March 2013 Volume 9, Number 8 	Monthly ENewsletter of Maine Department of Education 	
“The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.” ~J.K. Rowling 	This month’s edition of Literacy Links examines the sixth critical instructional shift required of the Common Core State Standards for ELA— academic vocabulary. Spotlight on… Academic Vocabulary “Words are not just words. They are the nexus—the interface—between communication and thought. When we read, it is through words that we build, refine, and modify our knowledge. What makes vocabulary valuable and important is not the words themselves so much as the understandings they afford.” ~Marilyn Jager Adams (2009, p. 180) The importance of helping students acquire robust vocabularies is absolutely paramount to their ability to communicate, whether they are reading, writing, speaking, or listening. Without understanding most words, it is difficult, if not impossible, to construct meaning. “It is widely accepted among researchers that the difference in students’ vocabulary levels is a key factor in disparities in academic achievement, but that vocabulary instruction has been neither frequent nor systematic in most schools.”(Appendix A of Common Core State Standards for ELA). Words are the basis for instruction in all content areas— knowing a word allows a student to retrieve, access, and build on conceptual understanding. Students need incremental, repeated exposure to both the content-specific vocabulary and the more general “academic vocabulary” that is used across content areas. A variety of strategies embedded into content instruction should be used to provide incremental, repeated exposure in a variety of contexts, making multiple connections between the most important words and students' own experiences. The Common Core State Standards for ELA place a predominant emphasis on vocabulary. Not only do specific standards within the Language strand focus on vocabulary acquisition and use, but there are standards within the Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening strands that also underscore vocabulary development. This shift represents a significant focus on teaching students a variety of strategies for unlocking meaning of unknown words and ideas with increasingly rigorous texts. A clear developmental progression from phonics through sophisticated concepts such as Greek and Latin affixes and roots is also articulated. Of particular importance for educators is building an understanding what Beck, McKeown, and Kucan (2002, 2008) term the 3-tiers of vocabulary. Not a hierarchy but an organizational structure, the 3-tiers provide a mechanism for classifying 	

vocabulary into categories for instructional purposes. 
�	Tier 1 – Basic, concrete words encountered in conversation/oral vocabulary; words most student will know at a particular grade level (e.g., school, house, walk, eat, animal, road) 
�	Tier 2 –Abstract, general academic words encountered across content areas and in written language; high utility across instructional areas (e.g., consistent, expectation, observation, relative, accumulate) 
�	Tier 3 – Highly specialized,subject-specific words; low occurrences in texts; lacking generalization (e.g., trapezoid, tonsillectomy, geosystem, carburetor, lava) 

All of the tiers are important to overall understanding, but two are specifically noted in the standards—Tier 2 and Tier 3. Tier 3 words are critical to understanding in specific domains, and will often be words that are defined within the text. Tier 2 words are referred to in the CCSS as academic words and represent words that students will encounter across disciplines in the variety of texts they will be reading. Why are “academic words” important? Tier 2 words: 
Are critical to understanding academic texts 
Appear in all sorts of texts and are highly generalizable 
Require deliberate effort to learn, unlike Tier 1 words 
Are far more likely to appear in written texts than in speech 
Often represent subtle or precise ways to say otherwise relatively simple things 
Are seldom heavily scaffolded by authors or teachers, unlike Tier 3 words 

Consider the following criteria when selecting academic vocabulary: 
The word should be central to understanding the text. 
The word choice and nuance are significant. 
Students are likely to see this word frequently. 
Students will be able to use this word when writing in response to the text. 
The word is a more mature or precise label for concepts children already have under control. 
The word lends itself to teaching a web of words and concepts
around it.

Deep learning of vocabulary requires direct instruction of word meaning and instruction in word learning strategies, as well multiple opportunities to interact with words to practice using them. What are some other instructional implications for this shift? Educators should refine instruction to: 
Develop students’ ability to use and access words that appear in everyday text and that may be slightly out of reach. 
Explicitly teach strategies that can be transferred across content-areas. 
•	Discriminate between the tiers of vocabulary; choose Tier 2 vocabulary (academic) to teach before, during and after reading, listening and viewing. Teach Tier 3 vocabulary (domain-specific) in 
the context of the discipline. 
Determine the words that students will read most frequently and spend the majority of time on those. 
Teach fewer words; but, teach word associations rather than words in isolation. 

