Teaching Words and How They Work: Small Changes for Big Vocabulary Results - Softcover

Hiebert, Elfrieda H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807763179 ISBN 13: 9780807763179

Publisher: Teachers College Press, 2019

Synopsis

Research shows that vocabulary is the best support for students’ comprehension of narrative and information texts. Often, vocabulary instruction focuses on a few target words in specific texts. However, to understand the many new words in complex texts students need to know how words work. This book, written by an award-winning authority on reading instruction, shows teachers how to make small changes to teach more words and also how words work. Many of these small changes involve enrichments to existing vocabulary practices, such as word walls and conversations with students. Each chapter includes descriptions of teachers’ implementation of small changes to support big gains in students’ vocabulary. This book, which has sufficient depth in research and theory for graduate and undergraduate courses in vocabulary instruction, also offers practical steps that K–8 teachers can use in any reading program to help all students grow their vocabulary.

Teaching Words and How They Work shows teachers how to:

• Identify the most important word families to teach.
• Teach students to use opening text as background knowledge for comprehending the rest of the text.
• Use word walls with more purpose and greater student engagement.
• Select the right words to teach from new information texts.
• Better understand limitations of leveled texts and how to adjust.
• Use assets and address challenges to support English learners.
• Access free mentor and teacher resources online at textproject.org.

About this title

About the Author

Elfrieda H. Hiebert is president and CEO of TextProject, Inc., recipient of Literacy Research Association’s Oscar S. Causey Award for outstanding contributions to reading research, and coauthor (with P. David Pearson) of Research-Based Practices for Teaching Common Core Literacy.

Review

“This book is a must-read for teachers who want to move their instruction beyond the weekly word list. By integrating small, specific changes, Hiebert helps you develop lasting improvements in your curriculum. She has created a viable process that can make a significant, long-term impact in the vocabulary development of your students without overwhelming you in the process. It should be on every educator’s bookshelf.” ―Melanie Kuhn, Jean Adamson Stanley Faculty Chair in Literacy, Purdue University

“Teaching Words and How They Work stands to make a significant contribution to the field. Teachers are expected to juggle numerous priorities and supporting children's word learning is often the ball that gets dropped. This book provides teachers with small but powerful suggestions for including vocabulary instruction through already-established classroom practices so that teachers can address multiple objectives at once. By making the small changes Hiebert suggests, teachers can make a big difference in children's vocabulary and thereby support children's learning throughout their school years.”
―Rebecca D. Silverman, Stanford Graduate School of Education

Edition details

• Publisher: Teachers College Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0807763179
• ISBN 13: 9780807763179
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 168