In order to succeed in school and beyond, students in grades 6-12 need to understand and use both academic language and discipline-specific vocabulary. This book describes effective practices for integrating vocabulary study with instruction in English language arts, history/social studies, and math and science, and for helping students become independent, motivated word learners. The expert authors present a wealth of specific teaching strategies, illustrated with classroom vignettes and student work samples. Connections to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are highlighted throughout; an extensive annotated list of print and electronic resources enhances the book's utility.

Vocabulary knowledge plays a huge role in the academic success of middle school students. But which words do students need to know to master the content in their textbooks, and how can they be learned? This book has the practical answers educators need. Middle school teachers will get five extensive, research-based lists of academic vocabulary words most frequently used in student textbooks, the words kids need to know to increase their comprehension and succeed in school. Teachers will also get critical background information on the importance of academic vocabulary, guidance on testing word knowledge, and proven teaching strategies for weaving vocabulary instruction into their everyday lessons. A great resource for in-service professional development and preservice teacher preparation courses. Help middle school students: strengthen academic vocabulary knowledge in five key school subjects; understand why the words they encounter in textbooks are important; improve comprehension and eliminate roadblocks to understanding what they read; and increase school success, for all students including English language learners and those with disabilities. Practical materials include: five research-based lists of hundreds of academic vocabulary words, each one devoted to a key content area; helpful discussion questions; and 15 detailed vocabulary instruction activities.

This highly regarded work brings together prominent authorities on vocabulary teaching and learning to provide a comprehensive yet concise guide to effective instruction. The book showcases practical ways to teach specific vocabulary words and word-learning strategies and create engaging, word-rich classrooms. Instructional activities and games for diverse learners are brought to life with detailed examples. Drawing on the most rigorous research available, the editors and contributors distill what PreK-8 teachers need to know and do to support all students' ongoing vocabulary growth and enjoyment of reading. New to This Edition*Reflects the latest research and instructional practices.*New section (five chapters) on pressing current issues in the field: assessment, authentic reading experiences, English language learners, uses of multimedia tools, and the vocabularies of narrative and informational texts.*Contributor panel expanded with additional leading researchers.

In Building Academic Vocabulary: Teacher s Manual, Robert J. Marzano and Debra J. Pickering give teachers a practical way to help students master academic vocabulary. Research has shown that when teachers, schools, and districts take a systematic approach to helping students identify and master essential vocabulary and concepts of a given subject area, student comprehension and achievement rises. In the manual, readers will find the following tools: * A method to help teachers, schools, and districts determine which academic vocabulary terms are most essential for their needs * A six-step process for direct instruction in subject area vocabulary * A how-to to help students use the Building Academic Vocabulary: Student Notebook. The six-step method encourages students to learn critical academic vocabulary by connecting these terms to prior knowledge using linguistic and non-linguistic means that further encourage the refinement and deepening of their understanding. * Suggestions for tailoring academic vocabulary procedures for English Language Learners. * Samples and blackline masters for a variety of review activities and games that reinforce and refine student understanding of the academic terms and concepts they learn. The book also includes a list of 7, 923 vocabulary terms culled from the national standards documents and other publications, organized into 11 subject areas and 4 grade-level categories. Building Academic Vocabulary: Teacher s Manual puts into practice the research and ideas outlined in Marzano s previous book Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement. Using the teacher s manual and vocabulary notebooks, educators can guide students in using tools and activities that will help them deepen their own understanding of critical academic vocabulary--the building blocks for achievement in each discipline.

A new edition of the most comprehensive vocabulary text available for pre-service, novice, and experienced teachers of middle and high school students. In this new edition of the most comprehensive vocabulary text available, pre-service, novice, and experienced middle and high school teachers get invaluable tools to share with their students that will enable them to learn thousands of words independently. With an emphasis on developing students' word consciousness-the knowledge and predisposition to learn, appreciate, and effectively use words-the book addresses three broad aspects of vocabulary learning and instruction: context-based instruction, word-specific instruction, and generative morphology instruction, as a means to enabling teachers to teach vocabulary their way. The new edition features an expanded author team; separate chapter for the major disciplines/subjects, including a separate chapter on Art, Music, Physical Education, and Career and Technical Education; a new, easily-accessible format presenting the strategies, activities, and assessments; chapter notes directing readers to the PDToolkit online resource, new Activity Selection Charts in each chapter; referencing to the Common Core Standards in each activity and strategy; updated research throughout; a new look at Academic Language; and a revised ESL chapter with a strong new multilingual focus. Vocabulary Their Way provides an exceptional teaching and learning experience through: A focus on context-based vocabulary instruction, coupled with effective, engaging, word-specific general and domain-specific vocabulary activities. Attention to ESL learners and struggling readers and writers throughout. Special attention to ways to organize for effective instruction.

Veteran educator Marilee Sprenger explains how to teach the essential, high-frequency words that appear in academic contexts--and reverse the disadvantages of what she calls "word poverty." Drawing on research and experience, Sprenger provides a rich array of engaging strategies to help educators across all content areas and grade levels not only teach students a large quantity of words but also ensure that they know these words well. You'll find An overview of how the brain learns and retains new words, including the three stages of building long-term memories: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding strategies to introduce words in novel ways and jump-start the memory process. Rehearsal strategies to help students put words into long-term storage. Review strategies to help students strengthen their retrieval skills and gain the automaticity needed for reading comprehension. Ways to address planning and assessment as crucial, intersecting supports of a robust vocabulary program. This comprehensive resource has everything you need to help your students profoundly expand their vocabulary, enabling them to speak, read, and write with greater understanding and confidence.

In Unlocking the Power of Academic Vocabulary, Dr. Yu Ren Dong, an associate professor of English education at Queens College, City University of New York, helps secondary teachers expand their instructional repertoire to teach academic vocabulary in a systematic, meaningful, contextualized, and exciting way. Every secondary, subject-matter teacher will find strategies, easy-to-integrate activities, and tips on selecting words and planning lessons. As you teach with these strategies, your English language learners will be able to: tap into prior knowledge through cross-language transfer and cross-cultural comparisons; use concept-based vocabulary, such as analogies, metaphorical language, themes, sources, inquiry, and graphic organizers; interact with new words in context to decipher euphemisms, words with multiple meanings, connotation, and context clues; engage in interactive read-alouds, think-alouds, and wordplay; and master vocabulary through writing. Charts, student examples, suggested resources, and subject-matter vocabulary lists give teachers the hands-on tools they need to teach the concepts behind words as well as the actual definitions, spelling, and sounds. Transform your academic vocabulary instruction into an engaging, skill-building mix that carries over into students' reading, writing, thinking, and conversations in all subject areas.

"Vocabulary in the Elementary and Middle Schools is written with clear descriptions, passion for the subject matter, and appreciation for the role of classroom teachers. Pre-service and in-service teachers will find this book to be an invaluable resource because numerous explanations, examples, and classroom applications illustrate how to stimulate and expand vocabulary and language learning. Each of the nine chapters focuses on different aspects of the study of words and offers research-based analysis as well as the author's thoughts about vocabulary and language."--BOOK JACKET.

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.