Selecting+Words

The first challenge in teaching specific words directly lies in deciding which words to teach. When considering words, question: 1) How important is the word to the reading selection or theme of study?   2)  How useful is the word outside of the selection or theme? 3) Is this a word students might learn independently, perhaps through context?  Four types of words are good candidates for explicit instruction: Comprehension word,  “In contrast to the wounded soldier who was sent home, the homesick Rebel soldier was sent to be reunited with his regiment.”   Use a strategy such as //Knowledge Ratings// at the beginning of the unit to determine which words need to be taught:    From this, you can differentiate which words need to be taught to whom //and// the number of words that need to be taught.  //__  No matter how carefully words are selected, it will be necessary to differentiate instruction for students in the classroom and the nature of the word-learning task.  __//
 * __ Which words should be taught?  __**
 * ** Word Type  ** || **  Explanation  ** || **  Example  ** ||
 * Comprehension word ||  Essential to understanding the selection and/or critical to a unit of study.  ||  Rebel  ||
 * Useful Words ||  Not critical to a particular domain, but likely to be encountered in other contexts  ||  Homesick  ||
 * Academic word or phrase ||  Cause much trouble for students lacking school experience  ||  In contrast to  ||
 * Generative Word ||  Provides a portal to further word learning or strategy instruction  ||  Reunited  ||
 * ** Word  ** || **  Can Define/Use  ** || **  Heard It  ** || **  Don’t Know It  ** ||