Archive of ‘Professional Development’ category

Vocab Triangles: Giving “Square” Vocab a New Shape

This blog post was written by Michael Gismondi, a current graduate student at Saint Vincent College enrolled in my course, Reading, Writing, and Differentiation in the Content Area. Read more about Michael at the end of the blog.

As teachers, we often tend to look at vocab from a boring and bland “square” perspective. Students take vocab from a book, copy down the definitions, and then move on to the next one until their homework is done. This is the tried and true vocab method that has stood the test of time. The “square” method. Straightforward with no unexplained twists and turns. And why would we change it if it works right? Well, it doesn’t.

Time and time again, studies have shown the importance of how students learn vocabulary. More recent studies have looked at the different tactics employed by teachers, and how these different strategies affect student performance. These studies have shown that the modality in which you learn the vocabulary contributes significantly to performance on standardized tests (Zhang & Xiaofei 2015). In short, understanding the vocab words and their meaning leads to understanding the content and other uses of those words outside of it, and the method in which you practice and memorize the vocab matters. We all know that having a comprehensive vocabulary leads to student success later in life. However, students are coming to class with less and less vocab these days than ever before. The tried and true method of copy and paste doesn’t work, and it never really did. We aren’t teaching them the vocab, we are teaching them how to rewrite words in a textbook for a grade. And be honest and ask yourself, did you really enjoy or learn much from writing vocab back when we were in school? Absolutely not! So why are we making students still do it today?

As teachers, we need to reinvent how we do vocab in our classrooms to give students a word bank for life, one that goes further than the definitions in textbooks. We need to think outside of that “square” box, and look to something fresh and new to ensure our students are leaving our classrooms with a vocabulary that far exceeds what they came to us with. However, getting students to go outside of their comfort zone isn’t always easy, and it often requires us to go outside of our comfort zones as well. A concept that terrifies even the most experienced teachers. So, to make this easier on all of us, let’s get rid of the boring “square” and look at something new yet familiar. How about a triangle?

Vocab Triangles are a strategy that teaches students the definition of words by using them in a sentence that helps them draw connections to other words. It helps students not only memorize but also apply vocabulary words in a meaningful way that establishes personal connections through the sentences and stories that they tell. Now you may be thinking, “How
can you do all of that with a triangle?” It’s actually really simple, and it’s really fun to see what kinds of stories your student can create when given three words and their imagination.

https://www.freepik.com/School vector created by pch.vector -www.freepik.com

How Do Vocab Triangles Work?

Preparation

Step one is to pick out the vocabulary your students need to know from your lesson. This could be as simple as the vocabulary words at the beginning of a section or chapter. But I challenge you to go further than that. Think of complex words that students may or may not know that they are going to encounter in the text. Think of what those words mean in relation to your content, and how familiar your students may be with them outside of your content area. Find words that expand your students’ vocabulary beyond those highlighted words we hated in our textbooks growing up.

Next, think about your classroom setup and your students’ needs. You could have them do this activity working independently, with a partner, or in a group. So, pick as many words as you need according to your class size and student needs. Feel free to double up on words for different groups. Just try to make every sheet as unique as possible without the same three words being on two different sheets. You could even give students the blank template and write the words on the board for them to choose. Just try to ensure all words are chosen so all words can be covered.

Changing the shape of vocab

Give them an example on the board using your own triangle and words. Draw the triangle and put one word in each of the three corners. Take one word connected to another by one side of the triangle and make a sentence out of the two words.

Have the students make the other two connections as a class. Finally have the students use the sentences you made together to tell a quick 1-2 sentence story that uses all three words.

Let them make their own connections

Give students short definitions of the words. They don’t have to be the exact dictionary definitions, just enough that they know the meaning and can draw connections.

Give the students or groups their triangle to work on. Give them some time, about 10 minutes, to work out their definitions and connections. Have them form the final sentence on their own before bringing everyone back as a group.

Share their stories
Have students or groups share what they wrote with the class. This can help students make further connections to words as well as give you opportunities to clear up misconceptions in the class. Be sure to expand upon definitions where needed to ensure full understanding.

