lit 5203 Module 2 Application
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LIT 5203 Module 2 Application: Literacy Research Summary
American College of Education
LIT 5203 Strengthening Literacy Dr. Vicki Strunk
September 3, 2023
Literacy Research Summary
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In Module 1, a school’s literacy program was analyzed using a survey to evaluate its strengths and areas of need. The areas of need that were identified were the program’s vocabulary instruction. The school’s Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) scores from the 2022-2023 school year showed that the passing score of third grade students dropped from 80% in 2021-2022 to 71% in 2022-2023. This 9% decrease is very concerning. Research shows that vocabulary knowledge is directly related to reading comprehension. Cunningham and Stanovich (1997) found that students with a richer vocabulary became better at reading comprehension and were overall more successful in school than their peers with limited vocabulary knowledge. It is critical that this literacy program revamps their vocabulary instruction to better support readers in their comprehension. Manzo and colleagues also support the idea that a rich vocabulary increases comprehension. They also stated, “
Vocabulary level has the highest correlation of all other factors and with every
measure of every
aspect of intelligence” (Manzo et al., 2006, p. 818). Therefore, not only is vocabulary knowledge critical for reading comprehension, it is also essential to intelligibly communicate effectively. Review of Literature
Article One
In an article, The Power of Content-Rich Vocabulary
Instruction, Wright and Neuman discuss the importance of providing explicit and implicit vocabulary instruction to children of all ages. They explain that implicit instruction is when a teacher creates an environment in which
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vocabulary is supported through read-alouds and conversations. Explicit instruction is when the teacher teaches the definition of different words. In their 660 hours of observations in kindergarten classrooms, they found that most teachers explained the meaning of different words
when they came up organically during teachable moments, however, they did not teach vocabulary words in a systematic, intentional way. Additionally, they found that the least number
of words and the least difficult words were taught to students in the lowest income schools. This is an issue because these students are already at risk of struggling with reading. Wright and Neuman recommend content-rich vocabulary instruction that is programmatic
and explicit, where the vocabulary words are being used and practiced throughout all content areas throughout the day. According to Wright and Neuman (2015), “Here is what content-rich vocabulary is not: isolated vocabulary lessons, brief mentioning of word meanings, rote memorization of words, looking up lists of words in the dictionary, or vocabulary teaching that is
relegated only to read-alouds” (p. 26). The authors go on to mention that students learn vocabulary words best when they are explained in multiple ways, in multiple contexts, and repeatedly. Children need practice with these words numerous times for them to really understand them and begin to add them to their own vocabulary. Using content-rich vocabulary instruction at my school would be beneficial because each literacy unit is focused around either a
science or social studies theme, so integrating vocabulary words in all content areas would be easy to do. Article Two
In an article, Rationale for Systematic Vocabulary Development: Antidote for state mandates, Manzo and Colleagues discuss a decline in low frequency word knowledge, words
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that are used in literature, advanced schooling, and are likely to be on standardized tests. Vocabulary knowledge of 18-year-old students who are headed to college has dropped significantly in the recent past. The authors claim that semantic-cultural-instructional paradoxes are to blame for the decrease of vocabulary knowledge. This means that teachers have unknowingly been “watering down” their use of higher vocabulary to benefit students with learning disabilities and English Language Learners (ELL), and we are now seeing the consequences from doing so. Another reason they believe vocabulary knowledge has decreased could be since whole language was against explicit vocabulary instruction where words were taught in isolation. According to Manzo and Colleagues (2006), “It tended to stress vocabulary development primarily as an incidental byproduct of wide and authentic story-based reading” (p. 612). The authors go on to discuss that schooling that lacks the power of the English language does not help students, but deprives them, especially the less privileged students who are not exposed to low frequency words at home. The authors support explicit, sequential, and incidental vocabulary instruction. They give a few research-based strategies to teach vocabulary instruction. The first strategy they discuss is the Keyword strategy. This strategy involves connecting new words to images. Another strategy they discuss is motor imaging where a word meaning is connected to a motion or gesture. The authors suggest that vocabulary instruction be taught intentionally and is most effective when done so with wide reading. This means that words are taught through literature that captures students’ interests.
