Rosa De Leon and Lauren Walch

1. Rosa De Leon and Lauren Walch Building Academic Vocabulary in Math

2. Objective: Teachers will have an understanding of how to teach vocabulary within the math framework following Marzano’s six-step process. Marzano, R. J. and Pickering, D., (2005). Building Academic Vocabulary Teacher’s Manual. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

3. Does this look familiar?

4. Vocabulary Development “Good vocabulary instruction helps children gain ownership of words, instead of just learning words well enough to pass a test. Good vocabulary instruction provides multiple exposures through rich and varied activities to meaningful information about the word.” (Stahl & Kapinus, 2001, p. 14)

5. When should vocabulary be taught? • If you are taking your students through an exploration, vocabulary instruction can take place after the exploration to cement what was learned. • If a formal lesson is used, vocabulary instruction should take place prior to instruction. • Vocabulary can also be embedded within your whole group instruction, summarizing and note taking.

6. Why should vocabulary be taught explicitly? • Research has shown that direct and explicit instruction is an effective way for students to acquire vocabulary knowledge. • Students must encounter words in context more than once to learn them. • Instruction of new words supports learning when used in context. (Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, 2001, 124-127) (Hiebert & Kamil, 2005; McKeown & Beck, 2004; Stahl & Nagy, 2006)

7. Six-Step Process: Marzano (Marzano and Pickering, 2005, pp. 14-15)

8. Step 1: Provide a description, explanation, or example of the new term. • Ask students what they know about the term. • Build on students understanding (Marzano and Pickering, 2005, p. 15) Avoid Student Guesses

10. Step 2: Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words. • It is critical that instead of simply copying what the teacher has said, the students “own” the new words by constructing their own meanings for the words. • The construction of the term does not need to be comprehensive, but efforts should be made to ensure they do not contain major errors.

11. Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture, symbol or phrase. • Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representation of a term; this forces them to think of the term in a totally different way. • Research shows that one of the best ways to learn a new word is to associate it with an image. • (Marzano and Pickering, 2005)

12. Step 4: Engage students periodically in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in their notebooks. • Understanding deepens over time if students continually reexamine their understanding of a given term. • Activities should be designed to engage students explicitly in the focused review of targeted items. (Marzano and Pickering, 2005)

13. Step 5: Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another. • Interacting with other people about what we are learning deepens the understanding of everyone involved- particularly when we are learning new terms. • Although student discussions can be informal and unstructured, the teacher may want to provide a structure.

14. Step 6: Involve students periodically in games that allow them to play with terms. • Games are one of the most underused instructional tools in education. • Many types of games can help teachers keep new terms in the forefront of students’ thinking and allow students to reexamine their understanding of terms. • It is important to set aside blocks of time each week to play games in order to energize students and guide them in the review and use of important terms.

15. ELPS and Vocabulary Instruction • C1(C)  use strategic learning techniques such as concept mapping, drawing, memorizing, comparing, contrasting, and reviewing to acquire basic and grade-level vocabulary; • C1(E)  internalize new basic and academic language by using and reusing it in meaningful ways in speaking and writing activities that build concept and language attainment; • C1(F)  use accessible language and learn new and essential language in the process Requirement Met

16. What other components are needed?

19. Word Walls • Give students a permanent reference for vocabulary, allowing them to review words daily and ultimately improve their comprehension. • Teachers and students should periodically interact with word wall. • Current words should be added as they are taught. • Effort should be made to distinguish between old and new terms.

22. Three categories of terms: SAME:Words that have the same meaning in “Math English” as in “Standard English.” dollars, cents ONLY MATH: Words that have meaning only in “Math English.” numerator, isosceles DIFFERENT: Words that have different meanings in “Math English” and in “Standard English.” table, right Math Words with Multiple Meanings UCTM Annual Math Conference 2009

23. “Pass the Plate” The team will pass the plate for a period of 2 minutes writing as many mathematical words that have multiple meanings. One person will start by writing a word on the plate when time begins, then pass the marker and plate to the next person in the team. The next team member will write a new word on the plate and pass it on. The plate will continue to rotate among each team member until time is called.

24. Confusing Terms, Formats and Symbols in Mathematics Symbols ( ) • x ∞ < > ~÷ √ ± \ ≥ ≤ / UCTM Annual Math Conference 2009

25. Things to remember….. • Marzano’s 6-step process • Interactive Word Wall • Words with multiple meanings • Symbols in math

26. Resources • Marzano, R. J. and Pickering, D., (2005). Building Academic Vocabulary Teacher’s Manual. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.