I w
ould probably cringe at the number of different methods taught for vocabulary exposure over my 17-year career. From rote memorization (yes… I did this in early years!) to word walls that looked great, but didn’t really have an impact. I would reflect based on data, then try again. I recently came across Dr. Catlin Tucker’s blog post “Pile of Words” and thought it was perfect for all students!
Tier II words, or high-frequency words, would also be a terrific addition to this activity in addition to content-specific words in the 6-12 classroom. Through my experience, questions such as “What is the purpose of the Mayflower Compact?” measures two things – knowledge of the Mayflower Compact as well as what the term purpose implies. When the question is not answered correctly, the dilemma becomes is it a Tier I, II or III vocabulary term and how will the re-teaching occur?
Backward Unit Design will help teachers understand all vocabulary needed for student success. Explicitly teaching this vocabulary through a method as Dr. Tucker describes, is crucial.
The nuances of all vocabulary terms, content and otherwise, will aid students throughout their K-12 learning experience.