More information about academic vocabulary can be found on pages 32-35 of Appendix A of the CCSS for ELA. Additionally, many past editions of Literacy Links have focused on vocabulary development and instruction. You may find it helpful to review these editions as you delve more deeply into this shift. The link to all of these editions is: http://www.maine.gov/education/rf/newsletters/index.html. The February 2012 edition listed below describes the Literacy Micro-courses available on the MDOE website. One of the micro-courses focuses on vocabulary. The micro-courses can be accessed at: http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/ela/lmc.html. 

Literacy Links Edition 

June 2005 May 2006 March 2008 April 2008 
August 2009 
September 2009 October 2009 February 2012 
Topic 
Vocabulary Word Walls Vocabulary Revisited A Deeper Look at Vocabulary Instruction Vocabulary Development: Importance and Research Vocabulary Instruction Morphology Literacy Micro-courses 

Online Resources… 
This month’s online resources feature links to additional information about the significance of academic vocabulary. 

This link is to a video developed by Engage New York that summarizes the “academic vocabulary” shift. It provides a helpful rationale for the shift and overview of what the shift will require of instruction. 

This link will take you to an ASCD article by Robert Marzano that explores a 6-step instructional routine for teaching academic vocabulary. 

This link will take you to a wealth of information and resources related to vocabulary development and instruction, including articles, videos, and webcasts. 

Researcher Susan Ebbers maintains this site that focus entirely on vocabulary. You can access many interesting blog posts about vocabulary instruction, along with links to research and additional resources. 

Summary of Professional Texts… 
This month we feature two professional texts that include instructional suggestions that support academic vocabulary instruction. 
Bringing Words to Life, Second Edition: Robust Vocabulary
Instruction

by Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown, and Linda Kucan Guilford Press, 2013 
“Hundreds of thousands of teachers have used this highly practical guide to help K-12 students enlarge their vocabulary and get involved in noticing, understanding, and using new words. Grounded in research, the book explains how to select words for instruction, introduce their meanings, and create engaging learning activities that promote both word knowledge and reading comprehension. The authors are trusted experts who draw on extensive experience in diverse classrooms and schools. In this new edition, more recent research is included, along with expanded discussions related to content area vocabulary and multiple meaning words, and more instructional practices for teaching vocabulary.” (Amazon Review). 
Word Nerds: Teaching All Students to Learn and Love
Vocbaulary

By Brenda Overturf, Leslie Montgomery, and Margot Holmes Smith
Stenhouse Publishers, 201e

Word Nerds takes you inside classrooms at a high-poverty urban school and shows how two teachers implement creative, flexible vocabulary instruction that improves their students' word knowledge and confidence, enhances classroom community, and increases achievement. (Stenhouse Review) 

Children’s Literature…

This month we feature two authors who include rich vocabulary in their texts. Check out….. 
William Steig 
William Steig (1907-2003) was a prolific author of children’s books, several of which were honored with Caldecott and Newbery awards. Often fantasies, his texts use robust vocabulary and interesting language structures that are wonderful for read alouds and close reading experiences. Some terrific titles to consider include: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Amos and Boris, Doctor De Soto, Abel’s Island, Brave Irene, and Dominic. 
Robert Lawson 
Robert Lawson (1892-1957) was also a well-known author and illustrator of children’s books that received both Caldecott and Newbery honors. Some of his most well-known titles integrate fantasy with historical fiction, including Ben and Me and Mr. Revere and I. Other popular titles by Lawson include Rabbit Hill and the Fabulous Flight. 
News from Maine’s ELA Team… 
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For additional information about any of the items in this newsletter or to sign up to receive this enewsletter, please email Leeann.Larsen@maine.gov 
Click here to view back editions of Literacy Links 
http://www.maine.gov/education/rf/newsletters/index.html 
The professional development opportunities and materials are listed in Literacy Links for informational purposes only and are not necessarily endorsed by the Maine Department of Education.