10 IMPORTANT WORDS PLUS REFLECTION 10 Important Words Plus Reflection In the first chapter of Altieri (2011), the challenges that content literacy present is discussed. First and foremost, vocabulary is one of the main culprits that make reading within the content area so difficult. Vocabulary in content area material is quite complex. In fact, there are three types of vocabulary: general, specialized, and technical (Altieri, 2011). General vocabulary refers to words that we use in our everyday speech. Specialized vocabulary contains words with multiple meanings. Technical vocabulary refers to words that are content specific. Altieri (2011) described several reading strategies in chapter three of Content Counts! that were designed to meet the unique reading needs each content area requires. The 10 Important Words Plus strategy struck a chord with me as I read the description of it. The school wide improvement plan for 2012-2013 was to improve reading comprehension of the students by using scientific research-based, vocabulary instruction. This strategy would suit this plan and meet the needs of the students quite well. Proficient readers must develop and apply strategies that are pertaining to vocabulary so that they may comprehend the content area material. I could have used this strategy in any of the content areas, but I believe I would have found it particularly helpful in science. For instance, it would have been helpful to use to identify vocabulary that students would need to be responsible for our unit on the moon. When you implement this strategy, students derive their own list of important words. Then the students collectively determine the final list of the 10 words. Such autonomy is quite engaging and motivating for students. In order to be more effective, I would suggest using another resource for task ideas. For instance, a great resource for vocabulary games is Vocabulary Games for the Classroom by 10 IMPORTANT WORDS PLUS REFLECTION Carleton & Marzano (2010). Although the simple tasks can be effective, students may grow tired of them if the strategy is repeated with a different text. Differentiation of this strategy can be completed in a variety of ways. For instance, ELL and struggling learners could benefit from flexible grouping. For instance, it may be more suitable to have students work in pairs when they complete the tasks. Gifted students may need a more complex text on the same topic. Additionally, the tasks can be modified to mirror the various multiple intelligences and learning styles of the class.
10 IMPORTANT WORDS PLUS REFLECTION References Altieri, J. L. (2011). Content counts! Developing disciplinary literacy skills, K-6. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Carleton, L. & Marzano, R. (2010). Vocabulary games for the classroom. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.