What comes next?

The next step is modifying it to cater more towards your classroom or content area. For example, in my content area of history, you could modify this by extending it beyond vocab. First have students make sentences and a story using the provided vocabulary words. Then go over those connections with the students before teaching a lesson that incorporates the vocab. Once the lesson is finished, have students revisit their old sentences, reflect on them, and write new ones that connect those words within the content you just taught. This will help reinforce the vocab definitions, connect them to the content, and ensure all misconceptions from the earlier activity, if any, were cleared up. If the sentences are short enough, you could even have students make a mnemonic device to help them remember the sentences when trying to memorize or recall the definitions of the words.

Although vocab triangles are primarily for vocab, they also have applications far beyond simple application of key words. Another thing you could do is have students connect main ideas of a text, themes in a story, or big ideas within a unit using the triangle format. Simply choose three themes and see how your students make connections between them. This could be a great way to review old information or prepare students for an upcoming exam.

The vocab triangle could also be used as a brainstorming activity or outline for an essay. Have students place their core arguments or body paragraph topics in the boxes and use the lines between them to draw connections between their ideas. This could help students explain their thinking, expand upon their ideas, and stay organized when writing an essay.

You could even use something called the Triangle Model. Instead of having students write sentences that connect to other words, break down the triangle into three tiers. Tier 1 would be the bottom of the triangle in which students write words and its definition. Tier 2 would be the middle of the triangle where students can write words that fall within a words word family. And tier 3 would be the top where students could draw a picture that describes the word. This method helps students associate the word with other words, and the picture they draw can help them recall the definition later on.

So please, for the sake of your current and future students, ditch the copy and paste homework and step outside of the “square” vocab box that so many teachers find themselves in.

References

Zhang, Xian, and Xiaofei, Lu. “The Relationship Between Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Breadth and Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge.” The Modern Language Journal, vol. 99, no. 4, 2015, pp. 740–753., http://www.jstor.org/stable/44135292. Accessed 30 Mar. 2021.

About the Author

Michael Gismondi is a Graduate Student enrolled at Saint Vincent College. He obtained his Bachelor’s in History with a minor in Medieval Studies from Saint Vincent, and he is continuing his education in pursuit of his Masters in Curriculum and Instruction as well as his secondary certification in social studies. His goal is to help emerging students study and understand history as it pertains to them and their lives, and help them understand how to apply social studies to the topics around them. He believes that by studying history, students can better explain the world around them through the lives and experiences of the people who came before.

 

 

Problematic Situations: A Pre-reading Strategy That is Far from Problematic

This blog post was written by Michael Gismondi, a current graduate student at Saint Vincent College enrolled in my course, Reading, Writing, and Differentiation in the Content Area. Read more about Michael at the end of the blog.

Teaching is about more than just conveying information to your students. You want them to be engaged and invested in the subject of your lesson, but keeping students engaged in the classroom is tough for any teacher at any level. That’s why you need something in your lesson that can get students to feel invested in what’s happening in their history, English, or math books beyond the facts behind the content. A great way to motivate students in your lesson is by presenting them with a problematic situation that gets them thinking about your content and finding solutions to problems in your text.

Now I know what you’re thinking, something called a “problematic situation” must be… problematic, and that’s the last thing I want in my classroom. But, it’s not what you think. Problematic situations are used to get students thinking critically about your lesson by presenting them with a problem or perspective they are going to be constantly returning to throughout the lesson or unit. You give them this problem with nothing but their prior knowledge and maybe some background information at the start of class, and they work together in groups to find solutions to the problem.

Problematic situations is a pre-reading strategy that keeps informed instruction at the center of the lesson. Research shows that students perform significantly higher in reading comprehension and awareness when presented with what they are going to learn before they actually learn it (Scott & Jacobs 1984). When you think about it, it makes sense, doesn’t it? You typically don’t eat something unless you know what’s in the food. Same goes for reading. A student’s reading comprehension and awareness increase drastically when they know exactly what to look for and how it applies to what they are learning in class. Strategies that find creative and fun ways to give students an idea about what they are learning are shown to increase understanding and test scores as well as retention. Problematic situations are just another way to give students a much needed introduction to the content of the day.

