Page 16 - Project ALPHA Brochure FINAL 042919

Project
Teach Out of the Box
PROJECT ALPHA EVIDENCE BASED DEVELOPMENT AREAS
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
Teaching vocabulary to English language learners (ELLs) is an important part of students' language development— especially in gaining facility with academic language. Careful lesson planning is an essential component to give students the necessary language to learn complex concepts and to be able to express themselves in writing and speaking. Teachers of English language learners need to use strategies that allow students master the meanings of new words rather than relying on rote memorization.
The main study that Project ALPHA bases work in vocabulary development is Lesaux, N. K., Kieffer, M. J., Faller, S. E., & Kelley, J. G. (2010). “The effectiveness and ease of implementation of an academic vocabulary intervention for linguistically diverse students in urban middle schools.” Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), 196-228. Teach a set of academic vocabulary words intensively across several days using a variety of instructional activities as a recommendation is rated as having strong evidence of effectiveness. Three (Carlo et al. (2004); Lesaux et al. (2010); Lesaux, Kieffer, Kelley, and Harris (2014)) of six studies directly tested the practice and found that it is beneficial to provide intensive instruction on a few select words across several days using a variety of instructional activities. The remaining three studies (August et al. (2009); Silverman and Hines (2009); Vaughn et al. (2009)) provide evidence for some of the instructional practices described in this recommendation.
• Suggested activities to promote vocabulary development: Choose a brief, engaging piece of informational text that includes academic vocabulary as a platform for intensive academic vocabulary instruction. Choose a small set of academic vocabulary for in-depth instruction. Teach academic vocabulary in depth using multiple modalities (writing, speaking, and listening). Teach word-learning strategies to help students independently figure out the meaning of words.
Resources:
Instruction of Key Academic Vocabulary with High School ELLs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snXOWLnOxyk
Vocabulary Development Strategies for English Language Learners
https://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/weather-and-climate-from-home-to-the-poles/vocabulary- development-strategies- for-english-language-learners
For ELLs: Vocabulary beyond the Definitions https://www.nctm.org/Publications/mathematics- teacher/2013/Vol107/Issue1/mt2013-08-28a_pdf/
Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/511- breiseth.aspx
Helping English Language Learners Understand Content Area Texts
http://www1.gcsnc.com/depts/esl/pdf/content_area_texts.pdf
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