Content area vocabulary is a key component to children’s success in the subject. Developing content area vocabulary in their students is sometimes a challenge for teachers. There are many strategies to help teachers build and strengthen vocabulary in their classroom. One strategy is a type of graphic organizer called a concept definition map. “The use of graphic organizers to organize information sometimes gets a bad rap. However, using these tools involves much more than just putting information into little boxes” (Concept/Definition Maps to Comprehend Curriculum Content, 2011). A concept definition map is a graphic organizer some teachers use in their classroom to develop vocabulary. A concept definition map is an excellent way to develop vocabulary in content areas, by expanding definitions of concepts into schema that connects to previous information learned.
What is a concept definition map?
The book used in class, 35 Strategies for Developing Content Area Vocabulary, defines a concept definition map as a “graphic organizer that shows the relationship between a concept’s definition and other information about it” (Spencer & Guillaume, 2009, p. 9). An article defined a concept definition map as a “graphic organizer that helps students to enrich their understanding of a word or concept and develop new vocabulary” (Concept Definition Map).
A concept definition map is a type of graphic organizer; more specifically, it is a concept map. As a type of graphic organizer, it visually represents the information students need to learn. Since a concept definition map is specifically a concept map, it visually shows the relationships between concepts and sub-concepts of a main topic or idea. What makes a concept definition map special c...
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Chan, C (2009). Assessment: concept map, Assessment Resources@HKU, University of Hong Kong. Retrieved from: http://ar.cetl.hku.hk/am_cm.htm#4
Concept definition map. International Center for Leadership in Education. PDF file. Retrieved from: http://www.hammond.k12.in.us/icle_reading/5%20CTE%20Reading%20Strategies/4%20CTE%20Reading%20Concept%20Definintion%20Map.pdf
Example of concept definition map. Scholastic RED Teacher Resource. p. 1. Retrieved from: http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/tr_AllConcept.pdf
Spencer, B. H., & Guillaume, A. M. (2009). Concept of definition map. 35 strategies for developing content area vocabulary (p. 9-13). Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson.
Using a concept definition map. Scholastic Red Teacher Resource. PDF file. Retrieved from: http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/concept.pdf
When the teacher was giving instruction to the students she would point to one of the charts to help students understand and practices their vocabulary. The teacher was able to accommodate students by drawing pictures and modeling students when she was explain. For example one of the words on the vocabulary chart was (pilgrims) the teacher defined the word first with a picture to help students understand and activate their knowledge. Then she would write the definition and would use echo reading to help students develop
Math is a complex subject to understand. I want to provide students with as much peer discussion and hands-on activities time. This will allow students to problem solve, explore different outcomes and learn from each other. Learning the vocabulary word will help students explain their concerns, unclarified issues and help them to
Students will use vocabulary builders to help them become familiar with new vocabulary related to the topics being covered in the Chemistry
Next, model for students how they would share the vocabulary word they found with their group. Use the word cur for example. Say, “if I was the vocabulary vulture and cur was the word I wanted to share with my group, I would ask everyone to turn to page 4 paragraph 2. I would then read the sentence out loud. Next, I would ask if anyone knows what the word means based off of the paragraph. Then I would share the definition and make sure it made sense with the sentence in the book. Then, I would show everyone my sketch to help them remember the definition.”
Shepard, L. A. (2000). The role of assessment in learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29(7), 4-14. Retrieved from http://www.ied.edu.hk/obl/files/The%20role%20of%20assessment%20in%20a%20learning%20culture.pdf
In library and information science controlled vocabulary is a carefully selected list of words and phrases, which are used to tag units of information (document or work) so that they may be more easily retrieved by a search.
