Module 4 - Enough Vocabulary to Choke You!
We have been talking about the difficulty with reading and interpreting expository text. We have found numerous textual structures that need to be analyzed and taught to our students, but there are additional issues to look at also. This module looks at the issues that science vocabulary brings into the mix.
By way of review, we now understand that expository text is informational in nature and that it overflows with very technical language. This technical language makes the ideas of science presented in the text very precise. In science, we use words to name things, classify things, define processes, and describe things.
For example:
· Naming things…cranium, operculum, cytoplasm
· Classifying things…igneous rocks, cephlapoda, solid
· Defining processes…. Metamorphism, reduction, oxidation
· Describing things…nocturnal, deciduous, glassy
Additionally, many of these words are not used in everyday language. For example – we use the word medium in our everyday language. We usually mean it to be a description of something in the “middle” – like a medium sized drink. However, this is not the meaning of the word in many sciences. In biology we might be talking about the mixture of nutrients that we are growing a certain bacteria in. In physics we might be talking about the substance that something is moving through – like sound waves through water or air.
By way of review, we now understand that expository text is informational in nature and that it overflows with very technical language. This technical language makes the ideas of science presented in the text very precise. In science, we use words to name things, classify things, define processes, and describe things.
For example:
· Naming things…cranium, operculum, cytoplasm
· Classifying things…igneous rocks, cephlapoda, solid
· Defining processes…. Metamorphism, reduction, oxidation
· Describing things…nocturnal, deciduous, glassy
Additionally, many of these words are not used in everyday language. For example – we use the word medium in our everyday language. We usually mean it to be a description of something in the “middle” – like a medium sized drink. However, this is not the meaning of the word in many sciences. In biology we might be talking about the mixture of nutrients that we are growing a certain bacteria in. In physics we might be talking about the substance that something is moving through – like sound waves through water or air.
Activity 4.1: Take a moment to briefly run through your text. Identify at least two words that fit into each category. What purpose could it serve to point these key words out to your students?
When we sample informational text that is descriptive in nature, we find text that is heavily embedded with vocabulary words that are rooted in phrases whose objective is to describe and scaffold concepts. Here is an example of informational text taken from a science website that describes whelks:
The Channeled Whelk has distinct grooves or channels between the whorls and opens on the right. This whelk has a rounder aperture than the others and has a fuzzy periostracum when alive. Whelks and their egg cases are common on southeastern beaches. Whelks grow up to 12 inches in length and are pear-shaped with the top being wide with a short spire. These univalves prey on bivalves by clasping them with their strong foot and prying apart the shells using the lip of their shell. They are also known to eat carrion and are great shells for Hermit Crabs when they are empty. They are often caught in crab traps feeding on bait. Whelks can be used as signal horns and are used for chowders. Their egg cases are lightweight and are attached in a string like a necklace with each disc containing 20-30 eggs or more.
(http://oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/channelwhelk.htm)
Possible vocabulary for this reading is underlined. Of course, this vocabulary would be dependent on the learners’ academic abilities. My point is that this is typical for science text. Those of us, who are interested in the topic, read it with gusto and automatically do the cognitive things we need to do to be able to make sense of it. What I mean is, we slow down so that we can take mental notes of what “that might look like” and “what is connected to what”. We may even write the words down or at the very least, look them up without being prompted. We may even draw some kind of graphic or visual representation to illustrate the information for ourselves. Those of us that are not interested in the topic skim it and move on. The words take no root and the concepts are never explored.
Grant and Fisher (2010) tell us that there are approximately 3000 introduced to a science student in a year. That in itself is a staggering fact, but is even more staggering when you compare it to the 1500 words a student learns in a foreign language in a year in a United States high school!
The Channeled Whelk has distinct grooves or channels between the whorls and opens on the right. This whelk has a rounder aperture than the others and has a fuzzy periostracum when alive. Whelks and their egg cases are common on southeastern beaches. Whelks grow up to 12 inches in length and are pear-shaped with the top being wide with a short spire. These univalves prey on bivalves by clasping them with their strong foot and prying apart the shells using the lip of their shell. They are also known to eat carrion and are great shells for Hermit Crabs when they are empty. They are often caught in crab traps feeding on bait. Whelks can be used as signal horns and are used for chowders. Their egg cases are lightweight and are attached in a string like a necklace with each disc containing 20-30 eggs or more.
(http://oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/channelwhelk.htm)
Possible vocabulary for this reading is underlined. Of course, this vocabulary would be dependent on the learners’ academic abilities. My point is that this is typical for science text. Those of us, who are interested in the topic, read it with gusto and automatically do the cognitive things we need to do to be able to make sense of it. What I mean is, we slow down so that we can take mental notes of what “that might look like” and “what is connected to what”. We may even write the words down or at the very least, look them up without being prompted. We may even draw some kind of graphic or visual representation to illustrate the information for ourselves. Those of us that are not interested in the topic skim it and move on. The words take no root and the concepts are never explored.
