This document provides guidance and strategies for teaching vocabulary. It begins with guiding questions about what vocabulary is, why it should be taught, and how to choose words. It then discusses effective vocabulary teaching strategies such as using a print-rich environment, explicit instruction of word meanings, and promoting independent word learning. Specific activities that support vocabulary learning are also mentioned, such as word splashes, word tiers, cognates, morphology, games, projects and extensive reading. Resources on graphic organizers, prefixes/suffixes, Latin/Greek roots are also provided.

1. Guiding Questions
What is vocabulary?
 Why should I teach vocabulary?
How do I choose words to teach?
 What are some effective vocabulary teaching strategies?
What are some activities that support
vocabulary learning?

2. Vocabulary
VOCABULARY:
Words or multiword units
that have a common meaning.

3. Types of vocabulary
Hence, moreover
Photosynthesis
He takes on the challenge.
Test tomorrow! Time to hit the books.
I’m feeling really beat. I need some java! 
‘She passed away.’ (instead of ‘she died’)
microwave, human
http://esl.fis.edu/learners/advice/vocab_types.htm

5. Effective Vocabulary Teaching
takes place in a language & print rich environment
makes explicit the meanings of unfamiliar words and
concepts that are essential for understanding text
makes explicit independent word-learning strategies
nurtures and promotes a word-consciousness culture an understanding of, and interest in, words, how they
are used, and their importance to learning and
communicating.
Explicit (Def.) – Stated clearly and in detail
http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=50028

6. Look familiar?

10. Useful
Expressions

11. What words do I choose
to teach???

12. 4 levels of word knowledge
• 1. I never saw it before.
• 2. I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know what it
means.
• 3. I recognize it in context – it has something
to do with…
• 4. I know it!
Dale and O’Rourke (1986)

13. Choosing Which Words to Teach

14. Create A Word Splash –
Go to www.wordle.net/create. Insert
your text into the box. Click submit.
Your WordSplash is created! Larger
words indicate words that are used
more frequently throughout the text.

15. Word Tiers (Beck & Mckeuen)
Tier 1
•Basic (Simple)
•Concrete
•Appear commonly in
spoken (oral) language
Baby
Jump
Clock
Tier 2
•Abstract
Consistent
•Academic
•Occurring frequently in
Expectation
written language, the
workplace, and in everyday Obvious
life
Tier 3
•Content specific
•Occurring mainly in
academic texts; not
occurring frequently in
everyday life
Photosynthesis
Trapezoid
geosystems
Focus
Instruction
on Tier 2
Words

16. ----Your Turn---Read the following short passage.
Identify some Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 words
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the
valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central coastal
part of the country, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the
seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the
Lima Metropolitan Area. With a population approaching 9 million,
Lima is the most populous metropolitan area of Peru, and the fifth
largest city in the Americas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lima

17. How Did You Do?
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Capital
City
Valley
River
Country
Americas
Central
Coastal
Contiguous
Urban
Metropolitan
Population
populous
seaport
Explicitly teach these words.

18. Cognates
Many Spanish and English words have Latin or
Greek roots and the same meaning; these
words are called cognates.
Hmmmm…..This word
looks like a word in my
language.

19. tráfico
traffic
balcón
balcony
mapa
map

20. BE AWARE of
FALSE
COGNATES!!!

21. For a great list of English/Spanish
Cognates…
www.spanishcognates.org

24. http://teamingrocks.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/picture-3.png

26. Chocolate
A sweet substance, usually
brown in color, produced from
the cacao plant.
“I have loved chocolate for as
long as I can remember. I love
how it melts in my mouth and
makes me feel so happy.”

27. Vocabulary Journals
Students create a personal reference
Select how it will be organized
•Alphabetical
•Subject Specific
•General/Technical
•Social/Academic

28. Word Experts
Each student is assigned 2-5 words from a new unit or chapter.
Each ‘Word Expert’ constructs a card (definition, part of speech,
illustration)
Students take responsibility for learning these words – and
teaching them to their peers.
Students exchange cards with their peers.

29. Three Questions (Wolters, 2010)
Help students understand words on a deeper
level by asking them to answer three
questions:
• What is it?
• What is it like?
• What are some examples?

30. Morphology:
Putting the Pieces Together

31. Some observations about words and their
structure:
1. Some words can be divided into parts which still have meaning
(bookshelf = book + shelf)
2. Many words have meaning by themselves. But some words have
meaning only when used with other words (unloved = un + love + ed)
3. Some of the parts into which words can be divided can stand alone
as words (lovely) But others cannot (lovely)
4. These word-parts that can occur only in combination must be
combined in the correct way (lovely not lylove)
5. Languages create new words systematically
http://www.mathcs.duq.edu/~packer/Courses/Psy598/Ling-Morphology.pdf

34. Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Dog
Play
Big
Eat
baby
Prepositions
Articles
Conjunctions
In
On
Of
The
but
Prefixes & Suffixes
-s (plural)
Un- (not)
‘s (possessive)
Dis- (not)
-er (comparative)
Pre- (before)
-est (superlative)
-en (made of)
-s (present)
Latin & Greek roots
-ed (past)
Audi
-en (past part.)
Auto
-ing (present part.)
Graph

