Bringing Words to Life - Book Summary

Written by: Brianna Guild, MHSc SLP(C)

Date: December 15, 2024

This post summarizes what I learned while reading Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reasoning: This is likely a 5 star book if you are a classroom teacher and/or new to robust vocabulary instruction. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, much of this information was review for me personally, and as a professional who works with clients in one-on-one sessions once per week, some of the instructional sequences and routines are not attainable for my role (e.g. the frequency of effective instruction outlined as “10 words per week with follow-up activities presented daily”). Although this book is clearly written for classroom teachers, I still found it informative and pulled out some new strategies and activities for vocabulary instruction. My biggest takeaway was the importance of interactive and meaningful follow-up activities after introducing new vocabulary.

Robust Vocabulary Instruction

- Did you know… “Written language is a far less effective vehicle for learning new words than oral language.” For word learning to occur from reading students must 1) read widely enough to encounter unfamiliar words, and 2) have the skills to infer word meaning information from the contexts they read.

- “A robust approach to vocabulary involves directly explaining the meanings of words along with thought-provoking, playful, and interactive follow-up.” Overall, words are taught through explicit and actively engaging activities. Additionally, student interest in and awareness of words is fostered.

- “The findings of studies that examined robust instruction have shown it to be effective, not only for learning the meanings of words, but also for affecting reading comprehension.” The rationale behind robust vocabulary instruction is that this level of instruction is required for a significant positive impact on comprehension and writing/composing skills.

Vocabulary Selection

- Tier One words = basic words; rarely require explicit instruction because they are so common in oral language.

- Tier Two words = high utility words that are found across a variety of domains, but are infrequent in casual conversation. Compared with Tier One words, students are less likely to learn these words independently.

- Tier Three words = typically low frequency words that are often limited to specific topics and content areas. These words are best learned when a specific need arises (e.g. science or social studies units).

- When selecting words to teach from a text, focus on words that 1) are required to understand the text, 2) will come up across content areas, and 3) are useful across a range of contexts.

- Tier Two words are a good choice because they appear frequently in a variety of texts and in mature written and oral language. These words may offer more precise or mature ways of referring to ideas students already know about (e.g., Tier One - said, Tier Two - admitted, declared, suggested).

- Vocabulary selection is less about what is age or grade appropriate, and more about what would be helpful and useful language to teach. Students should be able to 1) explain the meaning of a new word using known words, and 2) find uses for it in their everyday lives.

Introducing New Words

- When: before reading if reading independently, during reading if reading as a group, or after reading if the focus is vocabulary development rather that text comprehension.

- How Many: select a set of words to be introduced and practiced over several days (e.g. sets of 6-10 words over a period of 5-9 days with 3-5 words targeted per lesson/day).

- How: get a word's meaning across clearly, and then actively engage students in activities using the word.

• Get a word's meaning across by developing student-friendly explanations that 1) capture the essence of the word and how it is typically used, and 2) explain the meaning in everyday language that the student uses.

• Follow-up activities should require students to attend to a word's meaning and apply it meaningfully:

  • Word associations

  • Example/non-example

  • Situations and examples

  • Have you ever...?

  • Which would you prefer...?

  • Writing based on sentence stems/prompts

- “Multiple encounters over time are called for if the goal is more than a temporary surface-level understanding and if new words are to become permanently and flexibly represented in the students' vocabulary repertoires.”

Example Instructional Sequence

1. Introduce the words to students by providing student-friendly explanations and describing how the words are used in the context in which they occurred (e.g. story/text).

2. Follow-up activities so that students engage with the words in scaffolded and meaningful ways (example activities listed above). Additionally, give examples other than the one used in the initial context! Children often limit a word's use to the context in which it was initially presented.

3. Assessment of learned words that taps into different levels of knowledge.

• Multiple choice, true/false, and example/non-example formats can be designed to be easier or more difficult.

• Selecting the word that best completes each sentence, creating examples, and responding to questions taps into deeper levels of word knowledge because these formats require students to use what they know about the words to evaluate contexts and uses of the words.

Robust Academic Vocabulary Encounters (RAVE)

- In RAVE, the authors “present words in authentic contexts, provide friendly explanations of word meaning, and promote discussion about how the word meaning fits the context. The aim is to show students the types of contexts in which they may encounter the words and the role the words can play in communicating meaning.”

A lesson might include:

• An initial supportive context for a word (context 1)

• Questions to direct student attention to the context

• Ideas to develop, which indicate specific aspects of the context to highlight

• A student-friendly definition for the word

• Questions to support students in integrating the context and definition

• A second context for the word (context 2)

• Questions and ideas to develop as noted above

• Questions to support students in integrating contexts 1 and 2

• Activate vocabulary/prompt students to use the word in different contexts

I highly recommend you check out the full book if you want more information on robust vocabulary instruction, including detailed activity examples, strategies for maintaining new vocabulary knowledge, ways to differentiate vocabulary instruction, and ideas for energizing the verbal environment of your classroom, therapy room, or home.

Reference:
Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.