Grant and Fisher (2010) tell us that there are approximately 3000 introduced to a science student in a year. That in itself is a staggering fact, but is even more staggering when you compare it to the 1500 words a student learns in a foreign language in a year in a United States high school!
So what can we do about it as teachers?
Vocabulary is a vital part of science learning. The study of science, demands the ability to comprehend parts of the whole in order to understand the form and function of an entity. Science demands that the learner understand how things evolve and interrelate with one another from the tiniest detail as in cell design and atomic structure, to the most macro structures on earth and beyond. These facts set up the learning of vocabulary as the foundation for science learning. One cannot learn about how the insides of a volcano function without understanding what the word “magma” means! Therefore, it is imperative that vocabulary be treated sensibly and thoroughly.
Moving beyond mere definitions. In terms of this, the first thing to recognize about science and the reading of science is the enormity of the vocabulary issue. Every new concept in science has a new vocabulary scheme attached to it. Through time, the best method for learning this vocabulary was to simply memorize the word and its’ definition. This is basically “boring” and most students are not motivated to engage in this type of memorization. Additionally we live in an age of technology – so why would they want to memorize it? Cognitive scientists say it is to provide background knowledge for the learner so that it can be used as a framework for the building of concepts (Willingham, 2008). Perhaps then the best way to attack this dilemma is to go beyond mere definitions and work at constructing some higher level thinking skills in terms of vocabulary acquisition. One of the first things to remember is that cognitive scientists tell us that we have to see and use a word approximately seven times before it may be firmly lodged into long term memory. Moving beyond mere definitions into various ways to use the word may help move students beyond the mere memorization stage. Let’s take a look at a few ways to accomplish this.
Vocabulary is a vital part of science learning. The study of science, demands the ability to comprehend parts of the whole in order to understand the form and function of an entity. Science demands that the learner understand how things evolve and interrelate with one another from the tiniest detail as in cell design and atomic structure, to the most macro structures on earth and beyond. These facts set up the learning of vocabulary as the foundation for science learning. One cannot learn about how the insides of a volcano function without understanding what the word “magma” means! Therefore, it is imperative that vocabulary be treated sensibly and thoroughly.
Moving beyond mere definitions. In terms of this, the first thing to recognize about science and the reading of science is the enormity of the vocabulary issue. Every new concept in science has a new vocabulary scheme attached to it. Through time, the best method for learning this vocabulary was to simply memorize the word and its’ definition. This is basically “boring” and most students are not motivated to engage in this type of memorization. Additionally we live in an age of technology – so why would they want to memorize it? Cognitive scientists say it is to provide background knowledge for the learner so that it can be used as a framework for the building of concepts (Willingham, 2008). Perhaps then the best way to attack this dilemma is to go beyond mere definitions and work at constructing some higher level thinking skills in terms of vocabulary acquisition. One of the first things to remember is that cognitive scientists tell us that we have to see and use a word approximately seven times before it may be firmly lodged into long term memory. Moving beyond mere definitions into various ways to use the word may help move students beyond the mere memorization stage. Let’s take a look at a few ways to accomplish this.
How is the word
important? Perhaps one of the first
things that can be done with a word is to ask the student to identify the
importance of the word. When one thinks
about why a word is important, the starting
point becomes a basic concept of the meaning of the word. I can tell you that the “viscosity” of “magma”
plays an important part of the use of the word “magma”, if I have a basic
understanding of the term “magma”. If I
do have this understanding, I have moved beyond a simple definition (that “magma”
is blah, blah, blah…) and located my critical thinking at a higher level. If you lived by or on the flanks of a volcano,
you might be interested in both the meaning of “magma” and the importance of
it! The “viscosity” of that “magma” will
tell you what kind of eruption you may have and that may concern you. This skill is not all that easy because we
tend to want to go right back to the definition. But recalling the importance
of the word, talking about that importance or even visually describing the
importance, forces deeper thinking and thus portrays a broader understanding of
the word by the learner.
So how can we move students to represent the importance of the word? Simple diagrams are great tools for doing cognitive work in the brain. The student must work at thinking beyond the mere definition and put into visual form why that “thing” is important. Let’s go back to the “viscosity” example. We need a visual for why “magma” is important. “Magma” is important because it can be both destructive and constructive at the same time. “Magma” builds more land by extruding rock in a molten form onto the earths’ surface or on the bottoms of the oceans. A student can make this visual by constructing an actual picture or a concept/bubble map of some sort. This quick assignment can be made right in the middle of a discussion or lecture format. The diagram could be quickly shared with neighbors or group mates which allows for students to see the different ways in which people visualize things. More can be added to this knowledge construction process as we will discover next.