How Do Problematic Situations Work?

Preparation

Try to think of about 3-5 big ideas you want students to understand about the reading or discussion. Next, formulate your problem situation based on these ideas. Make your problem as clear and detailed as possible, and plan to ask questions related to your big ideas that have students discussing how they would solve the problem. For example: The year is 1945. You’re a leader of the allied countries against the axis of power. The enemy has been defeated and now you have to plan what comes next. How do you make peace? How do you treat the axis of power? What influences you to make that decision? How will this decision affect the world?

Get them started

Give them another example of a problematic situation that you tackle together. Make it something short that gives them the idea for the activity, but make sure it doesn’t take too long to go over. Make sure you emphasize the use of prior knowledge to solve the problem.

Give them the problem

Group them according to however you see fit. The activity can be done alone or in groups, but students seem the most interested when working with peers. Give them the problem and let them work on it. Tell them to give you as many solutions as possible as this will have them explore multiple possible outcomes to the situation.

Bring them together

Once they have generated enough solutions, aim for as many as possible without interfering too much and have them discuss their solutions as a class. Work together to evaluate all of their solutions and have students explain why they believe their solution is the most viable. The goal is to show students using prior knowledge to predict the outcome.

Let them go

Record the solution the students felt was the most viable. Explain to them that as they read or as they learn, their solutions will change because their understanding of the problem is growing. Have them form and record new solutions as they go.

Have them reflect

Let them compare their first solution to their final solution. What are the similarities and differences? How does this show their understanding changed? If applicable, you could even have them evaluate the solution that came to pass in the real world. What would they have done differently?

What’s the next step?

The next step is modifying it to fit your students and classroom needs. Some modifications I would make in a history course would be having the students evaluate the solution constantly as they proceed through the class, not just the lesson. This involves approaching the activity with more enduring understandings in mind than regular course content, but it could be such a powerful tool in ensuring students understand how the world became what it is today. Using the strategy in this way could incorporate current events in the classroom and how they relate to what they have learned. The possibilities for this strategy are limitless when given the right teacher and the right class.

Paris, Scott G., and Janis E. Jacobs. “The Benefits of Informed Instruction for Children’s Reading Awareness and Comprehension Skills.” Child Development, vol. 55, no. 6, 1984, pp. 2083–2093. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1129781. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

About the Author

Michael Gismondi is a Graduate Student enrolled at Saint Vincent College. He obtained his Bachelor’s in History with a minor in Medieval Studies from Saint Vincent, and he is continuing his education in pursuit of his Masters in Curriculum and Instruction as well as his secondary certification in social studies. His goal is to help emerging students study and understand history as it pertains to them and their lives, and help them understand how to apply social studies to the topics around them. He believes that by studying history, students can better explain the world around them through the lives and experiences of the people who came before.

First Lines and ABC Brainstorming: Pre-Reading Strategies That Students Will Take With Them

This blog post was written by Sammie Hauer, a current undergraduate student at Saint Vincent College enrolled in my course, Reading, Writing, and Differentiation in the Content Area. Read more about Sammie at the end of the blog.

First Lines

First Lines is a technique that a teacher at any grade can use whether you teach in an elementary building or a high school building. This technique is also versatile since you can use it in small groups, with the whole class, or individually. This strategy is based on reading the first line of a given text and then making predictions about what you are about to read. After the activity when students read the whole text, it is common for students to change or adjust their predictions about the reading.

Some benefits of this pre-reading strategy include improving students’ reading comprehension, activating prior knowledge, and it also requires the students to anticipate what the text is about before they start reading. Another great benefit to this technique is that it is very simple! This is not an overwhelming activity and the students only have to read one line. Motivation for this activity should come very easily as you would definitely not be asking too much from your students.