Article Three
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In an article, Effective Vocabulary Instruction, Sedita discusses the importance of vocabulary knowledge and how it pertains to how we express our ideas, communicate effectively, and learn new concepts. She also mentions that students who enter school with a low vocabulary are more likely to struggle in all areas of school. They need to have a decent vocabulary knowledge to comprehend what they read. Sedita suggests that vocabulary is best taught when done so both directly and indirectly. For example, for direct instruction, a teacher can teach root words, prefixes, and suffixes. With indirect instruction, we expose students to new
words by reading to them and having them read a lot. Sedita recommends a few different strategies for vocabulary instruction, which includes providing multiple exposures to the words, and involving the students more in their learning and understanding of new words. When students use and hear the same word multiple times, they are
more likely to add that word to their vocabulary word bank. It is also important that students have background knowledge about the words to better understand them. Article Four
In an article, The Question of Teaching Vocabulary: Which Words? In What Ways? Wilhelm delves into the difficulties and considerations in effective vocabulary instruction. The two main questions it is centered around, as the name of the article states, is which words should be taught and how? The article dives into how important it is for teachers to select useful, meaningful, and relevant words that will best support reading comprehension and effective communication. Wilhelm (2013) states, “Given the limited nature of our time and energy, we need to make sure that we get two-fers and three-fers- i.e., that the vocabulary learned and how it
is learned assist with reading, discussion, composing, and retaining” (p. 51).
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Wilhem suggests using both direct and incidental instructional strategies. He supports the
idea that acquire the most vocabulary growth when they participate in free and voluntary reading. Other strategies he lists include, environmental teaching through read-alouds, think-
alouds, and guided reading, independent reading, word hunts, and word walls/webs. Some direct instruction strategies include context clues, word parts, root words, and multimodal representations of meaning. Article Five
In an article, The Role of Movie Subtitles to Improve Students’ Vocabulary,
Hestiana and Anita discuss how using movie subtitles may enhance students’ vocabulary knowledge. They suggest that seeing the words in context through both movies and reading their subtitles may expand vocabulary knowledge. This may be beneficial because students are both seeing and hearing words used in real-life situations, which can help them to grasp the meaning of the words better. They will also be activating multiple senses which can help them to understand the words better as well.
The article also discusses how students may be more engaged in the movie, therefore they may make meaningful connections to it which can also help them to understand the words better. Plan of Action
Reviewing several different research articles on vocabulary knowledge and its relation to reading comprehension has further enhanced my opinion about my school’s literacy program needing to reevaluate their vocabulary
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instruction. Vocabulary knowledge plays a crucial role in a student’s ability to
comprehend what they read in all content areas. This is essential for their education. Most of these articles discussed the importance of having both direct and incidental strategies for teaching vocabulary, multiple and repetitive exposure to word meanings, and multimodal means of representation. To resolve the issue of my school’s literacy program, I would suggest that teachers really dive into the texts that are provided and select five words from each week’s close read text that they think would be beneficial for students’ comprehension. They should explicitly teach the meaning of each word, include a picture that represents the meaning, and teach their students a gesture that correlates with the meaning of each word. For example, if teaching the word admire, students would put their finger on their chin and
look up as if they were “looking up” at someone they admire. By doing this, the students are receiving instruction in several different modes of representation. They are seeing the meaning through a picture, using a gesture to represent the meaning, and they are discussing the meaning with their words as well. The selected words each week should be gone over each day so that students have repetitive exposure to these words. Eventually they will be able to use gestures and
their understanding of the word to teach a partner. I would also include ways for students to interact with the words by drawing pictures of their meanings and writing the words as well. Conclusion
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The five elements of reading include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. All these components are critical to a student’s success in reading. When a literacy program lacks in an area, it is essential for teachers to supplement to make up for the inadequacy. In my school’s situation, vocabulary instruction needs to be revamped to make up for dropping comprehension rates on the state test. Based off the literature, it would be best to include both direct and incidental instruction, multimodal means of representation, and using the words repetitively.
References
Cunningham, A. E., & Stanovich, K. E. (1997). Early reading acquisition and its relation to reading experience and ability 10 years later
.
Developmental Psychology
, 33
(6),
934–
945.
Hestiana, M & Anita. (2022). The role of movie subtitles to improve students’ vocabulary.
Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 3
(1), 46-53.
Manzo, A. V., Manzo, U. C., & Thomas, M. M. (2006). Rationale for systematic vocabulary development: Antidote for state mandates.
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,
49
(7),
610-619. https://doi.org/10.1598/JAAL.49.7.6
Wilhelm, J. D. (2013). The question of teaching vocabulary: Which words? In what ways? Voices from the Middle,
20
(4), 49-52.
Wright, T. S., & Neuman, S. B. (2015). The power of content-rich vocabulary instruction. Perspectives on Language and Literacy, 41
(3),
25-28.
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