35. Compound Words
Earache = ear + ache (2 morphemes)
Def: a pain in the ear

36. Most Frequently Used Affixes
Prefixes
Prefix
Suffixes
Meaning
Suffix
Meaning
Dis-
Not, opposite of
-ed
Past tense verbs
In-, im-, il-, ir-
not
-ing
Present participle
Re-
again
-ly
Characteristic of
Un-
not
-s, -es
More than one
Over-
over
-er, -or
One who
En-, Em-
Cause to
-en
Made of
Mis-
wrongly
-able, -ible
Can be done
Inter-
Between, among
-ion, -tion, -ation
Act or process
Pre-
before
-ity, -ty
State of
Sub-
under
-ic
Having characteristics of
The four most frequent prefixes and suffixes (bolded) account for 97
percent of prefixed and suffixed words in printed school English.

37. Wooden
(2 morphemes)
Wood + en
(made of)
Definition: Made of wood
The wooden rocking horse was one of the best
Christmas presents he could remember.

38. Reheated
(3 morphemes)
Re + heat + ed
(again)
(past tense)
Definition: to have heated again
After Sue came home late for dinner, Mom reheated
her plate of food in the microwave.

39. Unlikable
(3 morphemes)
Un + like + able
(Not)
(can be done)
Definition: ________________________
His reputation for being a bully made him very
unlikable.

40. Unlikable
(3 morphemes)
Un + like + able
(Not)
(can be done)
Definition: Not able to be liked
His reputation for being a bully made him very
unlikable.

42. Challenge:
antidisestablishmentarianism
anti + dis + establish + ment
(against)
(not)
(to set up) (act of doing something)
+ arian + ism
(believer) (the belief in)
Let’s find the meaning one step at a time…

43. establish - to set up, put in place, or institute
dis-establish - to end the established status of a body, in
particular a church
disestablish-ment
- the separation of church and state
anti-disestablishment - opposition to separation of
church and state
antidisestablishment-arian – one who is opposed to the
separation of church and state.
antidisestablishmentarian-ism - the movement or
ideology that opposes the separation of church and state.

44. Sounds Latin to Me!
Many words (English and Spanish) are derived
from Latin or Greek.
By knowing what some of these terms are, you
can figure out the meaning of words.

45. Common Latin & Greek Roots
Latin Roots
Root
Greek Roots
Meaning
Root
Meaning
Audi
Hear
Auto
Self
Dict
Speak
Bio
Life
Port
Carry
Graph
Written or drawn
Rupt
Break
Hydro
Water
Scrib/Script
Write
Meter
Measure
Spect
See
Ology
Study of
Struct
Build
Photo
Light
Tract
Pull, drag
Scope
See
Vis
See
Tele
Distant
The four most frequent prefixes and suffixes (bolded) account for 97
percent of prefixed and suffixed words in printed school English.

46. Morphology
Morph + (o)logy
Definition: Study of a word’s form or structure

47. Autobiography
Auto + bio + graph + y
Definition: An account of a person’s life, written by that person.

48. Portable
Port + able
Definition: ___________________________________

49. Portable
Port + able
Definition: able to be carried or moved

50. 8-12 times
The number of times that a student needs to
encounter a word for them to ‘know’ the word.
When students see a word repeatedly, they gather
more information about that word how it is
used, etc.)
Knowing a Word: It’s all about seeing it. Using it.

51. Project and Activity-Based Learning
 Using vocabulary
from a unit on
“personal
information”
to
create a walking
gallery of portraits
of famous people
 Using vocabulary from a unit on
technology to write newspaper editorials
on Cyber Bullying

52. Games
• Hand out pre-printed Bingo
grids
• Students fill out the unit’s
vocabulary words in any pattern
on their papers (practice writing/spelling)
• Instead of saying the word,
pantomime, show, draw, or give
a verbal description (synonym)
***More Student-Centered: Have individual students
describe the vocabulary word (practice in describing, using synonyms)

53. Photo Scavenger:
Fun With Vocabulary
 a yellow banana
 a fast-moving river
 a village resident
 a white cloud
 a beautiful flower
 a tall tree
 a 4-legged animal
 an old bridge
 a dirt road
 a green plant
 an example of
deforestation
 a relaxing place
•
X

54. Extensive Reading

55. References and Resources
5 Great Vocabulary Graphic Organizer
(VVWA, Frayer…more!)
• http://voices.yahoo.com/5-best-vocabulary-graphicorganizers-11449572.html?cat=4
Cognates
• http://www.colorincolorado.org/pdfs/articles/cognates.pdf
• www.spanishcognates.org
Suffixes and Prefixes
• http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocab
ulary/pdf/prefixes_suffixes.pdf
Latin and Greek Roots
• http://www.asdk12.org/middlelink/LA/vocabulary/forms/G
reek_Latin_Roots.pdf

56. Ryan Brux – English Language Fellow, Tarapoto, Peru
ryanbrux@gmail.com