Smith, J. J. (2002). The use of graphic organizers in vocabulary instruction. M.A ResearchProject:KearnUniversity http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED463556&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED463556
In this assignment I will be analysing the purpose of assessment whilst demonstrating my understanding of the different assessment methods used. I will also be giving a brief explanation of my understanding of VACSR describing my understanding of what each element means and its importance when used in assessment. Furthermore I will be describing two assessment methods that I have used whilst teaching evaluating each method using VACSR identifying strengths and areas of improvement. Finally I will justify the reasons for using the two assessment methods chosen.
The strategy that I created was called “Vocabulary Boards”. I created this strategy for my fifth grade science class. I used this strategy after teaching a lesson on the parts of a plant cell and their functions. I opened the lesson with a review of the animal cell from the previous week and I started to introduce the students to the new vocabulary found in the chapter. After introducing the vocabulary and reading the chapter the students were able to work with their elbow partner to research a plant cell part and it’s function. The students were able to use their research skills to find out the function of the cell part. After each group was finished researching we discussed the different cell parts. I gave the students the vocabulary board
At the beginning of each unit a vocabulary list is given out, and as the vocabulary is gone over within the lessons emphasis will be placed as to where the students may find the terms on the vocabulary list.
A concept represents a symbol or a building block of a bigger spectrum; it is the basis of what the researcher wants to pursue (Foley & Davis, 2017). Additionally, concept analysis can be understood as a driving force to improve quality in practice. It further identifies unique characteristics of each concept and provides researchers with a precise operational definition of that concept. Furthermore, concept analysis can refine ambiguous concepts
Cues and questions posed by the instructor help facilitate this process. This best practice strategy was incorporated in this lesson when students were introduced to the lesson and given the objective. Later in the lesson, when students must begin making inferences, cues are given when I make my own inferences about the artwork and map of Egypt. Cues are also given when I introduce the new vocabulary. Explicitly stating what some of the items are in the artwork allows students to understand what is occurring in the still image. Lastly, discussing the terms geography and climate helps students access their prior knowledge and improves the likelihood that they will be able to make inferences when viewing the map of Egypt based on what they already know about geography and
There is a way for visual thinkers to understand information better by making mind maps. Mind maps show the ideas, concepts and relationships between things (such as objects, actions or people/animals). These ideas and concepts are connected by lines and together they form a clear summary, but also diagramming and outlining
Instead, EL students benefit in learning new content knowledge when an instructor methodically produces a lesson with a systematic I do you do approach; while purposely adding visuals whenever possible. Modeling content knowledge can be accomplished when the instructor writes the objective or provides an outline of what the lesson entails in student friendly vocabulary for each lesson where students can visually see. Next, the instructor should discuss what the end goal of the lesson is through hand gestures and changing the speed and tone of the voice to elaborate key concepts. Additionally, teachers should provide visual vocabulary whenever possible. Playing videos, word walls, or showing pictures of key vocabulary in a lesson will help students who struggle with differences in language grasp what is being asked of them more clearly. Lastly, instructor should show examples of projects and essays for reference. This will allow EL students to visualize the end product; allowing them to organize their ideas and
Through assessment students and teachers are able to determine the level of mastery a student has achieved with standards taught. Both formative and summative assessment should be purposeful and targeted to gain the most accurate data to drive further instruction (Ainsworth, 2010). While this syllabus does a good job of identifying the need for both formal and informal assessments, the way in which this is communicated does not provide enough detail for understanding. Simply listing assessment types does not give any insight into how these assessments fit in the learning process of this course. While some of the assessments mentioned could be common assessments chosen by the school or district to gain insight into the effectiveness of instruction, the inclusion of authentic assessments is most beneficial to students and demonstrates learning in a context closer to that of a work environment (Rovai, 2004). Unfortunately, this particular course, according to this syllabus, relies heavily on quizzes and traditional tests and essays to form the bulk of assessment opportunities. While other activities, such as formative assessments, journaling and discussions are mentioned as possible avenues for scoring, they are given a very low percentage of the overall grade. This shows that they are not valued for their ability to show progression and mastery. If this is indeed the case, this puts the students as a