So how can we move students to represent the importance of the word? Simple diagrams are great tools for doing cognitive work in the brain. The student must work at thinking beyond the mere definition and put into visual form why that “thing” is important. Let’s go back to the “viscosity” example. We need a visual for why “magma” is important. “Magma” is important because it can be both destructive and constructive at the same time. “Magma” builds more land by extruding rock in a molten form onto the earths’ surface or on the bottoms of the oceans. A student can make this visual by constructing an actual picture or a concept/bubble map of some sort. This quick assignment can be made right in the middle of a discussion or lecture format. The diagram could be quickly shared with neighbors or group mates which allows for students to see the different ways in which people visualize things. More can be added to this knowledge construction process as we will discover next.
What are the linkages and interrelations that the word offers? The next step involves asking the students to think about and/or investigating the interrelations and linkages that the word may have. For example: the word “magma” can relate to the kind of eruption you may have and often even to the location of the volcano on the earths’ surface. The word “magma” also directly relates to the word “viscosity” which can also relate to the location of the volcano on the earths’ surface. What kind of semantic map, concept map, or other type of visual can the student devise based on the interactions that the students may discuss? Did they see any interactions in the inquiries that they have done or have they seen movies that have raised questions in their minds about this? How many other words and concepts in the lesson can be added to the word “magma” just through the investigation of the relationship of these two main vocabulary words in this unit of learning? Moving through this quick activity, whether individually or in a group situation, allows the learner to add important layers of meaning as they travel from definition, to importance, and then into discerning the linkages that the words (and concepts) represent.
Word groups. When students have completed moving through the interactions exercise, they will be able to see their word in relationship with word groups and more word groups that are related to other word groups. For example, one word group might become – “magma”, highly viscous, explosive, felsic, composite volcano, Italy; while another might be, “magma”, low “viscosity”, basaltic, not explosive, Hawaii. When working at this cognitive level, the word associations helps the students hold a larger working understanding of the word “magma”. The student will know and be able to demonstrate, the understanding between a dangerous explosive volcano found in Italy versus a less dangerous volcano found on the Hawaiian Islands. The student has been able to move beyond a simple, one dimensional, memorized definition to a more complex, three-dimensional understanding of the word “magma” and the role it plays in the life of volcanoes and those who live around them.
Make it visual! You may have noticed in the last section that I made a big point about making that vocabulary as visual as possible. Research shows that words that can have a picture attached to it in your head, stays with you along time (Pavio, 1959). If I say “apple” or “tree”, your visual experience lets you quickly know what that is. If I say “concept” or “abstract” you have a lot harder time depicting the meaning. The point is to take as many words and concepts, wrap them up in trappings that constitute a visual of some sort, so that your students can more readily take them up. When this is done, students will have a non-verbal unit of information that is released much easier from the brain. Sometimes vocabulary words are difficult to wrap into some kind of mental image, but it is worth the time to consider how to do it. Have your students help you! You will find that the biggest majority of students work in this visual realm and so assisting them in this manner will only making learning easier and much more enjoyable. When students see that they can learn and remember words, they will become more motivated to engage more often in their learning.
Make it visual! You may have noticed in the last section that I made a big point about making that vocabulary as visual as possible. Research shows that words that can have a picture attached to it in your head, stays with you along time (Pavio, 1959). If I say “apple” or “tree”, your visual experience lets you quickly know what that is. If I say “concept” or “abstract” you have a lot harder time depicting the meaning. The point is to take as many words and concepts, wrap them up in trappings that constitute a visual of some sort, so that your students can more readily take them up. When this is done, students will have a non-verbal unit of information that is released much easier from the brain. Sometimes vocabulary words are difficult to wrap into some kind of mental image, but it is worth the time to consider how to do it. Have your students help you! You will find that the biggest majority of students work in this visual realm and so assisting them in this manner will only making learning easier and much more enjoyable. When students see that they can learn and remember words, they will become more motivated to engage more often in their learning.
Examples:
Here are some examples of some graphics built around the topic of whelks. You will see a basic organizer built around the main topic or word. Following that is an example of an organizer built around the main vocabulary work (whelk) and life cycle topics that naturally include those word groups, The third example is a Compare & Contrast graphic that again includes vocabulary that the student will have come across in the study of whelks and their life cycles. Additionally, many great visuals could be built around the idea of sequencing the life events that occur in the whelks' life-cycle. See the fourth example which illustrates how word groups naturally sort themselves out using sequencing. These visuals can easily be created by students in groups and could be used as formative assessment tools to ascertain student understanding of a topic in addition to vocabulary comprehension and usage.
Activity 4.2: Reflect on how you might strengthen your students' ability to retain and use new science vocabulary by wrapping and extending the definition of a word via the importance of the word, the interactions of the word, and the word groups that the word may occupy. What kinds of activities or visuals could you have your students construct in order to achieve this level of vocabulary understanding?
This module was written by Carmen Woodhall, Ph.D., East Carolina University, 2014.