Developing Academic Language for Understanding Content Area Texts
David J. Chard Southern Methodist University Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development
In order to understand how to intervene, we have to have up-to-date knowledge about readers. 2 1
Perfetti, Landi, & Oakhill (2005)
Layered Needs of Readers Poor Comprehenders Low Language Readers Dysfluent Readers Poor Decoders
Outcomes from 67.5 Hours of Intensive Intervention
Standard Score
100 96 90
91
30th percentile
91
80
83 72
74
70
71
68 Word Attack
Text Reading Accuracy
Reading Comp.
Text Reading Rate
Torgesen, J. (2003). Closing Gaps. Presentation at Council for Learning Disabilities. Bellevue, WA.
What text factors may influence students’ reading fluency?
“ Mr. Potter,” said Umbridge, “let me remind you that it was I who almost caught the criminal Black in the Gryffindor fire in October. I know perfectly well it was you he was meeting and if I had had any proof neither of you would be at large today, I promise you. I repeat, Mr. Potter…Where is Sirius Black?”
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Does Fluency Ensure Comprehension?
Not exactly!
2
1
Perfetti, Landi, & Oakhill (2005)
Big Ideas of Comprehension • Automaticity and Fluency with the Code • Background and World Knowledge (Academic Vocabulary) • Content Engagement • Strategy Knowledge and Use (Coyne, Chard, et al., 2006)
Background and World Knowledge • The relationship between reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge is strong and unequivocal (Baumann & Kame’enui, 1991; Stanovich, 1986).
• Even weak readers’ vocabulary knowledge is strongly correlated with the amount of reading they do (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998).
Kindergarten vocabulary (PPVT) is closely related to later reading comprehension. End of Grade One -- .45 End of Grade Four -- .62 End of Grade Seven -- .69
The relationship of vocabulary to reading comprehension gets stronger as texts become more complex (Snow, 2002).
Vocabulary Knowledge Learning, as a language based activity, is fundamentally and profoundly dependent on vocabulary knowledge. Learners must have access to the meanings of words that teachers, or their surrogates (e.g., other adults, books, films, etc.) use to guide them into contemplating known concepts in novel ways (i.e., to learn something new) (Baker, Simmons, & Kame’enui, 1998).
How Important is Vocabulary Knowledge? • Importance of vocabulary knowledge to school success, in general, and reading comprehension, in particular, is widely documented (Becker, 1977; Anderson & Nagy, 1991).
• Learning, as a language based activity, is fundamentally and profoundly dependent on vocabulary knowledge (Baker, Simmons, & Kame’enui, 1998).
High-Frequency Vocabulary
Wide Vocabulary Skills/Strategies
Key Selection Vocabulary
Reading
Domain Specific Vocabulary
Considerations for Selecting Vocabulary to Teach Words selected for direct vocabulary instruction should: • Be critical to understanding the fundamental content area concepts • Enhance student comprehension of the text • Not explicitly defined in the context of the text
Selection Criteria for Instructional Vocabulary Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Description
Basic words that most children know before entering school
Words that appear frequently in texts and for which students already have conceptual understanding
Uncommon words that are typically associated with a specific domain
Examples
clock, baby, happy
sinister, fortunate, adapt
isotope, peninsula, bucolic
(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)
How should you teach new vocabulary during interventions? Some considerations: • Use contextual analysis when the text provides sufficient support for students to determine a word’s meaning. • Provide a model, definition or synonym when necessary. • Frequently use the word during guided reading and discussions of the content. Test students’ knowledge of the concept with examples and non-examples if appropriate. • If the concept is unfamiliar, teach the concept using diagrams, concept maps, or feature analysis.
Direct Instruction of Specific Words Instructional Example Protagonist Definition
Non-Definition
The principal The antagonist is character in a the enemy of the story; the lead protagonist.
Example The main character, or the protagonist in To Kill A Mockingbird is Scout Finch.
Provide a definition or synonym and examples and non-examples if appropriate. Renewable resources can be replaced by nature. Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced by nature. Which of the following are renewable and which are nonrenewable? copper water coal trees Can you think of some other renewable resources? Nonrenewable?
Where appropriate, use tools such as an e-glossary
Encourage Interactions with Words Questions, Reasons, Examples: – If two planes are landing on intersecting landing strips, they must be cautious. Why? – Can a rectangle be a parallelogram? Why or why not? – Which one of these things might be symmetrical? Why or why not? • A car? • A soda bottle? • A tree?
