Traditionally, the disadvantage of vocabulary programs is the lack of
transfer. Sally touched on it a bit when she alluded to efficacy. A
separate"program" takes time in addition to the rest of the literacy
instruction, which dilutes everything. If there is little to no transfer
(students do not read or write better in daily life because of the
vocabulary program), the entire literacy program is weakened. That said,
teachers do need to instruct for vocabulary development. Maybe they'd like
to do a study group on teaching reading in the content areas or a book study
of resources such as IRA's Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. If you are
interested in respects for study, I can provide you with specific
information. Rachel Billmeyer is an OUTSTANDING presenter for vocabulary
Another problem with vocabulary programs is that they often teach words.
Now I know how silly that sounds at first glance, but it's exactly what I
meant to say. Vocabulary instruction needs to be far more encompassing than
any given, single, particular words. Developing excellent readers requires
vocabulary skills and strategies and a far more strategic "way of life."
I'd like to be clear that these comments regard vocabulary "programs"in
general. I am not familiar with the particular one described. However, if a
so-called "vocabulary" program consists only of word lists, we can do much
better than that. If youre interested in more resources, let me know. There
are some good ones.
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-----Original message-----
From: Sally Thomas <[email protected]>
To: Barbara Falotico <[email protected]>, mosaic listserve
<[email protected]>
Sent: Tue, Aug 16, 2011 20:00:57 GMT+00:00
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Words to go. Words to know.
Here's the "deelio." I looked at the samples. This is just another
VOCABULARY PROGRAM. It looks okay and it would make life easier for
teachers to just do. It's okay as programs go.
But it is a program separated from whatever else is going on in the
classroom. So what happens with the vocabulary that is being developed
through the reading and writing activities. When you do a separate program,
it really cuts into your extremely valuable class time. There is never
enough time in my view to do think alouds and some guided reading
experiences and lots and lots of independent reading where kids apply their
strategies and build automaticity and build their incidental vocabulary
(which is by far the way they build the largest amount of vocab!)
We sometimes need to teach specific words explicitly because they are key to
a particular text, subject area (e.g. Science concept being read about) etc.
And kids should understand then what learning a word in depth actually
means. We should be teaching strategies (like the word parts and synonyms
and all the others) that are taught in this program. But why not teach
those strategies in conjunction with a text kids are actually reading? Both
the comprehension and the vocab are then doubly reinforced!
I've been a curriculum coordinator in districts and seen practice in
specific schools where language arts teachers use a program. The program
takes up an inordinate amount of time, leaving much less time for doing the
way more important (in my view) learning of actually reading authentic texts
and having lots of opportunity to read myself in just right books that I
want to read.
Have your teachers read the research on teaching vocabulary??? I always
like Janet Allen's work. Marzano talks about important research.
Sally
On 8/16/11 10:21 AM, "Barbara Falotico" <[email protected]>
wrote:
-- Sent from my Palm Pre
On Aug 15, 2011 9:52 PM, Schroeder, Richard <[email protected]>
wrote:
Has anyone used the Perfection Learning Program called Words to Go-Words
to
Know?
IT is for Middle School and I am curious about what everyone thinks.
My resource teachers want to purchase the program for our 7th grade
resource
students.
What Works Clearinghouse does not have any info on the program.
Thanks.
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