Developing Vocabulary and Concepts

Developing Vocabulary and Concepts

1. Types of Vocabulary

   • General Vocabulary - everyday words
     • Tier 1 Words
   • Specialized Vocabulary - general vocab with specific meanings based on content area
     • Tier 2 Words
   • Technical Vocabulary - vocab used only in a particular content area
     • Tier 3 Words

2. Words vs Concepts

   • "A picture paints a thousand words"
   • Acting on and interacting with the environment
   • Bound by hierarchy of relationships
     • Class, Example, and Attribute Relationships

3. Strategies

   • Graphic Organizers
     • Network Tree
     • Timeline
   • Word Exploration
   • Brainstorming
   • List-Group-Label
   • Word Sorts - open and closed
   • Knowledge Ratings

4. Contextual Understanding

   • Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS)
   • Concept of Definition (CD)

5. Refining and Extending Vocabulary

   • Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA)
   • Concept Circles
   • Vocabulary Triangles
   • Magic Squares
   • Using context to approximate meaning
   • Typographic/Format Clues
     • of footnotes, italics, boldface print, parenthetical definitions, pictures, graphs, charts, and the like
   • Syntactic and Semantic Clues
     • Definition
     • Linked Synonyms
     • Contrast
     • Cause and Effect
     • Mood and Tone
   • Logographic Cues
   • OPIN/Cloze Passages
   • Word Structure/Etymology