Encourage Interactions with Words Relating Words • Would you prefer to play catch with a sphere or a rectangular prism? • If you wanted to build a fence around your rectangular yard, would you need to know the circumference or the perimeter?
(Beck, McKeown, Kucan, 2002)
Provide opportunities to use vocabulary content words in multiple contexts. • Link new vocabulary with the background knowledge by having students describe what is already known about the topic. • Generate contexts or situations around the target word including photos or other images. • Describe or write about what was learned using the new vocabulary.
Create Concept Maps Illustration
Features
coral polyp Reproduction
Habitat
…and Feature Maps Features How they form?
How they support life? Natural resources available? Dangers of living there? Examples
Volcanic Islands
Reef Islands
Powerful Concept Maps Definition
Examples
Synonyms
Mammal
Non-Examples
See It, Hear It, Speak It, and Know It Laurie O. Campbell Southern Methodist University
[email protected]
Personal Video Mobile Devices • IPOD NANOS – 5th Generation • IPOD Touch IPOD Phone • Flip Camera
Identity
Content Engagement • Learning comprehension skills (e.g., idioms, sequencing) • Understanding the purpose of the text • Narrative or Expository • Pleasure or information • Recognizing text structures and features • Genre • Graphic organizers • Headings, subheadings • Asking critical questions while reading • Engaging in meaningful text-based discourse (Gersten, Fuchs, Williams, & Baker, 2001; McKeown, Hamilton, Kucan, & Beck, 1997; Simmons & Kame’enui, 1998)
Building Comprehension Through Instructional Read Alouds Interactive
Extract Meaning
The Comprehension Conversation
Construct Meaning
Intentional
Highly Purposeful
(Santoro, Baker, Chard, & Howard, 2007)
Before • Identifying the purpose for reading – Information or Storybook
• Previewing – Title, Author, Illustrator
• Predicting/Priming • Defining Critical Vocabulary (e.g. if vocabulary word is part of book title)
During • Using consistent framework (e.g., story elements, info. headings, info. text focus questions) • Question-asking strategies • Making connections (Text to text, text to self, text to world) • Making inferences • Self-monitoring: What do you do when you don’t understand something? • Vocabulary
After • Retell of storybooks • Retell of information text (review with KWL chart and tell with information retell sheet) • Vocabulary Introduction, Review and Extension Activities
Steps to Encourage Student Engagement with Text (Santoro, Baker, Chard, & Howard, 2007)
Employ Powerful Ancillary Materials
Using a Main Idea Chart Paragraph/ Section
Details
Main Idea
Using a Main Idea Chart Paragraph/ Section
1
2
Details
Main Idea
Metal blade made farming easier
As farming became easier, the growing Bantu population Populations grew Bantu needed more space needed more space. Bantu migrated south Wars during the Bantu migration They fought other tribes resulted in many They often won small tribes’ demise. Losing tribes joined them
Summary
Schedule Time for Responding to Reading • Begin providing students with opportunities to summarize informational and narrative texts early. • Focus on accuracy and details of content rather than conventions.
For Additional Practice, Consider Literature Discussion Groups • Encourage the use of meaningful vocabulary • Provide facilitators as necessary (yarn, paper clips, graphic organizers, strategy cards) • Make this a routine with heterogeneous language groups
Summary • Readers can’t comprehend well without sufficient fluency. Good comprehenders read a lot. • Comprehension requires the development of strong academic vocabulary in content area domains. • Content area learning requires a combination of serious content engagement and strategic reading.
Selected References •
• •
• •
•
Chard, D. J., Pikulski, J. J., & McDonagh, S. (2006). Fluency: The link between decoding and comprehension for struggling readers. In T. Rasinski, C. Blachowicz, & K. Lems (Eds.). Teaching Reading Fluency (pp. 39-61). New York: Guilford. Ehri, L. C. (2005). Learning to read words: Theories, findings, and issues. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2), 167-188. Hasbrouck, J., & Tindal, G. A. (2006) Oral reading fluency norms: A valuable assessment tool for reading teachers. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 636-644. Kuhn, M. R. (2004). Helping students become accurate, expressive readers: Fluency instruction for small groups. The Reading Teacher, 58(4), 338-344. Perfetti, C. A., Landi, N., & Oakhill, J. (2005). The acquisition of reading comprehension skill. In M. J. Snowling & C. Hulme (Eds.), The science of reading: A handbook (pp. 227-247). Oxford, UK: Blackwell. Rasinski, T. V., Reutzel, D. R., Chard, D. J., & Linan-Thompson, S. (in press). Reading Fluency. In The Handbook of Research on Reading 4th ed.
Thank You
