The document discusses strategies for improving vocabulary instruction to support students with disabilities. It recommends exposing students to key vocabulary through repeated encounters, providing explicit instruction on word meanings and usage, and building students' background knowledge. The use of technology tools can enhance vocabulary learning by motivating students, giving them multiple ways to access and express their understanding of words, and providing flexible representations of information. Effective strategies include dedicating class time to vocabulary, allowing practice opportunities, and sharing research-based practices with students.

1. Using the power of technology to improve teaching and learning for students with disabilities. www.powerupwhatworks.org

2. Vocabulary Strategy SeriesOVERVIEW The Vocabulary Strategies Series is part of the Power Up What Works Reading Strategies to improve teaching and learning and successfully include students with disabilities. This presentation provides an overview of evidence-based vocabulary strategies. Other videos in this series include: Context Clues Semantic Mapping Word Analysis

3. How Students Learn Words

4. Notice the word and recognize it as an unknown word. How Students Learn Words Use context info and the definition to understand the word’s meaning. Be motivated to know the word; engage in the learning process. Students learn words by noticing words, being motivated to know words, and using context to decode words. How Students Learn Words Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

5. Notice the word and recognize it as an unknown word. How Students Learn Words Use context info and the definition to understand the word’s meaning. Be motivated to know the word; engage in the learning process. Starting in Grades 4–6 and continuing all the way through high school and college, students must be able to draw upon context. Doing so helps them make sense of challenging new terms and concepts. How Students Learn Words Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

6. To learn how to draw upon context and build deep vocabulary knowledge, your students need: Exposure to key vocabulary Explicitinstruction Extensive background knowledge How Students Learn Words Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

7. Exposure to Key Vocabulary Research shows that it can take as many as 12 encounters with a new word before we add it to our vocabularies. Students need rich and varied exposures to language, both orally in and in print. For challenging terms, repeated exposure is not enough to prepare students to use the word. How Students Learn Words Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

8. Explicit Instruction Research shows that explicit instruction helps students. Your support gives students the tools They need to become independent vocabulary learners. Students may think they know words that have very different subject area meanings. This is especially true for science and math terms. It’s important to teach students these words directly. How Students Learn Words Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

9. Extensive Background Knowledge You can help students create a context for understanding new words in two ways: You can tap students’ prior knowledge. This Means drawing on students’ experiences, current interests, and cultures in ways that are relevant to the new words they are learning. In some situations, you can build background knowledge about concepts, content, or ideas. To do so, you can use a variety of activities, media, and extended learning activities to prepare students to learn new words. How Students Learn Words Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

10. Strategies to Support All Students

11. Dedicate part of your regular classroom lessons to explicit vocabulary instruction. Weave it in before reading to prepare students and after reading to make sure that students comprehend word meaning. After you teach students new words, give them chances to apply and practice using the words. This will help them absorb the meanings. Strategies to Support All Students Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

12. Share research-based practices for learning new words with students. Tailor the practices to meet students’ needs. Learn about Context Clues Learn about Word Analysis Learn Semantic Mapping More information available at www.powerupwhatworks.org Strategies to Support All Students Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

13. Enhance your content-area vocabulary instruction with technology tools. Using just a few technology tools in your lessons can benefit your students. Tools offer many ways for students to engage in, access, and express learning. They also give you options in how you represent information. Strategies to Support All Students Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

14. Engaging Students

15. Technology tools can motivate your students and encourage them to read more text, more often. Tools can put your students in the driver’s seat and help them become more active learners. Example: They can use tools to track their progress, see how many words they’ve learned, and find out how many words they still need to work on. Engaging Students Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

16. Accessing and Expressing Learning

17. Technology tools give your students many ways to access and express word knowledge. With tools, you can weave UDL into your vocabulary instruction and give all students an equal chance to learn. Example: Digital tools can read words aloud. Hearing words in context can help your students recognize or recall meanings. Tools also help your students become strategic learners. Example: They can help your students break apart words in roots, affixes, prefixes, etc. Accessing and Expressing Learning Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

18. Representing Information

19. Representing Information Technology tools allow you to represent information in flexible formats to meet each of your student’s needs. Example: The use of online text can provide your students with ready access to glossary definitions and a wealth of supports. These include text-to-speech capabilities, multilingual supports, text highlighting tools, and the ability to change font. Example: Handheld technologies can provide students with access to study supports and tools in multiple locations beyond the classroom. Representing Information Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

20. The Last Word

21. LastWord The Four strategies are key to helping your students build deep word knowledge: Expose them to a rich array of words; Provide explicit vocabulary instruction; Share research-based practices; and Use technology tools. Using UDL and technology, you can tailor your instruction and support to meet each student’s needs. That’s what PowerUp is all about. The Last Word Reading Strategy Series: Vocabulary

22. is a product of The Center for Technology Implementation This video was created by The American Institutes for Research (AIR) The Education Development Center (EDC) Ideas that Work and The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) Visit the PowerUp What Works Web Site at www.powerupwhatworks.org for other videos in the Reading and Vocabulary Strategies series