Happy Snow Day!

On my snow day, I have been reading the book Shifting the Balance. This book is FULL of great information. One easy shift that stood out to me was teaching vocabulary. But first, let me tell you some of the important information in this book. You would be better off reading the book, but here is my simple highlight of information that stood out to me:

We have heard it and witnessed it in our classrooms; student reading comprehension problems typically begin to show up around third grade. Why? Reading comprehension is a listening comprehension problem. (Not listening as in being able to sit and listen). Listening comprehension as in the ability to understand the spoken language. Just because you can read and decode a passage doesn't mean you can understand what the words mean. For example, suppose I gave you a passage in another language. You could probably decode the passage to read it aloud. In that case, that doesn't mean you have the necessary language understanding you need to have to comprehend the text. Typically, when we are looking at reading comprehension, we are using simple texts in the younger grades. Students have the vocabulary background necessary to understand these simple texts. It is not until the texts become more complex that comprehension falls apart, which we link back to the listening comprehension. There are several shifts we can make to support the growth of listening comprehension. One I want to share with you today is:

USE INTERESTING WORDS

Sometimes we shy away from using large, unknown words with our students; however, we don't need to change our words for children. The stronger the words you use in the classroom, the greater the likelihood that students will grow to understand the word, try using it in their vocabulary, and even recognize it in print (Shifting the Balance, p. 27). Some easy shifts in vocabulary usage you can make are:

• Expose to new words- instead of saying, will you pass out these papers say will you distribute these papers. This shift in using sophisticated vocabulary will allow your students to be exposed to new words naturally.  
• Academic language: for example, instead of saying talking marks use the word quotation marks.
• Expose students to books with interesting words and complex language structures
• Allow students the opportunity to discuss stories and books with the class and other students.

Overall the book sums up this point very well with this statement: 

"Remember, exposure to interesting words now is an investment in future reading comprehension."  

Happy Teaching!!