How do First Lines Work?

  1. Ask students to read the first line of the text.
  2. Ask the students to make predictions based off of that first sentence.
  3. Have the students ready to volunteer their predictions and then have them share with the class.
  4. Remind students that there is not a “right” or “wrong” way to make a prediction but have them back their prediction up with information from that first sentence.
  5. Engage in a class discussion about predictions.
  6. After reading the text, encourage the students to revisit their old prediction.

First Lines Template

 

Why does First Lines work? How do I use it in my classroom?

First Lines helps students learn to make predictions about the content they will be reading. Additionally, it helps students focus their attention and activates their “thinking skills” by making them analyze what was in that first sentence and making connections to any previous knowledge they have to form those predictions they shared with the class.

As stated before, First Lines can work for almost any teacher in any content area and can be modified. The only drawback to this reading strategy would be math as they often do not read texts that explain the material that they are going to learn. As for modifying this strategy, if you think the first line does not give enough information, you can have them read the next line as well. If you are an English teacher and have assigned a novel, you can have students complete this activity for each chapter they read.

In the science content area, this technique can be difficult depending on the text that the students are offered, but it is not impossible to incorporate this strategy into your classroom. You will just have to use your best judgement with your students’ levels of prior knowledge and the difficulty of the text.

https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/first_lines

http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23330/

ABC Brainstorming

ABC Brainstorming is a great way to get students to activate their prior knowledge? Not only is this technique perfect for activating prior knowledge, it is a really easy activity to use to get your students engaged and motivated to learn. This strategy is also adaptable in many ways so you can use it many times in your classroom. This activity can be done individually, in small groups, or as a whole class.

https://bksykes0731.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/wkst.jpg%5B/caption%5D

 

How Does ABC Brainstorming Work?

  1. Select a Topic or Text

Topics can include the Civil War, films, books, etc.

  1. Determine Your Purpose

Do you want to see what students already know about a topic? If so, use it as a warm-up activity.

Do you want to use this as a review for a test? Then you can use this as a way to recall your students’ memory.

Do you want to use it to discuss what a student just watched from a film or read from a text? If so, use it as an Exit Card.

  1. Prepare for the Brainstorm Activity

Either give the students a handout (shown in picture) or hang 26 different papers on the wall and have the students move around and fill each paper out with their ideas.

  1. Conduct the Brainstorm

Do you want it timed?

Do you want students working in groups or individually?

Will students turn their work in after?

  1. Talk About It

After the activity, have a discussion about what everyone wrote down for each letter and address misconceptions or errors if there are any.

Modifications

As stated before, this activity can be adapted and modified in a variety of ways. These include an Alphabet Brainstorm Race, a Partial- Alphabet Brainstorm, and a Spoken Alphabet Brainstorm. For the Alphabet Brainstorm Race, you will have students working in small groups or as two teams and then have students compete to see who can be the first team to complete the brainstorm. This gives that competitive spirit in the classroom that will motivate students to learn. The Partial- Alphabet Brainstorm is where you give students only a portion of the alphabet to work with or you can divide the alphabet into sections and split those sections among groups. This can make the activity seem less daunting. The Spoken Alphabet Brainstorm is when you have students line up and have them say a word/phrase that relates to theme that was explored. The students will do the alphabet in order down the line.

Who Can Use this Strategy?

Almost any teacher can use this strategy in their class. The hardest subject to implement this into their content area would be math. However, it is not impossible for math teachers to use this strategy if they can find a way to make it work. For a math teacher, they may want to do a Partial- Alphabet Brainstorm and do it as a review for a test. The teacher could use it as a way to see what all equations the students remember that will be included in the exam.

https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/alphabet-brainstorm

About the Author

Sammie Hauer is a senior at Saint Vincent College pursuing a B.A in Spanish Education with a minor in French. Her goal is to create an environment in which students can flourish and be their true authentic selves while also exploring the worlds of different languages. She believes that by studying other languages, one can be better prepared for communicating with others around the world and they can also get a deeper insight into their own language.

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