Fluency and Vocabulary

Our Learning Objectives Board to takes shape.

We've heard it almost weekly for the past few years, vocabulary needs to be a focus in classrooms since some students don't have the word knowledge to access text. Now the Retell course has fast forwarded that work for me.

Last week, when I handed out a vocabulary sheet to help students access a math lesson, I saw the smile on one student's face; he clearly appreciated the gesture as he began to use the sheet right away as I taught the lesson on area and perimeter.

Similarly, a multi-sensory focus on specific vocabulary related to a reading passage brings greater meaning.

The approach includes the following:

First, the classroom now hosts a learning objective board that continues to take shape with weekly learning objectives and vocabulary.

Next, the inclusion of the seven-steps of pre-teaching vocabulary:

Image Link: See Example at the bottom of the page.

I added a visual aspect to the vocabulary roll-out including a morning work preview and a slide show visual display. 

Finally, students integrate the word knowledge into guided reading, writing, and problem solving efforts. 

The key to these new steps is to incorporate them into the weekly teaching in seamless ways--ways that students expect, utilize, and even foster on their own as they tackle new words in their independent learning.