Before They Read: Introducing Words {Part 2}

Last week, we explored activating prior knowledge with reading. Today, we’re going to explore introducing vocabulary words to readers to help them better engage with reading.

 

In Part 1 of this 2-part post, I focused mainly on tapping into prior knowledge before and during reading to help with comprehension. Today, I want to focus on introducing words. The two kinds of words we’re going to narrow in on are: 1- vocabulary words and 2-decodable words.

One of the things I do nearly every time I read a new book with a struggling reader is introduce a few words before reading. {These are books on the child’s “instructional level”, which means the book is just hard enough that she can’t read it by herself the first time through; but she can with my help}.

This means I have to preview the book before I place it in front of the child. What kinds of words am I looking for as preview the book?

 

Introducing Vocabulary Words

When I preview a book, I’m looking for vocabulary words.

I ask myself: Are there words that the reader may not comprehend without help? Sure, the reader might be able to decode {or say the word correctly}, but does she know what it means? This is vitally important because understanding word meanings directly affects comprehension.

 

Here’s a recent example from a non-fiction text about pond that and I read together with a first grader. These were the four words I chose to pull out of the text and talk about before reading.

Notice that I write them down on a dry erase board to provide that extra visual and support, especially for struggling readers.

 

How Many Vocabulary Words do I Introduce?

If it’s a shorter text, 3-4 words is my maximum. For longer texts, 5-6 words is my max. Why do I set a limit on the words? If I have to introduce more than that, it’s my clue that the child doesn’t posses enough prior knowledge to read the text. 

Sometimes vocabulary words don’t need to be introduced because the reader can infer what the word means from the context of the sentence(s) that surround it.  When this is the case, instead of talking about the word out of context, we head straight to the sentence {or paragraph} that contains the word.  We read it together and see if we can figure out what the new word means.  If the reader has trouble doing this, I model it for her.

Introducing Decodable Words

The second kind of word I’m looking for when I preview a book are those decodable words. By “decodable”, I mean that the word may be difficult for the reader to sound out or decode without a little support first. I ask myself: Are there some words in this text that may be harder for the reader to decode? Sometimes the vocabulary words and decodable words are one in the same, especially with K-2 texts. In the upper grades, this isn’t always the case.

For example, my 1st grader and I were reviewing how to decode multi-syllabic words {simple two-syllable words and compound words} in our word study time. While previewing his text, I noticed there were several of these kinds of words. So I wrote a few, not all, of them on the dry erase board and we read them together, using the strategies he’d learned for decoding such words. {Luck was a vocabulary word.} While taking our picture walk through the text, we found the words within the text.

The kinds of words you choose to pull out to go over beforehand greatly depends on where the child is developmentally in his word knowledge. If he is working on short vowel words, you may want to pull some of those beforehand and decode them together.

But no matter their developmental stage, pre-teaching and reminding readers to use the strategies they know for tackling words before reading helps them to read the text with better fluency {notice I didn’t say “perfect” fluency, as fluency usually develops with re-readings}. Better fluency helps free up their mind to focus on comprehension during reading.

 

“Just Right” Books are Key

I do want to say that I don’t like to spend a ton of time pre-teaching words before reading.  I try to keep it short and sweet. To the point. So that we can get to the real reading. 5-7 minutes at the most is all I like to spend before they read.

For me, book selection is key. If the reader has very low prior knowledge or if I feel that the book is too hard for the child {there are too many sight words and decodable words he doesn’t know}, I don’t use that book…yet.  There may be a time and a place for it later, once the child has developed more.

Sometimes I realize that the book is too hard when we start reading together. In those cases, I acknowledge to the reader that this is a “too hard” book for now {the reader will usually sense this, too}.  Instead of continuing, I’ll either read it to the child, asking him to pitch in where he can, or I’ll simply put the book aside.

 

Do you have any tips for introducing vocabulary words before reading?  Please feel free to share them in the comments.

 

Find Part 1: Activating Prior Knowledge

 

Enjoy teaching!
~Becky