, run,
etc.
Adjust, translation,
depend, structure,
etc.
Allegory,
monarchy,
hypotenuse,
mitosis, etc.

3. Tier 2
Knowledge

4. Why focus on General Academic (Tier 2)
vocabulary?
 Students who lack extensive knowledge of general academic
vocabulary are at a serious disadvantage in academic
environments (Baumann & Graves, 2010; Coxhead, 2000).
 General academic vocabulary is most commonly an academic
barrier for English Language Learners (ELL’s) and economically
disadvantaged native English speakers (Kieffer & Lesaux, 2010).

5. Generative Morphology
Prefixes
Suffixes
Roots
Students generate“known” words to link to“new”
words.

6. Cognates
There are positive correlations between students’ comprehension in English texts
and their ability to recognize cognate relationships.
There are negative correlations for students who do not recognize cognate
relationships.
(Nagy et al., 1993)

7. Participants
 Six high school students, whose first language is Spanish, taking an
ESL course

8. Research Questions
 Does morphological knowledge assist students in unlocking the
meanings of general academic vocabulary?
 Which instructional strategies best develop students’ general
academic word knowledge?
 What impact does accessing student background knowledge of
words have upon new word learning?

9. Innovation
 Students will read a short, engaging text.
 One or two Tier 2 words that are essential to comprehending the text will be selected for
vocabulary instruction. These words will be introduced before reading the text (Kelley,
Lesaux, Kieffer, & Faller, 2010), and I will give explicit instruction on the meanings of
morphemes within the words.
 Students will work in groups to generate all the words they already know (including
Spanish cognates) that share morphemes and meaning with the target morpheme
(Flanigan, Templeton, & Hayes, 2012; Hiebert & Lubliner, 2008). These words will be
captured on morpheme web charts will be displayed.
 Each lesson will ask the students to use the words in some way (talking or writing) as a
closure activity to the lesson (Kelley et al., 2010).

10. Let’s try it.
…Reading is more difficult than other more concrete concepts because readers have to
demonstrate a grasp of several components at once. What so many students do implicitly
when reading strategically, many others do not. We need to more explicitly explain the
reading process and use prompts that encourage students to self-monitor, reflect, and make
decisions. (Zuerblis, 2014)

11. Here is our word:
components
Com, con, co, col
=
“with; together”
Pon; pos
=
“put, place”

12. Word-Generation

13. Data Collection and Analysis
Quantitative
 Adapted vocabulary knowledge rating pretest and posttest
 Student attitude surveys
Qualitative
 Ongoing interviews with the regular classroom teacher
 Researcher journal
 Student work and photographs of instructional practice

14. Timeline
 July-August: Determine area of focus, conduct literature review, develop action plan, begin
researcher journal.
 August-October: Meet students and learn more about their individual literacy needs using WIDA
and Access testing results, develop data collection instruments, choose texts for lessons
determining the general academic vocabulary of focus, develop vocabulary lessons.
 October-December – Administer pretests, teach lessons, complete researcher journal, conduct
ongoing teacher interviews, formatively assess progress and make adjustments, conduct
posttests.
 January-February – analyze and interpret data, develop professional development
 March –April: Write up findings in article, create suggested action plan, present study, findings,
and instructional approaches at the NC Reading Association conference.
 April-June: Disseminate findings, create Homebase PD module.

15. References
 Baumann, J. F., & Graves, M. F. (2010). What is academic vocabulary? Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(1), 4-12. doi:1598/JAAL.54.1.1
 Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213-238.
doi:10.2307/3587951
 Flanigan, K., Templeton, S., & Hayes, L. (2012). What’s in a word? Using content vocabulary
to generate growth in general academic vocabulary knowledge. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(2), 132-140. doi:10.1002/JAAL.00114
 Hiebert, E. H., & Lubliner, S. (2008). The nature, learning, and instruction of general
academic vocabulary. In A. E. Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds.). What research has to
say about vocabulary instruction (p. 150-181). Newark, DE: International Reading
Association.
 Kelley, J. G., Lesaux, N. K., Kieffer, M. J., & Faller, S. E. (2010). Effective academic
vocabulary instruction in the urban middle school. The Reading Teacher, 64(1), 5-14.
doi:10.1598/RT.64.1.1

16. References
 Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2010). Morphing into adolescents: Active word learning for
English language learners and their classmates in middle school. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(1), 47-56. doi:1598/JAAL.54.1.5
 Nagy, W. E., Garcia, G. E., Durgunoglu, A. Y., & Hancin-Bhatt, B. (1993). Spanish-English
bilingual students’ use of cognates in English reading. Journal of Reading Behavior,
25(3), 241-259.
 Zuerblis, N. (2014, September 19). Four ways to foster independent readers and writers
[Web log post]. Retrieved from http://inservice.ascd.org/education-resources/four-
ways-to-foster-independent-readers-and-writers-2/
 Zwiers, J. (2008). Building academic language: Essential practices for content teachers,
grades 5-12. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.