English Dept. Sample Lesson

EQ: What is Academic Vocabulary?

By J'Noa Brown

What is academic Vocabulary? Part one

Academic vocabulary includes words used in academic dialogue and texts in all areas of academia and subjects. It does not include words students use in general conversation, but academic vocabulary relates to other familiar words that students do use. For example, rather than using the simple verb watch, an academic term would be observe.

Multiple Choice

Academic vocabulary is used in your everyday conversation?

• True

• False

Why is academic vocabulary important?

Academic vocabulary words help students understand oral directions and classroom instructions as well as comprehend text across different subject areas. The words in our vocabulary fall into three tiers.

Simply put academic vocabulary is language that is used to acquire a new or deeper understanding of content

Multiple Choice

Using context clues in this sentence "Simply, academic vocabulary is language that is “used to acquire a new or deeper understanding of content" acquire most likely means

• lose

• show

• gain

• forget

Why Is Academic Vocabulary Important?

* To acquire a new or deeper understanding of content

* To communicate effectively

* To increase reading and comprehension growth

* To become a well-rounded learner

Multiple Choice

What is academic vocabulary used for?

• to sound intelligent

• to pass 7th grade

• to see how many words you know

• to acquire new or deeper understanding of content

Types of words we will learn...

*Domain specific or Specialized vocabulary words (i.e., content area specific): These words relate to subject matter and concepts that students are expected to know (e.g., character, decimal).

Types of words we will learn...

Nonspecialized, academic vocabulary words: These words can be found across content areas and in multiple contexts. These words have the potential to build a strong language foundation

Types of words we will learn...

Words and phrases that describe how you are expected to demonstrate your knowledge: These words often are found in the skills outlined in the student expectations, objectives, I can statements (e.g., you are expected to clarify, you are expected to summarize). 

Word Categories- Tier I

Tier 1 words include basic or high-frequency vocabulary words and usually don’t include multiple meaning words.

Example: Sight words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and early reading words occur at this level. 

Car; Chair; Bike; Table; Pencil; Computer; Phone; Airplane; Book; Piano · Animals/People. Cat; Dog; Lion; Elephant; Fish; Father; Mother

Word Categories- Tier II

Tier 2 words are less familiar to students but help in comprehending written texts and conversations shared between the teacher and student. Tier 2 words are “general academic words” and sometimes may be referred to as “rich vocabulary.” These words are precise but more subtle forms of familiar words and include multiple meaning words.

For example, instead of saying “he walked,” one may say “he sauntered.” Tier 2 words cross over into a variety of domains or subject areas

Word Categories-Tier III

Tier 3 words are “domain specific” and are critical to understanding subject content. Generally, they have low frequency use and are limited to specific subjects – i.e., the geographical terms isthmus, peninsula, and cape. We find Tier 3 words in informational texts or textbooks.

Focus for this week will be Tier II words

1. Analyze - Break apart, Think through, Break into pieces 

2. Infer - Read between the lines, Predict Figure it out, What are they trying to say? 

3. Evaluate - Judge, assess, Solve, - Examine, Test for the truth “1 good & 1 bad”

4. Formulate - Create, Make a plan, Develop

5. Describe - Tell all about, Show me, List details

6. Support - Back up with details, Provide reasons, Give examples

7. Explain - Tell how, Tell all about, Tell what, & why

8.Summarize - Give me the short version, Tell main parts 

Tier II words continued...

9. Compare - All the ways they are alike, or the Same 

10. Contrast - All the ways they are different, Opposites

11. Predict - Educated Guess, What will happen next?, Look into future 

12. Interpret - If you interpret something, you figure out what you think it means. 

Multiple Choice

If I am comparing two different cars, what am I doing?

• Telling how the cars are similar

• Telling how the cars are similar yet different

• Telling how the cars are different

• Breaking into the dealership at night wearing a pair of Jordans and fleeing to Mexico with both cars.

Multiple Choice

If I am contrasting Beyoncé and Mrs. Bishop I am...

• explaining how the two are similar yet different

• explaining how the two are different

• explaining how the two are similar

• changing the filter on my snap to make sure they both look alike

Multiple Choice

What does describe mean?

• explain

• give an account in an open-ended response in which all important details are addressed

• relate to personal experience

• give an account in words of (someone or something), including all the relevant characteristics, qualities, or events

Multiple Choice

The teacher evaluated Henry's essay using the rubric.

Which word would best replace the word in blue?

• neglect

• liked

• graded

• assess

Multiple Choice

Which word is a synonym for explain?

• analyze

• define

• conceal

• clarify

Multiple Choice

Inferring means...

• researching

• reading between the lines

• guessing

• thinking

Multiple Choice

What does interpret mean?

• what you think it means

• what it means

• how it sounds

• decide which answer is valid

Multiple Choice

If Julie predicts the outcome of the presidential election, she is...

• someone who is just like 'The Long Island Medium'

• making an educated guess about the future

• accurately tell what is going to happen

• explain the future

Multiple Choice

What does it mean to analyze?

• break down into parts and explain the parts

• provide an example

• give more details about a term's origin

• realize that Anna lies

Multiple Choice

To summarize means to..

• give a brief statement of the main points of something

• capture a flying squirrel in a McDonald's cup

• memorize the main points of an argument

• rewrite a section of text in complete sentences